Web Design

Coming soon…

From the Lab

Advice For a Better Website

Keeping your website navigation to a minimum.
If you have 10 or more links in your navigation it is often confusing to figure out which one to go to.   If you keep them to a minimum users will have a much easier time of finding information on your website.  Also, adding sub-menus or sub-links is also a good way of organizing your website into blocked out content.

Create a call to action on most pages.
It is important to have your users wanting more information throughout your pages on your website.   Having buttons, links, or images will gain the users attention and create flow from one page to the next.

Contact information present at all times
Keeping your phone number, email, or fax numbers in the header and footer of your website is important so there are no guessing games when it comes to how to get in contact with you.

Use simple clean image and graphics.
Images not only support your content but often times tell the entire story of what you want to say without having to say anything.

A mobile friendly website.
Responsive and mobile friendly websites have seen a huge rise in popularity. Making sure your website works on a computer, smart phone or device is important since most folks are using them.

Social Media.

Add another level of information to gain followers and interact with your clients using social media.

Hire Someone who knows how to build your website.

Enough said.

 

 

Design Your Website Outside of the Box

How can you make your website stand out from another in your industry?  Bright colors and big images?  Maybe adding more content so the user will have more to read?  Let’s simplify things a bit and take a look at some ways to make your website a little bit different and gain attention for the right reasons.

Add Dimension to Your Website
Sometimes when a website is one-dimensional it can look flat and simple.  To add dimension to your website look at adding layers or objects on top of one another to create a more visually appealing design.  Placing photographs on top of one another or at an angle can break the single dimension and it will be more likely for the viewer to  read additional content.

Place Objects Over the Blocks of Color

Between content sections you may have blocks of color or sections of white space which often can be predictable.  To lead your eye from one section to another place an object or image over the two sections creating flow and again creating dimension.

Use Background Colors and Patterns

Another way of looking outside the box in website design is using pattern behind your content to create another level of interest.  This breaks the design out of the normal look and a new focus.  You can also wrap object around each other which may also create another dimension of appeal.

Adding dimension, overlapping shapes and using background patterns are just a few simple yet effective ways of turning a simple flat website into an outside of the box website.

Design Trends to Avoid – Not Using Enough White Space

When someone sees your website for the first time you do not want to throw them off by not using enough white space.  What is white space?  The section of a page left intentionally untouched or unmarked is what we call white space.  It helps the viewer clearly see what it is you are trying to express in the content of your website.

Not enough white space makes it difficult for the user to find information on your website.  And it can make your company seem unorganized.  The best solution for this is to create a website with enough white space to lead the viewer to the most important aspects you want them to see.  Clean and simple design is an important strategy in developing your website.

Graphic Design Elements That Are No Longer Cool. Part 3 – Shiny Logos

Shiny logos are just that.  Shiny.  If you take the time and energy to create a timeless logo for yourself why add excess and ruin your mark.

You want to keep your logo for quite some time and it should not be recognized for how bright and lustrous it appears on your website.  Good branding will keep your logo consistent throughout the life cycle of the design and will not be a fancy trend.

Do not risk the having your logo fall behind the times and keep it as close to the original as possible.

 

Graphic Design Elements That Are No Longer Cool. Part 2 – Glossy Buttons

A glossy button is the false separation that splits a button into a top and bottom section effectively displaying a pronounced 3D texture.  The glossy buttons are extensively used on websites / design layouts as a call to action and while they are not entirely fazed out, they are tired and somewhat overdone.

Instead, I prefer a button that is clean and cohesive in appearance.  In the sample below, you will see how the gloss and non gloss versions of the button differ in user experience.

While both are still applicable, the trend towards the cleaner non gloss button is the approach to pursue in website and graphic design.