WEB DESIGNING

Web design is planning, conceptualizing, and arranging content online. Today, designing a website goes beyond aesthetics to include the website’s overall functionality. Web design also includes web apps, mobile apps, and user interface design.There are two main ways to design a website: using a desktop app or using a website builder. The tool you use will vary based on your team size, your budget, and the site you wish to build and its technical requirements.

Web Design Elements

When designing a website it’s important to consider both the site’s appearance and functionality. Integrating these elements will maximize the site’s overall usability and performance. Your site’s usability includes elements such as an easy-to-navigate interface, appropriate use of graphics and images, well-written and well-placed text, and a color scheme. Your site’s performance refers to its speed, ranking, searchability, and ability to capture your audience.

Visual elements -

1. Written copy- your website’s appearance and text go hand-in-hand. It’s important to have your content writers and designers work together in order to create a cohesive design with balanced elements. Focus on creating chunks of text (using text blocks) in order to compliment your graphics and images.
2. Fonts- Choose a font that compliments your overall design. Font should pair with your color scheme, graphics, images, and strengthen the overall tone of your website. Tools like Canva’s Font Combistor can help you find a perfect match for your font. Web design tools like PageCloud even include many font pairings within their app.
3. Colors- Colors are one of the most important elements to consider when designing a website. Keep in mind there are many misconceptions about the psychology of color, and it’s more important to focus on colors that compliment your overall design and tone of your website. Align your color scheme with your brand and the messages you want to convey to your audience.
4. Layout- How you arrange your content will have a dramatic impact on both the usability and functionality of your site. There are no specific rules to follow when choosing a layout, however, there are a few fundamental principles to keep in mind. Consider the needs of your target audience and avoid using an overstimulating layout that might detract from the messages you want to convey.
5. Shapes- The use of graphic elements in web design can help seamlessly integrate text and images, and help with the site’s overall appearance. Combining beautiful colors and shapes can help direct the attention of your site's visitors and contribute to your site’s overall flow.
6. Spacing- Spacing is a key element to creating visually pleasing and easy to navigate websites. Every element in your design will incorporate spacing. Use of white space is crucial in creating a design that perfectly balances text, photos, and graphics. Keeping your spacing consistent can help your users navigate your website with ease. The concept of white space is definitely a priority of modern web designers.
7. Images & Icons- Amazing designs can communicate a lot of information in just a few seconds. It makes this possible with the use of powerful images and icons. Choose images and icons that support and strengthen your message. A quick Google search for stock images and icons will generate thousands of options.
8. Videos- Integrating videos into web design is becoming increasingly popular amongst designers. When used properly, videos can help your users experience or understand a message that can’t be properly conveyed through text or image. Keep in mind that like having a TV screen on in a restaurant, visitors’ eyes will be drawn to moving images. Make sure your videos don’t compete with or detract from other important elements.

Functional elements-

These functional elements are imperative to consider when designing your website. A website that functions properly is crucial for ranking highly on search engines and giving your users the best experience.

1.Navigation- Your website’s navigation is one of the key elements that determines whether your website is functioning properly. Depending on your audience, your navigation can serve multiple purposes: helping first-time visitors discover what your site has to offer, giving easy access to your pages for returning visitors, and improving every visitor’s overall experience. Check out these best practices for more tips on navigation.

2. User Interactions-Your site visitors have multiple ways of interacting with your site depending on their device (scrolling, clicking, typing, etc.).

3. Animations- There are tons of web animation techniques that can help your design grab visitor’s attention and allow your visitors to interact with your site by giving feedback. For example, adding “like” buttons or forms can keep your site’s visitors engaged. If you’re new to web design, we’d recommend keeping your animations simple to avoid developer intervention.

4. Speed- No one likes a slow website. Having to wait more than a few seconds for a page to load can quickly deter a visitor from remaining on or returning to your site. Regardless of how beautiful, if your site doesn’t load quickly, it will not perform well in search (i.e. won’t rank high on Google).

5. Site structure- A website’s structure plays an important role in both user experience (UX) and search engine optimization (SEO). Your users should be able to easily navigate through your website encountering no structural issues. If users are getting lost while attempting to navigate through your site, chances are “crawlers” are too. A crawler (or bot) is an automated program that searches through your website and can determine its functionality. Poor navigation can lead to a poor user experience and site ranking.