Sustainability in web design might sound hard to believe, but this isn’t a greenwashed trend which will disappear next week; it’s about building websites which not only work for people but the planet too.
At Studio Illicit, we believe that good web design shouldn’t cost the earth, both literally and figuratively. So here’s why sustainable web design matters, and why you should consider making your site green.
What is sustainable web design?
Sustainable web design isn’t about making your entire site bright green to show your support for the environment (please don’t do this); it’s about building your site in a way that uses less energy.
Having a site filled with unnecessary junk requires more data to transfer, meaning more energy is used, resulting in more carbon emissions.
Sustainable web design is about cutting down on all the unnecessary junk, streamlining the user experience and cutting down on the fluff.
Why does it matter?
Each time a page loads, data is sent to data centres to process user requests. While we’re moving in a positive direction with renewable data centres, a strong majority of them are still run with fossil fuels. Meaning, although the internet is invisible to the naked eye, it’s still releasing carbon emissions to the planet.
By clearing your site clutter, you are doing your bit to reduce your impact on the planet. You’ll also get an efficient, faster site out of it – So really, it’s a win-win.
Does that mean we will have to cut down on site graphics?
To be clear, sustainable web design isn’t about stripping all the joy out of your site; you can still have sweet imagery and bold designs, just more thought will go into the placement and amount.
It’s about using the right assets in the right places. Having smarter image placement, clean, up-to-date code, and greener site-hosting can all help with having a sustainable site.
What we do differently
At Studio Illicit, we focus on low-carbon development. Creating faster, more efficient websites, without sacrificing user experience. We have custom-built our CMS to be lightweight, and when paired with our site-host being powered by 100% renewable energy, what’s not to love!
If you want to learn more about how we can reduce your digital carbon footprint, you can contact our friendly yet expert team here.