Web Development 101 -- The Extremes of Website Visual Design

What kind of website do you need?  The answer to that question lies in the type of content you will be providing and your overall goals for the site.  Below are some of the extremes of web site visual design. Chances are your site will be a blend of these approaches.  You might have strong visuals to help brand your company or product while keeping animated elements to a minimum.  The important this is that we find out exactly where on this spectrum you should land before starting on the visual layout.

The Minimalist Approach

or "Where are all the pretty pictures?"

Typical Product: Information, news, general product sales from many brands

Example sites: Google.com, CraigsList.org, MobileRead.com

Notes: 

• This type of site uses graphics sparingly.
• This site is usually information intensive.
• The site design goal is to guide users to the content transaction and get out of the way.
• Graphics are used sparingly to highlight menu items or order buttons.
• Some pages might have no graphical elements at all and rely only on type color, positioning and logical hierarchies.
• The navigation is usually familiar to the user and clearly laid out.
• Content is usually updated frequently by end users or automatic bots.

The Image Marketing Approach

 or "Why is everything on the site moving?"

Typical Product: Marketing a movie, TV show or band.  Promote an item that is mainly sold in the offline world.  Promote a single product or brand.

Example Sites:  Nike.com, Coke.com, ironmanmovie.marvel.com

Notes:

• This type of site, and often the product being promoted, is all about image.
• The site either does not supply information or distracts the user from gaining information quickly.
• The product is generally not available for purchase online or the online purchase is not a primary goal of the site. Therefore, the site is supposed to make the user excited enough to leave their computer and physically get the product.
• This site typically makes heavy use of large graphics, video and flash animation. This type of site usually takes some time to load.
• Often makes use of unconventional navigation that encourages the user to "play" with the site.
• Content is often static and does not change once the site is launched.

Find out how we can help you position your site correctly.  Contact us today.