The Importance of Graphic Design When It Comes to Your Website
When you are designing a website, you are going to realize early on that you can toss the words out the window. You cannot minimize the importance of quality content, as it is the reason people will get into the materials of your website, but you have to start with the graphics. Quality graphic design will make your website stand out from the get-go, allowing visitors to sink into the content. When putting together a website, remember that the following things can all be achieved through graphic design.
State your case
You can either tell visitors what you are up to as a company or as an individual; the other option is to show them. Even in fiction writing, the idea is to show the reader through words. With websites, you have the advantage of using graphics to show viewers just where you are coming from and where you would like to take them. It’s the ideal way to state a case for yourself. Nothing says cutting edge like contemporary art on your header; nothing says classical and literate like a quote from a writer across an image of ancient Greece. You make the call.
Cement your brand
When you are deciding on the type of graphic design you would like to have on your website, you are actually deciding what your brand will be. Choose carefully, as it can be difficult to change the impression you have given off later on in the future. Most experts in the field will recommend holding off on a website launch until you have the exact image you want to project in place. You can ‘go live’ and backtrack later, but it is far better to start strong and plow on full steam ahead. With the latter option, you never have to worry that you have jumped the gun.
Entertain and intrigue
When you get visitors to a website, you never know exactly how they arrived there. They might have simply been curious about something you are offering; they could be competitors checking on your style; or the whole thing could have been an accidental click or two. For this reason, you want to keep an open mind about the type of people you are serving. On the one hand, you want to cater to a clientele. On the other hand, you want to entertain and intrigue whoever has arrived, as you can’t tell where it will lead. Make sure your graphic design is up for the challenge.
Send subliminal messages
You don’t have to be a rock band from the 1970’s to send subliminal messages to an audience. In fact, every bit of advertising does it on one level or another. Let your graphic design do a bit more than wow the audience; let it speak to them when they have moved on and are far removed from a computer. Your message can have a lasting impact. How long that impact lasts will depend on the graphic design you have in place on your website.
About the Author
This article was written by Mona Pennypacker of Acorn Creative Studio who specializes in web site design in Colorado.
As the Principal at Acorn Creative Studio, Mona sees things differently and that’s exactly the kind of eye you want leading your web site design or branding campaign.
