How to Develop a Beautiful Website Many aren’t happy with a website unless it fits their visual expectations. They envision a beautiful website. They want it to be a spectacular site that will visually draw people in. They don’t know how to get that, but they know they want it. Before you set your expectations that high though, you must understand what “beautiful” means in web design. The traditional definition goes something like this: a design that is appealing and pleasing to the eye. A more attractive design equates to a better quality product, or so you might be tempted to believe. The truth is that every truly wonderful, visual spectacle is only as beautiful as it is useful.
Visual Appeal vs. Usefulness You can have a spectacular visual appeal, but make the website completely unusable by making it difficult to use. For example, instead of making an intuitive and obvious navigation bar somewhere near the center of your visitor’s focus, you decide to put it all in a “gear” that you hide in the bottom left corner of the screen. Chances are that your visitor will never find that gear. And if they don’t find that gear, then they may never delve at any great depth into your website. If they never delve into your website, then the point of your website is lost on them. They can never become a customer. They will never recommend your site to a friend. They may never even return. How beautiful is the bill for a website that is extremely well designed visually, but doesn’t turn your visitors into customers? Is it beautiful?
It’s All About Conversion Many would scrap the project and count it a loss. It’s therefore important that your site isn’t just beautiful to look at, but it’s also very good at getting your audience to translate into customers (that buy products or simply come back to you for content). So beautiful isn’t just skin deep here. It has to involve both a pleasant visual appeal and a functionality standard to be considered beautiful. Now there are many ways to do this. The following is a great way to cover both bases easily. Learn web design from the examples of big name products that are known for their artistry, e.g. apple.com. Study their layout designs and analyze why it works. Notice the artistry. The creation of subtle, and yet beautiful designs for a navigation bar. The detail is exquisite and yet incredibly simple. Anyone visiting the site would instantly feel at home. Also notice how the navigation bar is clearly labeled and located right where you would expect it to be, at the top, under the logo. Everything is located where it’s supposed to be, and anything that draws your attention tells you very obviously what it’s there for. There are no surprises on the site. That’s what you would want to imitate. You learn web design best when you study carefully the examples of those that are successful. With the knowledge that beauty shouldn’t only be skin deep and the inspiration of established examples, you can now begin working on the design of your website. These are the foundational tools that will make your work truly beautiful in the eyes of your visitors. Photo Credit: linkbajio, tribunadoceara, & comunicacionmultimedia via Bing cc