Web design is actually one thing that pretty much everyone on the managerial end of a company has to deal with, but only design professionals truly understand. When you would like a good web design, you’ve to learn the basics, which means you can communicate want. Even if you are hiring a professional to design the page of yours for you, you still want a little background info to discern a talented web designer from a mediocre one and describe what you need them to do.
1. Clear out the clutter.
First, let us address one of the most common beginner mistakes in web design: a cluttered screen. Many people have a list of all the things they would like on the site of theirs, and without knowing any better, they throw it all on-screen and on the same page.
Essentially, every element you add to your web design waters down all the others. If you include too many distracting elements, your user does not know where to look, and you lose a coherent experience. By comparison, if you only include the required elements, those elements are definitely more potent since they do not have to share center stage.
2. Use ample white space.
Just how are you going to fill all that space you created after clearing out the clutter? Might we suggest filling it with nothing?
Negative space (a.k.a. white space) is actually the technical term in visual arts for areas in an image that don’t attract attention. Usually, these blank or empty, like a cloudless sky or perhaps a monochrome wall. Although boring on its own, when used artistically, negative space can complement and enhance the main subject, improve legibility and make the image easier to “take in.”
3. Guide your user’s eyes with visual hierarchy.
If using a technical term like “negative space” did not phase you, what do you think of “visual hierarchy”? It refers to using different visual elements as placement or size to influence which elements your user sees first, last, or second. Featuring a big, bold title at the top of the webpage and tiny legal info at the bottom is a great example of using visual hierarchy to prioritize certain elements over others.
Aesthetics
– 4. Pick your colors strategically.
Now you are familiar with the principles of great composition, let us talk about that composition’s specifics. We will start with color, a powerful tool for just about any designer.
For starters, every color has a certain emotional connotation. If the brand identity is actually energetic and passionate, an exhilarating red would fit much better than a tranquil blue. Apart from picking the very best colors to represent your brand, you also have to wear them well, like contrasting colors off one another to establish visual hierarchy.
5. Do not skimp on photography.
Although optional, if you decide to use real-life photography in the web design of yours, be sure you do it correctly. Effective, meaningful photography can further the business goals of yours, but poor-quality photos hold you back.
Using photography in web design follows many of the same guidelines for photography that is good in general. A stunning photo hung in an art gallery can be equally as spectacular on a site, but the mood, style, and topics have to coincide. Just look at the tantalizing photograph in Top Level designer JPSDesign’s web design above.
6. Optimize typography to create your brand.
While the words you or perhaps your copywriter choose are critical, you can also improve their effectiveness by giving them a proper look.
Typography encompasses all the text’s visuals, particularly fonts and various other elements as size, text color, style (italics, bold, etc.), and the spacing between letters, lines, and words. All of these impact the visual hierarchy and how your brand is actually perceived.
Functionality
– 7. Streamline navigation.
Lastly, we move on to functionality: what the website of yours can do. The discussion about functionality should always start with navigation, the backbone of any site.
Everybody has the own methods of their techniques for finding their way around a site. An effective web design caters to its navigation to its target users, so it feels intuitive – the fewer users have to think about it, the greater.
8. Prioritize mobile
Older (but not old!) folks tend to think of web design in terms of desktop screens, but the truth is nowadays, folks do most of their browsing on mobile devices. That is exactly why you have to make sure the mobile site of yours is in peak condition, not only for your user’s sake but for Google’s as well – the Google algorithm factors in mobile responsiveness to the search rankings of theirs.
9. Make text easy to read
Designing a site specifically around visuals could harm its legibility. When you use a font that looks good, but nobody can read, you throw the baby out with the bathwater.
When we say a site must be easy to read, we are talking about approximately 3 different meanings:
Well-written. The copy text is actually written to suit your business objectives, and in a voice that appeals to your audience.
Aesthetically laid out. The copy text is actually displayed well, preferably with plenty of space and in digestible blocks that do not overwhelm the reader.
Legible. The font and size are actually both conducive to reading, with no double backing or perhaps strain.