Darren CarpenterCreating the perfect web design is a daunting task, and goes far beyond creating a beautiful, content-rich site. Here are five tips to help you get started.
1. Know your market
Research is the foundation of any graphic design project – web design is no different. Getting under the skin of the market will give you a better understanding of industry trends. Knowing who your website is for will help you decide what elements to incorporate in the design.
2. Keep it simple
You never get a second chance to make a first impression! This is true in every sense. The brain prefers to think about things that are easy to think about – so design a website with a clear simple navigation structure which is visible wherever the user decides to go. Use the homepage as a portal to other areas of the website; create a snapshot of what the website is about.
3. Balance art and science
Using a structured grid will help create order and consistency. A grid holds elements that appear in the same position throughout the site such as the logo and navigation. However, keeping too tightly within the confides of a grid can make for monotonous viewing, so break out occasionally with call out text, testimonials or images – make the website attractive to look at.
4. Put the user first
Make the user feel that their time looking at your website has been well spent by making information easy to find. As mentioned in point 3 above, use a grid system as this creates confidence for the user, enabling them to find information and navigate the site easily.
5. Keep an eagle eye
Look at the details of the web design, make sure your pixels are perfect and images are crisp, clean and have good contrast. Don’t forget to test the website in multiple browsers and multiple devices tweaking and adjusting as necessary.
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