Many small business owners who I work with are very interested in having a custom fit web design that says “I am quality and my owner is professional.” They don’t want to have a web site that looks cookie-cutter. They want something that really lets their individual personality shine through. They want a web presence that is one-of-a-kind and unique.
What, though, really makes a web design unique? Many web design templates do have a very generic, cloned feel. Though, on the other hand, there are some that are very aesthetically pleasing. However, when it comes down to it, no web design is completely unique. Nothing in this world is. Everything is inspired of something.
What makes a design unique is the combination of brand, colors, typography, position, and so on. In design, component composition communicates concept. How those components are composed affects how a certain concept is communicated to the viewer. Components like the logo, photos, text and navigation can be composed by being grouped together, spaced out, positioned along grids, scaled down and up, rotated and so on.
So, we know what makes a design unique, but what makes it look professional or well done? This again has to do with the composition of the components and what concept they need to communicate. The design of a web site should feel like it was done with a specific purpose in mind and not just slopped together out of laziness. That means that the web site has a very clear and evident concept or message. Consistent composition of components will emphasize the concept being communicated.
You should ask, what is your website’s concept or message? What words do you want the viewer to feel? Tense or comfortable, excited or calm, sophisticated or simplistic, mature or youthful. Answer this before you design your web presence and, more than likely, you will have a professional-looking, well done web site.
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