Many amateurs throw up a website any old how and wonder why they don’t get any visitors or any conversions from the few visitors they do get. While such a website may be fine for personal use, a business website or blog needs to have a more professional look and feel.
This happens via graphic design. It has been explained this way: Design in not just to do with looks, it has to do with how it all works. So what are the essential components of graphic web design?
- Some people concentrate of the first page to the exclusion of other pages. In fact, each page of your website needs to have a clear purpose that caters to the needs of your visitors. It should inform, entertain or amuse and give a clear call to action, offering at least one way to allow your visitor to interact with you.
- Good communication. This does not mean being wordy. The best communication is short and to the point. If it must be long, it should be broken up with white space, bullet points, attention grabbing subheadings, images and even video.
- Typeface is important. Don’t use fancy fonts that are incredibly difficult to read quickly; it might look wonderful, but no one will stay there long enough to know what it says. Varying the size of the font is also important, as is using bold and italics
- Colours create harmony and balance to any web page. They can make things stand out by catching the user’s eye, establish rapport and amazingly enough, even help someone to purchase. Or they can drive the user to distraction, confuse them and make them leave your page with a shudder.
- No website design can be complete without images. People love them and they can explain what you mean without you having to use words. Their use can break up boring text, amuse and entertain and even make people send a link to their friends.
- Quick and easy navigation. People should be able to find what they want in three clicks. Two is even better.
- The layout is important. Grid-based layouts help to keep everything in order with sections and boxes well-balanced to give a smooth look overall. But narrow columns are out.
- People from English speaking countries have been taught to read from left to right and top to bottom. It is only natural that if your website allows them to do this they will feel more comfortable.
- Since so many people use a mobile device to access the Internet it is essential to make your website responsive so they can read it easily on a smaller screen and so there is room for them to hit that Click Here button with their finger.
