When you draw people to your website, you’ll receive one of two subconscious reactions.
Reaction A: “It’s obvious this person isn’t a Web designer.”
Reaction B: “Wow, this website looks so professional and incredible!”
If your gut is telling you that your website falls under the Reaction A category, it’s time for a website overhaul.
Research shows that 94% of users judge websites based on their design.
Having a modern design is key for having a successful website, but, of course, it’s easier said than done. Here’s a rundown on six tips for a more modern, attention-grabbing design.
Let’s get started!
1. Embrace the Entire Screen
Today, it’s critical that you allow your design to breathe. So, as a general rule of thumb, avoid boxed layouts, as they can give your website a cramped and outdated feel and look.
That means minimizing borders, hard separations, and boxed sections so that your content doesn’t feel so cramped. Instead, use the entire area of your user’s screen.
Trust us — the difference will be astounding.
2. Tap into the Power of Illustrations
In 2018, illustrators’ work is taking center stage when it comes to both product design and marketing. So, don’t be afraid to incorporate illustrations into your website.
The great thing about illustrations is that they can bring even the most abstract ideas to life in a vivid way.
3. Get into Oblique Shapes
Card-based user interfaces have been dominating both mobile and Web design for multiple years now.
Up until recently, a majority of these cards featured right angles and sharp edges. However, nowadays, cards and even profile avatars or input boxes boats rounded corners.
Likewise, incorporating such organic shapes into your website’s design is a smart move.
Trendsetting websites today feature backgrounds with amoeboid color blobs, cartoonish dashes, and dramatic diagonals. So, be sure that your design includes these elements so that your site will stand out for all of the right reasons.
4. Navigation Menus That Float
Lately, designers have been detaching navigation from their website designs, moving it to the area underneath the chrome of the browser.
This helps to reinforce the idea that navigation isn’t a part of one page but rather is available to reassuringly and conveniently follow the user throughout the website.
5. Get Your Website Moving
It’s not enough today to use your website simply to present information. Instead, you should make this information move, as well as allow for user interaction with it.
Of course, you don’t want to go overboard with your use of animations. After all, this can make an otherwise enjoyable Web experience an overwhelming one for someone who is sensitive to motion or has cognitive disabilities.
However, if you do animation correctly, you can direct users’ eyes to the right information on your website. This ensures that they do not miss important copy or a form designed to convert them from users to customers.
6. Get Past the Serif Fonts
In the old days, designers used sans-serif typeface on their websites. But today, more elaborate fonts are taking over.
Softly curving serifs may especially help your website to look modern yet professional and trustworthy.
Then, once you have the ideal modern design in place, search engine optimization professionals, like those at Trijour Media Design, can work to ensure that your website is easily found time and time again.
How We Can Help with Modern Design
We are passionate about highlighting modern design tips for websites in a wide range of industries today.
Take a peek here to find out more about how you can take your website’s appearance and thus its influence to the next level.