7 Framer Design Rules You Must Know!

Creating websites with Framer is super easy. In fact, it’s too easy, which is why it’s common for beginner to intermediate Framer users to make fundamental design mistakes.

Creating a visually appealing and user-friendly website is crucial for engaging visitors and driving conversions. Yet, common mistakes like cluttered layouts, inconsistent spacing, and poor color choices can undermine your efforts. Understanding and applying core web design principles is vital to avoid these pitfalls. Here are key rules to follow for a balanced, attractive, and effective website.👇

Balanced Text

One of the fundamental aspects of web design is ensuring that your text is well-balanced. This means paying attention to line length, font size, and spacing.

• Apply balanced text wrap to keep lines as close in length as possible by either giving them a max width or applying the Balanced Framer attribute.

  (Balanced text override)

  
  

• Avoid long lines of text that can be hard to read and overwhelming for the user. Instead, keep your lines between 50-75 characters.

Text Hierarchy

Establishing a clear text hierarchy is essential for guiding users through your content. Use headings (h1-h6) appropriately: h1 for the main title, h2 for major sections, and so on. This not only improves readability but also benefits SEO. Ensure paragraphs are well-defined, and use different styles for buttons to distinguish between primary and secondary actions.

The general rule of thumb is:

• H1 for the hero (first section) title

• Body normal or Body large for the hero section’s subtitle

• H2 for normal section titles

• Body normal or Body small for normal section subtext

• H3-H6 for any inner titles within sections (e.g., cards, figures, stats, carousels, etc.)

Also, never use two of the same heading styles in different places in the same section.

Max Width for Sections

Setting a maximum width for content sections is essential to maintain readability and visual appeal. A max width of around 1200px is a good rule of thumb, ensuring that your content doesn’t stretch too wide on large screens. This keeps text lines at a comfortable reading length and makes your design look more polished and professional.

To make your website more interesting, consider breaking this max-width rule by sprinkling sections that go past the 1200px mark (e.g., logo ticker or a big call to action). Try not to overdo it, or you’ll defeat the whole point of the max-width rule.

Padding

Proper padding around your content elements is crucial for creating a clean and breathable design. Give larger content blocks more padding and smaller content blocks smaller padding. This creates “breathing room” between elements, making it easier for users to focus on one piece of content at a time.

Consistent padding across sections and components also enhances the overall aesthetic by providing a sense of order and structure. For example, all sections should have the same top/bottom padding of 64px-120px.

Gap/Spacing Relations

Spacing plays a vital role in the hierarchy and flow of your web pages. We use spacing to create relations between different elements. For example, titles and subtitles should have less space between them compared to the space between headings and buttons below them. Similarly, adjacent buttons should have less of a gap between one another than the space between the button stack and the text above it.

It is generally a rule of thumb to multiply or divide spacing between related and non-related elements using the 8-grid system (multiples of 8). So, using our last example, the heading and subheading would have a gap of 16px, whereas the gap between the text stack and button stack is 32px. Then there will be a 16px gap (or even smaller) amongst the buttons.

This creates a clear visual relationship between related elements and helps guide the user's eye through the content in a logical manner.

Color Hierarchy

Using color effectively can direct attention and indicate importance. For buttons, it’s best to have only one primary button variant visible at a time, with the rest being secondary. This highlights the most important action for the user to take. Consistent color use throughout your site also helps create a cohesive and professional look.

Accent Color

Incorporating accent colors can help differentiate sections and guide the user's journey. Alternating background colors, such as white and light gray, can create a visual separation between sections, making your content easier to scan and more engaging. Accent colors can also be used for buttons, links, and other interactive elements to draw attention where needed.

Bringing It All Together

Following these web design rules can help create a visually appealing and user-friendly website. These principles help make your website not only attractive but also functional and engaging, ensuring a positive experience for your visitors.

About the Author

Guy Acey is a Framer Expert & Content Creator. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube for more insights and tutorials on web design. For more information and resources, visit his website at racepush.com.