When many people think of ‘design’, they think of aesthetics: how pretty a thing is, how it looks and how attractive it seems to those who use it.
In truth, design is rather wider in its techniques and goals. Good design is about ease of use. This can involve looks, of course – a cluttered webpage, for example, will be too confusing to be intuitive.
But it can also be about elements you can’t see – function as well as form. Elegant code is invisible to the end-user, but it can contribute immeasurably to the pleasure of using a website.
That said, looks are important – and graphic design, that element of design that so many of us first jump to when thinking about constructing a website, is critical. It can have really important effects on the success of a site.
For example, a site’s colour palette is crucial to its overall impact. Choosing a colour theme is an integral part of a website’s branding: every palette speaks a different language and sparks a different emotion.
Colours are the first thing users notice on your banners and ads: whether a designer chooses blues or reds really matters.
Animation, too, can deliver a real fillip to a site. In fact, we recommend that a website should include animation on every page. This is because animation speaks to a visitor as nothing else can: static banners are all well and good, but animated banners take your calls to action to the next level.
Movement attracts the eye – and smart use of animation brings your website elements to life.
Finally, consider a responsive design. Five billion digital users will be browsing your website through a mobile device. This means that your website should be prepared to alter its orientation and appearance to fit different device sizes.
Google will also prefer to rank your site over others if it has a responsive design – giving designers another incentive to cater to mobile users.
Deploying graphic design techniques correctly will ensure that your site is attractive, pleasurable to use and compelling. Users respond to attractive design choices – and that means that good graphic design will increase your web traffic and your conversion rates.
There may be more to design than just looks … but specifically this is how to use graphic design to generate website traffic!
We provide mobile app design and development for all project requirements, both consumer and business apps. If you’re in need of a mobile app or just have an idea for a project you wish to discuss, please contact us to arrange a consultancy.
Call us on 024 7683 4780 or email us at info@image-plus.co.uk.