“To design is to communicate clearly by whatever means you can control or master.”
– Milton Glaser.
Poorly designed websites tend to perform poorly. That means high bounce rates and low conversions. An effective site is not just aesthetically pleasing, it is engaging and easy to use. Here’s more of what that entails:
COLOR –
Color creates balance and harmony. Contrast makes reading easier and draws the eye where you want it to go. Colors influence emotion. Last but not least, white space (empty space) gives your site a modern, uncluttered look.
IMAGES AND VIDEO –
Choosing the right images makes all the difference in the world in branding and connecting with your audience. If you don’t have high quality professionally taken images, don’t use them. Use royalty-free stock images or graphics, but take the time to search for images that really speak to you, and avoid that over-used stock image look. If you have good video, use it! A picture speaks more than a thousand words.
NAVIGATION –
It’s vital to make it easy for people to find what they’re looking for on your website. It’s best to make any other page available from the page you are on, but at worst, never violate the “three click rule”: users can get to the information they want within three clicks.
There are seven more principles (three in the article before this one), so stay tuned. Email us at hello@21thirteen.com or call us at 646 808 0249 for more information or for help in making your web site truly effective.
Perry Yeldham, 21Thirteen Design
