Well, you know what they say, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”, so you should not take your website for granted. It needn’t be flashy or have music or be what I call graphically noisy (every inch covered with graphics). It just needs to communicate your brand and message clearly.
My style of design tends to be clean, clear and open. I leave very little room for there to be misunderstandings about the purpose of your visit. I do this by designing each website with the end user and their experience in mind.
When you design your website or speak to someone about your site you should keep a few things in mind.
- Your website should convey a clear message about who you are.
- It should usher people through the designed experience with no confusion
- It should not be text heavy - short clear messages or pictures/icons are great ways to achieve brevity.
- There should be a natural progression through what ever process you have designed for your visitor.
- Consistency is Critical - Each page should look like its a part of the same brand. I shy away from even changing colors on different pages. I want the visitors to know they are still on the same site they started with every step of the way.
- Your brand should be well represented on your site but it need not be center stage but more so the backdrop to your communication.
- A call to action should always exist, even if you just ask your visitors to join your facebook fan page, follow you on twitter or join your other social networks.
- Do not use pre made cookie cutter sites if you can at all help it. They are free for a reason. You would be better served with a well designed landing page with a couple of functions then to not be taken seriously because of your inadequate design.
- Make sure your message is the star, not the graphic artist or web designer. Less is more think Facebook Versus Myspace, who wins?
- If you want visitors to take you serious one of the best ways to make this happen is by investing in High Resolution Professional Photography. There is absolutely no substitute!
In a future blog I will take you through my web design process step by step but I hope this is helpful to your brand’s digital journey.
Make Money, Have Fun, Be A Blessing,
Cirilo
