Long gone are the days of shiny logos and the plastic-wrap aesthetic of the mid-2000s, and it’s time your brand reflects it! If your website still has buttons with shiny overlays, text-heavy and crowded home pages, and outdated Microsoft WordArt, it’s time for a refresh! The current trend in design, and by default web design, is minimalism. Many corporations have shortened their brand names, removed extensive brand lines, and cleaned up their brand marks, so let’s explore how we can apply those principles to your business and website!
Step 1: Basic layout
Find a website that exemplifies the modern web design trend, and think of ways to apply it to your business. Websites like Yeti.com, Apple.com, and HardRock.com all exemplify modern design and are great examples of what your business should look like online! All three have a few elements in common; thin menu bar at the top of the page with options for navigating the site, a large image/splash in the middle showcasing the brand, and segmented “quick-click” options as you scroll down that bring you to the website’s most popular pages. This keeps information available to the customer, but also avoids providing them with too much choice too quickly. Often, the image in the middle of the page will be one of many, allowing the user to scroll through multiple images.
Step 2: Colors
Colors have been the most significant change when it comes to current design trends, and brands have consistently toned down their official colors. Often, this involves choosing more muted tones or switching the way they appear from a glossy finish to matter, similar to what Google did with their Chrome logo. This has been a popular choice recently for legacy brands, as they can allow their branding to take a backseat to their actual product. However, it also works for new brands looking to appear distinguished or established, showing that they are a modern brand in tune with current design trends.
Step 3: Connectivity
Show your customers that you’re active in the digital space by providing links to your social media pages, any work you’ve done in the past and posted online, and that there are multiple ways to get in contact with you. Make sure these links are easy to find and possibly even linked in multiple places. A customer should never have to search for this information, and keeping it front and center shows that you care about customer experience and want to hear from them!
The wide world of web design is ever-changing, but making sure to keep an eye on digital heavyweights and emerging trends can keep your business ahead of the game and ready for anything! Remember. TrustWorkz is ready and able to help with any and all of your web needs! Find out more here.
