Brief Summary

Oh, CRAP! What is CRAP? Through videos and readings, I have learned that “CRAP” is a very useful acronym used in web design. In fact, it is so useful, that it is important to make sure your CRAP is up to par, before completing a website.

CRAP stands for Contrast Repetition Alignment Proximity. These are all factors in making a web design look good. These factors help readers see the relation in different parts of the website and give the website consistency. Here’s what the individual parts of CRAP mean.

Key Terms / Concepts 

Contrast: “Elements that aren’t the same should be very different, so they stand out. Making them “slightly different” confuses the user into seeing a relation that doesn’t exist.”[Source]

Repetition: “Repeat visual elements of the design throughout the piece. You can repeat color, shape, texture, spacial relationships, line thicknesses, sizes, etc. This helps develop the organization and strengthens the unity.” [Source]

Alignment: “Nothing should be placed on the page arbitrarily. Every element should have some visual connection with another element on the page.” [Source]

Proximity: “Elements that are related should be grouped together, whereas separate design elements should have enough space in between to communicate they are different.” [Source]

Are you still confused about CRAP? Maybe a video will help. “How A Web Design Goes Straight To Hell” gives fun web design insight!

Side note / Connections to experiences: This was quite helpful, as I know what a good website looks like, but always have issues picking out the proper contrast, alignment, etc. As you can see, my first couple of posts were done with a center alignment for the body, but as explained here, that is not classy!

Here are the links I used to learn about CRAP!