Breaking Design Rules: When to Follow and When to Rebel

5 min readNov 13, 2024

In the world of UI/UX design, certain principles — like consistency, simplicity, and usability — often guide our choices. But sometimes, the most compelling designs come from knowing when and how to break the rules. Knowing when to follow established design standards and when to take a risk and rebel can set a designer apart. Here’s a guide on when sticking to conventions is wise and when rule-breaking can lead to a more engaging user experience.

1. Understanding the Basics First

Before bending or breaking any rules, it’s crucial to have a deep understanding of fundamental design principles. Mastery of typography, color theory, hierarchy, and layout is necessary to create designs that communicate effectively. This foundation allows designers to evaluate when breaking a rule will serve a purpose rather than cause confusion.

When to Follow: Always follow the basics when creating essential usability elements like buttons, forms, or navigation. Users expect these to function predictably.
When to Rebel: Once you’ve internalized the rules, you can confidently deviate from them in areas like branding, visual storytelling, or product promotion, where a unique style can make a statement.

2. Design Consistency vs. Fresh Visuals

Consistency in design — especially in UI elements — is key to usability. A consistent design reduces the cognitive load, helping users to intuitively navigate an interface. However, there’s a time and place to add unexpected elements or fresh visuals that can captivate attention.

When to Follow: Stick with consistency for core UI elements, like navigation bars and icons. Users rely on these to be predictable.
When to Rebel: When designing for brand expression or campaigns, breaking consistency can create intrigue. For instance, switching up color schemes, adding interactive elements, or experimenting with layouts can provide visual interest.

3. Accessibility Rules: Keep or Break?

Accessibility ensures inclusivity, allowing everyone, including users with disabilities, to access and navigate digital interfaces. While most accessibility guidelines should be non-negotiable, certain exceptions can work when the audience and context are well-understood.

When to Follow: Adhere to accessibility rules when designing products or platforms for broad or diverse audiences. Clear, readable text, proper contrast ratios, and screen reader compatibility should remain intact.
When to Rebel: For niche experiences, like interactive art installations or promotional games, you might break some accessibility rules to achieve a particular effect or visual impact. Just ensure that the design won’t alienate or frustrate a significant portion of users.

4. Hierarchical Structure: Essential vs. Experimental

The visual hierarchy guides users, allowing them to prioritize and process information quickly. Traditional hierarchy usually follows a predictable flow, using font size, color, and spacing to indicate importance. However, bending hierarchy rules can create unexpected, dynamic designs that draw attention.

When to Follow: Stick with traditional hierarchy in information-heavy designs, such as e-commerce or dashboards, where quick access to content is critical.
When to Rebel: In portfolios or artistic sites, an unusual hierarchy can be visually stimulating. For instance, using bold typography or unconventional placements to prioritize secondary content can leave a memorable impression.

5. Simple Navigation vs. Creative Exploration

Simple navigation is a fundamental design principle, especially in user-centered products, where users expect intuitive pathways to accomplish tasks. But if your goal is to create an exploratory experience, breaking navigation conventions can be a strategic choice.

When to Follow: Use familiar navigation for sites that require frequent interactions, like social media, banking apps, or shopping platforms. Clear paths to content are essential here.
When to Rebel: In immersive experiences, such as interactive storytelling websites or campaign microsites, experimenting with unconventional navigation can add depth. Using scroll-triggered navigation or hidden elements that encourage exploration can be engaging in these cases.

6. Color and Contrast: Play by the Rules or Push Boundaries

Color choices often align with brand guidelines and accessibility standards, maintaining contrast to ensure readability. However, color can also be a powerful way to evoke emotions or draw attention to specific areas.

When to Follow: Follow color guidelines when readability is a top priority. For example, in health, finance, or educational apps, color contrast should prioritize accessibility and user comfort.
When to Rebel: Artistic projects, landing pages, or product marketing can benefit from unconventional colors. High-saturation shades, duotone effects, or gradient overlays can create a unique visual tone. Just ensure the aesthetic risk aligns with the brand message.

7. Typography: Safe Choices or Statement Fonts

Typography plays a huge role in setting the tone of a website or app. While readability is often the top priority, typography is also a key opportunity to add character and personality to a design.

When to Follow: In content-heavy platforms like blogs or news sites, prioritize legible fonts and stick to a consistent type scale. Sans-serif fonts are often best for digital readability.
When to Rebel: In places like hero headers or promotional materials, a unique font choice can make a strong first impression. Oversized, bold, or decorative fonts can convey the brand’s personality and draw attention.

8. Animations and Microinteractions: Subtle vs. Bold

Animations and microinteractions help bring a design to life, providing feedback and enhancing usability. But, overuse or excessively complex animations can disrupt the user experience.

When to Follow: Use subtle animations for feedback, such as hover effects or loading indicators, in practical applications where functionality is key.
When to Rebel: Experiment with bold animations in places where engagement is the goal. For instance, for onboarding sequences, creative transitions, or interactive sections, animations can help tell a story, guide users, and make the experience memorable.

9. Minimalism vs. Maximalism

Minimalism is favored for its clean, distraction-free approach, enhancing usability and focusing users on essential content. However, maximalism — where visuals are rich and intricate — can offer an equally impactful experience if used intentionally.

When to Follow: Minimalist design is ideal for applications where content clarity is important, like utility apps, dashboards, and product pages.
When to Rebel: For portfolios, art-driven experiences, or luxury brands, maximalist design can create a bold impression. Combining detailed visuals, textures, and layered elements can create a sophisticated or even playful tone.

10. User Expectations vs. Novelty

Users bring expectations based on familiar design patterns. Meeting these expectations can lead to a smoother experience, but adding an element of novelty can elevate user engagement.

When to Follow: Use established patterns in functional areas where users depend on consistency, like search bars, checkouts, and navigation.
When to Rebel: When the goal is to entertain or surprise, add elements that defy expectations. Unique loading screens, creative scrolling effects, or interactive components can captivate users in a way traditional designs might not.

Conclusion

Mastering design rules means understanding when to follow them and when to break free to create impactful, memorable experiences. In high-stakes, functional design like banking apps or healthcare platforms, sticking to the basics and prioritizing usability is essential. However, for creative projects, branding, or interactive campaigns, rebelling against convention can create distinctive, engaging experiences. Knowing the user, context, and brand goals can guide you in choosing when to embrace the rules and when to let your creativity lead the way.

Devoq Design is a top UI/UX design agency in Nizamabad and UI/UX design agency in Khammam, specializing in creating impactful digital experiences that enhance user engagement and business success. Their skilled team excels in designing intuitive interfaces and smooth user journeys tailored to meet each client’s unique requirements. Whether serving clients in Nizamabad or Khammam, Devoq Design delivers customized, high-quality solutions that help businesses build a strong digital presence and excel in their respective markets.