Online users assess whether a website design is good or bad by using two major aspects. One is the usability angle that centers on functionality, and the other one is the aesthetic angle, which is the visual appeal of the web design. When designing your site, it is vital to maximizing both in order to reach your audience and retain their interest. The functionality and elements of a complete website design must work as a single cohesive unit. Some of the reasons for this are:
The design attracts the user but the content makes them stay. One of the biggest concerns when creating a web design is the time it takes for your users to scan the page for the information they want, whether it is a link to another page, a form field, or a piece of content. Your design should not be a hindrance but instead, work as a conduit between the information and the visitor.
Intuitive navigation is important for users. Your navigation block should be visible on your page. Every one of your links must have a descriptive title. The navigation structure should change appearance when a user hovers over with the cursor and indicates the active page. This helps users to know where they are on your site and how to get where they want to go next.
The dominant features of your web design should include outgoing links, search fields, and secondary navigation. If you make these elements easy to find, as well as separate them from the content visually, this allows users to focus on the information. At the same time, they know where to go when they are ready to continue to other content.
Users should recognize each web page belongs to a single website. Even if there is a significant difference between the layout of your home page and the rest of your website, you should use a cohesive style across all web pages to help carry the design together. You may cut your layout in different ways, but make sure you have solid first column navigation on each of your web pages to avoid disorientation.
The Anatomy of Web Page
Defining the web design in Brisbane that meets all the requirements of a successful website is a simple task. It is like putting together poetry words. While there a variety of ways to arrange words, only a few would make any sense. The poetry words are like blocks or components of the web design. The size and type of business determine the number of blocks needed, but the majority of websites typically need the following components.
The content. It comprises any images, text, infographics, or videos found on a website. A visitor often enters and leaves a site within a matter of seconds. If they cannot find what they are looking for on a site, they will move on to others. Keep your main content block as the focal point of your web design, so that your visitors can scan the webpage for the information they are looking for.
The containing block. Your container could be in the body element of your page, or it is an all-containing section. If your web design has no container, you have no place to put your content. The elements would go beyond the bounds of the browser window. The size of your container can be fluid, which means that it can expand to fill the size of the browser window. It may also be fixed so that the content is the same size, regardless of the size of the window.
The logo. When it comes to the identity of a website, it refers to the logo and colors that exist across the marketing campaign of your company, for example, letterhead, business cards, brochures, and so on. The identity block that displays on your web design should have the logo or name of your company, usually at the top of each page of your site. The identity block enhances brand recognition while telling users that the pages they see are part of a single website.
The footer. It usually contains legal information, copyright, contact, and a few links to the main parts of the website. The footer located at the bottom of the webpage. The footer should indicate to your visitors that they are at the bottom of your page.
The navigation. It is crucial that the navigation system of your website is easy to find and utilize. Visitors expect to see navigation at the top of the web page. Whether you plan to use a horizontal menu or vertical menu down the side of your web design, the navigation should be near the top of the layout as much as possible. All your main navigation items should be above the fold, at the least.
The whitespace. This refers to any area of a web page without any words or illustrations. While you feel a need to fill every inch of your web page with text, images, tables, and data, etc. Keep in mind that the empty space on a web page is as crucial as content. Without planning whitespace carefully, your website will feel like a crowded room. Whitespace helps your website breathe and guides the eyes of the users around a page. It also creates balance and unity.
Create the Right Balance
The concept of the visual balance of a website is similar to that of the physical balance of a seesaw. If the elements on both sides of a layout are of the same weight, it means they balance one another. Symmetrical and asymmetrical are two main types of visual balance:
- Symmetrical balance. It is when the elements of a composition of your web design are on either side of the axis line. You can apply symmetrical balance by centering content or balancing it between equal columns.
- Asymmetrical balance. It is a bit more abstract than symmetrical balance. It involves objects of differing shape, size, or placement, instead of mirroring images on either side of the web layout. Despite the differences in objects, they equalize the weight of the web page. For example, if you have a big object on one side of your web page, you can partner it with some smaller items on the other side.
The process of designing a website is somewhere between art and problem-solving. While you want to create a web design that is aesthetically pleasing, your top priority should be to meet the needs of your audience.