Knowing what drives user engagement on a website is a must-have skill for a web designer. Many believe it is interactive visual elements that bring better user experience and engagement. While it is true, beginners make many mistakes when embedding visual elements into a web design.
The consequences of some of those mistakes can be detrimental to a website’s growth. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the pitfalls of website designing and safely avert them. Here are 7 fundamentals web designers in Melbourne follow while including visual elements into a layout.
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What Constitutes Visual Elements in Web Design?
Visual elements form a major part of web design. Basically, they are everything that you see on a website.
- Logo
- Videos
- Images
- Colours
- Textures
- Typography
- Any other interactive animations
As you can see, designing a website without these would be next to impossible. Either as a font or a colour, visual elements stay an integral part of all web designs.
A firm understanding of visual design will give web designers an edge in the market, driving them to success with each project they take up. So, let’s see how experienced web designers in Melbourne use visual elements.
1. A Neat Logo Design
Logos are distinct identities of brands. People recognise and differentiate one brand from another easily with the help of logos. Hence, the strategic placement of your logo on the website is crucial. Usually, you will find them at the top middle or top left corner of a homepage.
While working with your logo, you must remember the following points.
- The logo must blend seamlessly with the overall website design
- Make sure the logo is legible
- Set a favicon if you want a simple icon
The gist is to make an impression on your customers’ minds. And no better way than to include an easy-to-read logo.
2. A Colour Palette with Strong Accents
If you go to HubSpot, a popular website for inbound marketing, you will be immediately hit by a pop of orange. Every page and corner is filled with tones of orange, which is noticed by their readers in an instant.
This is what colours can do for a brand/website.
So, creating a colour palette with strong accent tones is one of the first things web designers do for a website. During this, they follow certain principles to derive the maximum effect out of it.
- Don’t include too many colours (Best to limit it to 3 or 4.)
- Use a neutral base (light grey or white)
- Make sure the colours are harmonious
- Choose one accent colour
- Consider colour psychology
3. Design a Typographic Hierarchy
One of the key elements that website visitors immediately notice is typography. It must be neat and readable. More importantly, there must be a hierarchy to help the reader find the important information first.
- Use suitable heading tags (H1, H2, H3, and so on)
- Style your headings appropriately (for example, uppercase and lowercase)
- Embed body text and hyperlinks harmoniously below the headings
Above all, ensure typography consistency across all pages of your website.
4. Create a Story Through Images
Images are not just eye candies. You can create stories through the efficient use of images on your website. Doing this will improve user engagement, helping with the website’s SEO metrics.
Experts in web design in Melbourne have some useful tricks for clever integration of images and other web elements. Some notable ones are as follows.
- Select images that are relevant to the brand and content
- Include images that evoke emotions in your visitors
- Plan the sequence of images like a story (the beginning, middle and end)
- Use a mix of close-up, medium, and wide shots to show different perspectives and add visual interest.
This is a perfect strategy to depict your brand’s story or customer’s journey.
5. Negative Space
Web designs must have some negative or white space to create contrast between different elements. Your entire website will look clumsy if each element is crammed into the next one, confusing the visitors. So, consider leaving some breathing space.
Here are some places you can include white/negative space.
- Below headings
- Around images
- Between paragraphs
- Around calls-to-action
Using white space in these areas will immediately draw users’ attention to what’s important.
6. Include Parallax Scrolling
Parallax scrolling is an innovative technique that creates an illusion of depth by moving background and foreground elements at dissimilar speeds as users scroll down a webpage.
This effect adds a dynamic and visually engaging element to the user experience. As visitors navigate through the content, images and sections appear to move independently, enhancing the sense of immersion.
Parallax scrolling is used for many reasons.
- To tell a story
- Showcase products
- Create a captivating narrative flow
While visually impressive, balancing parallax effects with performance considerations is important to ensure seamless loading and usability across devices.
7. Incorporate Custom Illustrations and Animations
Illustrations and animations are powerful tools in web design. They add visual appeal and interactivity.
Custom illustrations infuse personality and uniqueness into a website, helping to convey complex ideas or create a distinctive brand identity. Meanwhile, animations bring elements to life, guiding users’ attention and enhancing storytelling.
Pointers to remember:
- Strike a balance between aesthetics and performance, as too many animations can slow load times.
- Incorporate creative animations during loading screens to keep users entertained while content loads in the background.
- Make sure everything aligns with brand identity (don’t deviate from it)
Need Expert Help? Let Make My Website Assist You.
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Whether you require web design or SEO in Melbourne, MMW is one of the trusted places to go. Feel free to check out their website and contact them for a consultation.
