When designing a new web site, you need to keep in mind what I call the “ideal user path,” as I have mentioned in previous posts.

The related concept of “visual paths” in relation to web design is also a very useful concept for designers to understand. Generally speaking, one should design the images on any given page of your site in a way that presents a useful, accessible visual pattern to the eye. What you want to avoid, in essence, is randomly-placed visual information that distracts the eye and causes it to wander or be confused about where to focus.

The archetypal visual paths are the Triangle, S or Z, the Spiral, and Converging Lines. For an excellent article on this topic with visual examples of each archetype, check out this article featured on the iStockPhoto website.