Guest blog post: 10 Top Web Design Tips for Building Your Brand

This is a guest post from Sam Sayer, the Creative Director of DeType, a creative agency based in Kettering, Northamptonshire UK. He asked me to post it and I felt that it would be helpful to my readers. It contains some sensible and practical advice on web design. I hope my site passes some of these tests....

10 Top Web Design Tips for Building Your Brand

Do your visitors know what your company is offering seconds after landing on your website? Do they stay for a for a long enough time to learn more about your brand? If you answered NO to either of these, perhaps you need to consider redesigning your website by keeping it:

1.      Clean and simple:

Think of your website as a digital display for your customers to see. You shouldn’t clutter the pages with details that distracts the audience’s attention away from your products or services. In addition, this will also make your page:

• Look timeless
• Easier to understand
• Accessible
• Look less “salesy”
• Easier to transact with
• Build trusts
• Look professional
• Easier to remember
• Give great user experience

Plus you will see other benefits such as:

• Higher conversion rates
• Faster page load speeds
• Easier to layout content and fix
• More search engine friendly
• More focussed on content and outcomes

2.      White Space

Relax this is not some fancy technical term. These are any unused areas on your site including those that separate your text and images. While many business owners would rather fill every space with content, you shouldn’t actually be doing this. Here are some of the reasons why white space helps your brand:

• Makes your site suitable for various screen sizes
• The text is easier to read
• Focuses the audience’s attention to the most important content
• Makes your site look balanced and clean

White space doesn’t have to always be white. You can use solid colours or even blurred background images.

3.      Visual Hierarchy

Organise and prioritise your content and images to communicate your brand, products or services. In designing your website you need to consider the following:

• Where do you want the site visitors to look?
• What is the information you want to convey?
• How to make the users scroll down
• How to make the Call-to-Action buttons stand out
• What kind of images will put the message across to your audience?

The primary purpose of visual hierarchy is to guide your customers. Use the design and layout of your site to communicate clearly with them.

Consider the following factors when creating your site’s visual hierarchy:

• Size – Imagine five lines of text. The third line has the largest font size. Which do you think you’ll see or read first? Important text should have fonts that better stand out.
• Shape – If your images feature all the same shapes, they will likely blend with each other. On the other hand, a single different shape will get the attention of your users. For example, you see a web page featuring all products in a circle except one. More often than not, you’ll notice the solitary shaped product first.
• Placement – The call-to-action button is often located at the bottom of the page. You can, however, use images and content to lead your viewers down to the CTA area.
• Colours – Use bright and bold colours to bring your reader’s attention to the most important page elements. If you want to place your content in the background, use light tints. Meanwhile, a darker shade will make your content stand out. 

4.      Colours

According to The New York Times bestselling author Neil Patel, colours may affect human behaviour. He gave some colour tips that will improve your engagement and conversion rate.

• If your customers are primarily women, avoid using the colours brown, gray and orange. Instead, use blue, green, or purple.
• Male customers, on the other hand, prefer black, blue, and green. The colours brown, orange, and purple, however, are not among their favourites.
• Blue is a popular colour because it symbolises trust and peace for many people. For this reason, modern web design of corporations including banks use this colour a lot.
• Yellow can make some people anxious. This is because yellow “activates the brain’s anxiety center”, according to color experts. There’s no solid scientific proof to back this up. Still, it’s better to stay on the safe side.
• If your products or services involve nature, organic or the outdoors, use Green. It also makes your CTA buttons stand out.
• As mentioned earlier, orange is not a favorite colour for both genders. For sports and children’s products, however, orange signifies “fun”.
• If you’re selling luxury or high-value items, use black because it symbolises “sophistication, elegance, and power”.
• White isn’t technically a colour but Google’s site uses it a lot.
• For CTA buttons, bright colors like red, green, orange, and yellow have higher conversion rates. Probably because they stand out on your web page.

5.      Photos

Many websites today use stock photos because it’s either cheap or free. Unfortunately, it also makes your site look generic and ordinary. Why not use actual photos of your store, staff, and even customers? This is also an effective way of introducing your business to customers while earning their trusts.

Real photography also gives your brand a unique identity that stock pictures can never give. You can hire a photographer to take pictures of you, the staff, office, and equipment. Sure, it will cost money but it’s worth it. Aside from your website, you can include the photos in brochures, emails, and ads.  

6.      Fonts

Fonts can either highlight your content or overshadow it. While there are numerous fonts out there, it’s better to stick with the most common ones. These are the ones that most PCs and mobile devices can display. In the old days, there were some 13 font families that were used. Today, you have 800 to choose from Google Fonts alone.

Despite that large number, there are only really main five types of fonts. Each conveys a particular impression of your brand.

• Serif fonts – Suitable for logos and print because of their classical look. Many people consider these fonts as trustworthy or conservative.
• Slab Serif fonts – This gives your brand a vintage look. The classic form works well with brands related to outdoor activities. The more modern versions, however, seem to look a bit “artsy”.
• San Serif fonts – This type projects an efficient, clean, and modern image. This font makes your long text paragraphs look good but they are best used for headlines or logos.
• Script fonts – These fonts look like cursive writing but they are further divided into two – formal and casual. The former is popular with wedding invitations and design that project a historical look. The Casual scripts, however, look good in designs that project a casual and down-to-earth appeal.
• Handwritten fonts – Use this type if you want your brand to exude a creative and unique image. But, be careful; use handwritten fonts sparingly or only for headlines – they can look childish or messy if overdone’

7.      Navigation

Keep your navigation simple and intuitive. Don’t let your users waste their time figuring out how your menus work. Here are some tips on how to make your navigation menus user-friendly:

• Mind the positioning of your menu - Most websites use a horizontal menu, left-sided or right-sided vertical menu.
• Limit the number of items - Don’t overwhelm your users. Try and limit the menu categories to a maximum of seven.
• Use clear and easy to understand words - Don’t try to be too creative, make it obvious.
• Organise the categories - The priority items should go on top such as your products or services. Also, most users expect to find the “Contact” page at the end of the menu.
• Keep the navigation structure consistent - If your website has several pages, it’s best to maintain the same menu throughout. If you want to provide more details, create another sub-menu for it.

8.      Mobile-Friendly

Make sure that your website is mobile ready. This is now a must because most people including your customers would rather browse on their smartphones. Even Google now includes mobile-friendly features in ranking websites today.

You also need to add controls that are specific to mobile devices such as swipes. So if you’re designing websites, make sure to check the mobile version. Take note, not all mobile devices are the same, with various screen sizes and specifications. Find out the device types preferred by your users and incorporate their needs within your website design.

9.      Call To Action (CTA)

Convert your audience to customers by using a strong call-to-action. Increase the effectiveness of your CTA by offering:

• A free trial
• A benefit
• Curiosity
• A solution to a problem
• Social proof
• Cliffhangers
• A bonus
• Discounts

Use your landing pages and various ad campaigns to generate traffic. Once they visit your site, move on to persuading them to click your call-to-action buttons. 

10.   Social Share and Follow Buttons

Social media is now an important part of a business website. This is why adding social sharing and follow buttons are necessary because they:

• Help satisfied customers to endorse your products or services
• Extend the reach to your target audience
• Increase your social signals which helps with SEO

About the Author: Sam Sayer

Sam Sayer is the Creative Director of DeType, a creative agency based in Kettering, Northamptonshire UK. He has more than 15 years of design experience. His expertise includes branding, motion, UX, and online design. His company works with clients from various sectors within the UK and worldwide.

Comments

[GlobaSource]

Thanks a lot for sharing this blog. Really nice and fresh content. All the information is helpful for us.