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o better define the subject, I'm not speaking here of
using "free web art" pieces (on which I have already commented) or even using logical markup to bring out the
structure of the document. The "modules" I'm referring to are
design elements you develop for using in a particular project---the
specific headings, rules, buttons, and other paraphernalia united by
the general style of the site, plus the abstract aspects of your
composition: fonts, colors, textures, alignment styles, etc.
Thus, "modular design" is just another name for one of the most
important design principles, consistency, which states that you
should strive to minimize the inventory of different elements and
materials used in any single composition. This principle, despite
being strictly negative (i.e. telling you what not to do), is
immensely powerful and universally applicable. By enforcing
consistency and integrity, modular design makes your work not only
easier but, more importantly, better.
This article discusses the theory and
practice of modular design using the example of another site I recently
designed, the "Books of Russia" online bookstore at http://books.ru.
My previous case study column, discussing the redesign of Quiotix
Corp. web site, was well received by the audience, so I decided
to present another "behind-the-scenes" article---which, rather than
using the work of others for illustrations, indeed gives me a much
better chance to thoroughly analyze both design fundamentals and
minutia.
The "Books of Russia" site is in Russian, but since the article is
devoted to design (as opposed to online book trade or Russian
literature), this is unlikely to become an obstacle for those who
don't read the language. I will give you direct links to the pages
being discussed (so you won't have to navigate the site yourself)
and use pictures to point you to the relevant elements on each
page. In fact, this "pure" design example could be especially
instructive because you won't be distracted by the text (in English
design books, Latin text is often used with the same purpose).
As a sort of a theoretical introduction, the first part of this article discusses
probably the most important principle in design---the principle of consistency.
Those impatient to see real-world design work can skip that
section and go directly to the case study, traditionally starting
with a logo design stage. The next section, while describing
the page layout and site-wide navigation system,
introduces the main characters of our story---those colors, fonts,
textures, and other style elements that are later grouped into
modules and extensively reused on the front
page's content area and the rest of the
site.
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