It’s easy to look at the websites of big name brands and assume that you need a lot of money and manpower to achieve similar quality web design, but this is not actually the case. Just because you are a small business, it does not mean that your website should look any less impressive than Apple’s, Amazon’s or that of any other major brand. A professional website doesn’t mean breaking the bank – it simply comes down to making smart design choices. Here are a few tips taken from big name brands to make sure your website is top notch:
Stay on top of trends
Be aware of the latest trends in web design through web design blogs (like ours) and articles, and by looking at other websites. Implement these trends into your own design. You don’t want your website to become outdated, customers will easily notice the old layout. The best way to engage customers is with contemporary visuals and effects such as a clean and responsive layout, simple palette and bold imagery.
Minimalism
Tech-giant Apple is probably the best example of effective minimalist design, showing that a simple layout can have the most powerful effect. You don’t have to go as stark-white as Apple, but it’s always good to design with ‘breathing space’ around images and text on the page. The last thing you want is a cluttered website. The simpler a page is, the easier it is for your visitors to navigate. Keep the text short and to the point, and wherever possible, make big, high quality photos the focal point of the page.
Branding, branding, branding
At the end of the day, your whole web design should revolve around your branding. Just think about big name brands such as Coca Cola, Facebook and Nike. You immediately see images, fonts and colours that all make up a cohesive and compelling brand identity, from Coca Cola’s white and red colour scheme to Nike’s wing logo. When designing your branding you want to connect to your target audience while also encapsulating what makes your company unique and interesting. From an effective brand you can create an effective web design. Branding on your web design is everything from the logo and the fonts, to the colours and tone of the site.
Make it personal
Many big name brands succeed in making you care about their company and the product: they engage with you on a personal level. The ability to connect with your visitors and give your website a “human element” can have a significant impact on the success of your website. You can do this in a variety of ways. Make it easy for people to learn more about you, the history of your website or company, what inspired your work and the website, include profiles of your employees etc. You can also engage visitors by making it easy for people to contact you, not just on the conventional email and phone but also encouraging them to connect with you on social media. On that note, social media should be one of the focus points on the front page and always visible on every page.
Try out these tips on your web design and your website will be as professional and snazzy as that of any big brand! If you’re interested in finding out how we can help you improve and make the most of your website, contact us. Here at Illicit Web Design we combine elegant graphic design with advanced software development to provide world-class bespoke web design services that are completely tailored to you.