Your website does a lot of heavy lifting. It supports your brand, clients, and leads. But if it’s not designed well, it can’t do any of these things. That’s why it’s so important to consider a new website or redesign, and the technical roadmap required to get you there. For your site to succeed, it’s crucial to understand the creative elements of modern web design. Let’s break them down:
Brand Voice & Identity
No matter what business you’re in, your site has to showcase the voice and identity of your brand. Otherwise, you risk blending in with your competitors — and losing customers. Your brand voice defines how you communicate. It’s essential to understanding the needs and emotional motivators of your target audience, in order to build a strong connection. Your website’s imagery and design can also help accomplish this by mirroring your brand.
Hierarchy & Consistency
Modern web design relies heavily on a strong visual hierarchy. When you understand the weight and importance of each element on the page and arrange them accordingly, you boost your user experience. After all, users have certain expectations about how things will function and flow. Design according to what’s in their minds, and you’re golden. Use the principles of scale, contrast, alignment, balance, proximity and more, to guide users toward desired actions.
Intuitive Navigation
Ease of use is key here. Place menus in familiar spots, like the top of the page or left edge for desktop devices. It’s also important to keep your navigation consistent across the experience. For example, if a user opens a drop-down menu, they’ll expect that all other menus will drop down. Another best practice is to make sure your menu items are easy to read. If they’re cluttered, your users might miss the content they’re searching for, give up, and leave your site.
Note: Not all visitors will start from your homepage. Wherever they land, they should have a clear understanding of where they are, in relation to the whole site. This is especially important if you have a complex website, with pages and pages of content.
Mobile First Responsive Design
“Mobile first” is a design philosophy that aims to create a seamless experience across all devices by starting with the smallest of screens: mobile. Because the mobile interface is more limited, it forces designers to prioritize the content that users want the most. Mobile usage has been steadily increasing every year, with no signs of stopping. It’s safe to say that mobile is now central to the customer journey. If you want your website to do its best, you have to first understand where and how your users will be accessing it.
Accessible Design
What exactly is “Accessible Design”? It’s a method of developing your website to account for a wide array of disabilities. For example: blindness, impaired vision, deafness, cognitive disabilities, and mobility impairments. With more than 61 million people living in the U.S. with disabilities, it’s important that all people are able to use your site. Accessible Design will ensure that you’re not excluding anyone in your audience.
RDI Case Study: United Salt
Established nearly 100 years ago, United Salt is a well-seasoned player in the salt production game. After revamping their brand framework to better showcase their commitment to relationships, they needed a website to bring this brand value to life. Our team used their knowledge of GDD (Growth-Driven Design) to deliver a beautiful, agile website that puts the user first. Check out our United Salt website redesign case study here.
The list above is just the start. There are many more parts that play into modern web design. Our design and development experts know how to bring all of these elements together, to create a successful website. One that can evolve with your customers. Is your site due for a redesign? Let’s make it happen! Reach out to Red Door today.