Why visual design matters
Visual design is how a screen guides the eye, builds trust and stays readable. Adverts ask for typography, colour, layout and visual hierarchy because a clear screen helps customers finish tasks and makes a business look reliable. In Ghana it also has a practical side: screens must work on modest phones, in bright sun, for people who may not read quickly.
Typography
- Pick one font family. A clear, free font such as Roboto, Inter or Noto Sans works well. The Noto family also covers many African language characters, such as the letters used in Dagbani and Ewe.
- Use a small type scale. Three or four sizes are enough: a large title, a medium heading, body text and small captions. On phones, body text of about 16 pixels is a common comfortable starting point.
- Use weight for emphasis. Regular for body, bold for key numbers and headings. Avoid all capitals for long text; it is harder to read.
- Keep lines short and spacing generous. Line height of around one and a half times the text size helps reading.
Colour
- Start with neutrals. Dark text on a light background, or the reverse, does most of the work.
- One main brand colour for the primary action. If every button is bright, nothing stands out.