As Forbes writes, web design remains a vital component of a vibrant, successful online marketing campaign. Content marketing, e-mail marketing services, social media outreach: all of it is made better by providing your visitors with great web design that props up the rest of your online content.
The problem is that too many businesses have been focusing on functionality in their web design. Yes, you need to build a responsive web page, and yes, you should ensure that your website is easily navigable, but you can’t afford to forget about the creative aspects of great web design. It’s not going to matter how functional your page is if it looks like it was built during the days of Windows Millennium Edition.
Four Tips for Making Your Web Design More Creative
- Start from Scratch
- Tell a Story with Parallax
- Eschew the Corporate for the Personal
- Don’t Be Afraid to Get ‘Weird’
As Six Revisions, a popular online resource for web designers points out, you’re never going to get a unique, engaging web design that “wows” web surfers by building your page on top of an existing template. While it will likely cost a bit more and take more time, designing a page from scratch is the best way to build a unique page that only your business is known for.
Many web developers and website designers are becoming familiar with the so-called Parallax method of web design. In effect, Parallax allows designers to build scrollable pages that tell a story to customers with dynamic graphics and prompts to use certain buttons on their keyboards. In short, it’s a great way to make a page more interactive and memorable. However, it only works for certain types of companies, specifically those in the game design and technology industries.
With the rise in the popularity of social media, most web users are sick of the typical language and design businesses use to promote their products to potential customers. Most people are sick of marketing rhetoric and the corporatized landscape of the marketing world. What do they want instead? A human connection. That’s why HongKiat recommends doing away with the stock imagery on your website and providing original photos of you, your employees, and your products. By giving internet users something real, you increase your chances of making a connection, not to mention a sale.
For You the Designer, one of the web’s most popular blogs on the graphic design lifestyle, what’s weird translates directly to being what’s great. Sony Ericsson, for example, has a strange, comic book like design to its page. Nike’s Better World project website was effectively an interactive video for athletes. Yes, these pages are strange, but they stayed in visitors’ minds far better than any carbon cutout page ever did.
Are there any web designers or marketers out there? How do you keep your designs creative, without going overboard? Let our readers know in the comment section below! More info like this.
