Design.

Arguably the most important part of a website, a flier, a logo or any promotional piece for that matter. But what makes this thing “design” so important? What makes design “good” and what makes it “bad”?

If you can read text, see a phone number, or use an online shopping cart, who cares about the rest, right? That might be a common viewpoint to many people on either side of the business fence, whether they are the buyer or the seller, the promoter or the promote-ee. Nevertheless, design is essential if you want to sell anything – and here is why.

The Split-Second Impression

Think about it. How long does it take for you to throw away a piece of junk mail? Two seconds? One? A half? That is precisely how fast your promotional piece or website has to convince your customer that this IS a product they want. If what you are presenting is confusing, convoluted or non sequitur to what you are offering, then your split-second impression will fail. Your flier won’t reach anything but the trash bin and your website won’t elicit a reaction, except perhaps an urge to hit the “Back” button on your web browser.

Adding an aesthetic sense and inspiration to a website can work wonders on your traffic and how long each viewer stays on your site, which are equally important.

Workability vs. Art

Some designers think that if they add all things pretty - ranging from the cave man etchings to Michelangelo - that people will buy the product they are trying to sell. Depending on the context, sometimes less is better.  Sometimes you should lose a bit of flair for a bit more workability.

By “workability” I mean readability. Have you ever read a postcard or a website page that made you feel like visiting your optometrist? Most likely, the text was too small or badly arranged, making it simply hard to digest. Most people do not know how important the layout and spacing of text is to getting a message across. By having decently-sized text which has enough variety to not make it monotonous, but not so much variety that it looks like a ransom note, will go a long way toward making a promotional piece or website attractive and inviting.

State of the Art Design

Maybe around the dawn of the internet, one could get away with having a single logo image and black text on a white backdrop and be successful. But this isn’t 1994, and what was once accepted back then is not the state of the art now.  Not even close.

The computer is the fastest improving device in the world today. Computers fifteen years ago that weighed 40 pounds and were worth $1,500 are now dwarfed in power by music playing devices that you can now purchase for $200 and fit in your pocket.

Graphics have improved tremendously, and the internet is no exception. Website designs that were awed a decade ago would be laughed at by today’s standards. With modern websites sporting slick designs, flashy visuals and multimedia content, the lack of professional design will leave a website in the dust and unvisited.

So what is the solution?

Good design.

• Easy-to-read text with enough variation to make it attractive.

• Inspired graphics that communicate your message.

• A logo that looks sharp and smart.

• An integrated design in which each page looks like it belongs with the rest.

• …And dozens of other tricks which will make your website shine and become populated!

Find out how to get a professionally-designed website today!
Send us an email or give us a call at (727) 230-9691.

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