Businesses nowadays all have their own websites, because they go by the belief that an online presence is a big boost to the performance of a business in general. It is true that the overall look of a website reflects the reputation of your business that is why it is important that you have a professional-looking website. And as a business owner, you must be the first person in-charge to know more about web design inspiration.
So, let us discuss first the basics of web design.
Use of Small images
The main purpose of a business website is to attract your potential customers to look at your products and services, and so it is a must that your website loads quickly. If not, customers won’t dare visit your site again. The required size is 10-12KB per image.
Use of Graphics
In using graphics, make sure that it fits the content. The graphics must not be too big to overlap the content; it should just be enough to illustrate the article. It is true that beautiful and exciting graphics attract site visitors, but you must also know your limitations as an artist. Bear in mind that not all people appreciate such gigantic images. You can seek web design inspiration from your friends who are known to be internet-connected all the time. It is sure that they can provide a handful of insights.
Use of Flashing Images
A rule of thumb in web design is not to use flashing or blinking graphics in your website as these distract or even annoy site visitors. As a web visitor, you would also want to visit a site that has a nice welcoming image, not a distracting one.
Website Layout
A three-column layout is most often seen in websites and newspapers because this layout actually appeals to both online and offline readers. While some web designers prefer a more complicated layout to apply all the animation effects possible, believe me, it would not appeal to readers as they want something that is easy to read and understand. It is better to present the content clearer without further complications. You would want to take the risk.
Use of Appropriate Fonts
Remember to use the fonts Serif and Sans-Serif for headlines and text respectively. These are the recommended fonts for websites as these are easy to read and understand. Of course, you would want your website to look professional, who does not want? So, the rule here is to avoid using many types of fonts. Two or three different fonts are enough. You must also avoid using unconventional fonts as these might not get the attention of readers. You can just stick to standard fonts, including Geneva, Helvetica, Verdana, and Arial. It will also make your pages appear better.
Use of Ads
We all know that it is business, but it is not a good practice to bombard your website with lots and lots of advertising materials. Remember that readers are visiting your site for content, not for your ads.Make sure that the ads placed on your site are relevant to the purpose of your website. For example, if your site focuses on weight loss, ads that would be relevant are weight loss products and services. While it is also your goal to make money out of these ads, you must also consider that readers are visiting your site to be informed. As a compromise, set a certain number of ads that you will allow on your website.
Now that we already know the basics of web design, let us now identify the sites where we can find web design inspiration.
Finding Web Design Inspiration
Websites that can give you web design inspiration include Dribbble, Behance, Awwwards, Siteinspire and OnePageLove.
Dribbble is considered as one of the most famous design sites online. You can be assured that only the best web designs are showcased on the site as the network only invites the best web designers in town.
Behance is also a great venue to find web design inspiration as it showcases huge names like Google, Hugo Boss and Nike among others.
Awwwards can surely provide you with great web design inspiration as it only features award-winning web designs from gifted web designers. Here, you can find extremely unconventional websites that don’t go by the 960-grid rule.
Siteinspire is quite similar to Awwwards; the only difference is it does not award websites. It features only the best websites in town and allows users to find them.
OnePageLove is the most unique among other web design inspiration sites as it selects websites with only one page. Designers who are minimalists and want an extremely simple site can find this site interesting.