Aesthetically please me

Pinterest, Instagram Facebook, celebrity, photography, fashion, in your Face! That’s social Media and its big, we spend a reasonable amount of time ogling it, probably you, if you are reading this.

We want to be visually stimulated, why? It’s exciting, inspiring, it passes time, sparks the imagination. Scrolling through pages of websites, fashion, interior design, images of perfect destinations, photography, it all gives us hope some how, takes us away from reality maybe? Interestingly, when we view something that we classify as beautiful the frontal part of our brain – (medial orbito frontal cortex) fires, producing an increase of blood, the same process occurs when we look at somebody that we are in love with!

So getting to the point, in web design, do the end users really care about how a website looks or do they just want simple function and navigation in order to answer their question? Research shows that 76% of end users do not feel that design is important. Only 10% felt the look/design was relevant.

However when further questioned, the users say they want to be engaged and interacted with, which would probably be quite difficult without striking designs or graphics. So the 76% that say they do not think aesthetics are important, is it because they do not consciously realise that its visuals that keep them engaged? After all visuals are key to engaging and getting viewers warmed towards whatever your objectives are.

So what do you think keeps people engaged when it comes to graphics/design? Here are a few ideas:

Professional look – viewers need trust and if a site looks cheap the trust may lack.

Fonts – try and keep font choices down to one or two options.  Do not underestimate the power of fonts, it can make or break a website.  If you have a crisp, clean website for example you would not go with a vintage style font.  Unless you are a design genius.

Passion – viewers will be engaged if you design the site with passion in your product or service. So when selecting images do it because it provokes reaction and emotion, select visuals with thought not just because it may look slick of fashionable. Trends change so often, unique is good if you want to create a memorable experience.

Tone – colours – research this as this has a big impact on the appeal and mood of your website.

Do not bore – what you may be interested in may not be widespread. Aim to be inspiring or thought provoking, tell a story.

Real life – having a real life image as well as or instead of animation, creates an interaction or familiarity, people tend to look at real life images.

Do not clutter – there will be so much you want to say about your service especially on you home page.  You may agonise over sacrificing certain content for a more appropriate page.  Think about giving your visuals and y0ur main strap line room to breathe and permeate into your viewers mind.

Most of us know a great photographer – get professional pictures of your products or maybe a professional picture of your self and your team.  One of our recent sites a Vintage Tricycle Ice Cream seller for weddings and parties had beautiful pictures taken setting the scene for potential clients, we are sure this will be far more effective as opposed to an animation or a generic image.

Be clear – clean, crisp design with good use of white space to accentuate key points, images or phrases, use neutral colours with a flash of prime colour that blends well with your logo. As above, stay away from clutter it is confusing and distracting for the viewer.

If  I have missed something, please feel free to add a comment?