5 Tips for creating a visual style for website

Written by Kevin Liew on 22 Jun 2020
162,109 Views • Web Design

The appearance of the site can tell more about your brand than the texts. Visual content is not only images, but also photos, diagrams, screenshots, and slides. It's necessary not only to prepare unique material but also to think of a general style that adheres to all pages from blog articles to the Contact section.

When thinking up the appearance of a site, rely on its theme and the feelings you want your audience to experience. Don't copy other people's ideas, but look for your style and approach to creating content. Here are some tips to help you.

Pick a color scheme

When you are at the stage of creating a template for the site, you should make an important visual decision - the choice of colors. Usually, these are 3-4 options used for backgrounds, headings, links, and additional elements of the site. But don't stop there and focus on your color theme when creating content in the future.

The easiest way to embed brand colors is to use graphic diagrams and infographics. Such content increases traffic by an average of 12%. For photographs and stock images, change the color scheme with the photo editor. It's stylish, contributes to the overall look of the site and enhances the brand integrity effect.

Add text

What could be better than a beautiful photo? Only a beautiful photo with text. Any audience responds well to the combination of image + text. Firstly, this format is easily perceived when scrolling a news feed. Secondly, do you know what memes are? They are pictures with a related text and people adore them. Thirdly, the human brain loves illustrations. People follow text instructions 3 times better if they are with pictures.

Non-standard forms

We are used to seeing square or rectangular photos. Therefore, if you choose another unusual shape, such as a circle or a rhombus, people will remember your site. Crop pictures to give them the desired shape and load them with a transparent background. Choose not only geometric shapes but also recognizable outlines of objects, for example, a book if you have an educational blog.

It's worth noting that such an idea may look pretentious if all the visual content is made in unusual forms. Using this style occasionally to emphasize important information.

Follow trends

Any genre of art has its trends and is also guided by modern pop culture. In the last few years, minimalism rules the visual culture. When creating a website design or selecting images, rely on the rule: the less the better. It's difficult to determine what will be interesting to the audience next year, but nothing portends that simple images will go out of fashion.

If you want your brand to be stylish and catchy, follow the global trends that you can apply when creating the content. Notice and use interesting fonts, image or video formats, memes, etc. You should do this regularly, as Internet users come up with new trends every month. Website designers in San Francisco are usually aware of the latest design trends that make a modern website tick, and working with an agency on your website will surely make it stand out on its own.

Avoid cliches

Some stereotypical stock photos have been widely used for a long time and managed to get boring. For example, a happy family, a close-up image of a girl with no makeup, a man walking upstairs as a metaphor, etc. Signs of cliche pictures are unnatural bright lights, simulated emotions, and models that look at the camera. Try not to use such photos on the site - they are perceived as visual garbage.

Start shooting original content. It's not necessary to have a photo studio and work with models for this. Embed your brand style in images and videos.

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