The good news is that there are a number of web design hacks that can help you develop mind-blowing sites. Not only will clients rave, but also you’ll have more stunning aesthetics for your professional profile. Let’s dive right in!
1. Leverage colors
Color is one of the most important elements to implement into your web design creative flow. Not only do colors have psychological value, they also serve as a branding tool for future marketing assets.
The best way to use color is to use two colors. Each color should have a specific purpose though. For example, one color could be all about logo and branding, while the other color is used to break up the flow of the site for a better user experience.
2. Focus on fonts
Fonts are possibly the second most important aspect of a mind-blowing website. Pick two fonts you feel is a good fit for the site and the industry it serves, and don’t turn back.
Just like color, each font will have a specific role to play. For instance, one font will serve as the header font while the second font is for paragraph text. This keeps everything uniform for users.
3. Line height is important
While we are on the subject of words, think about the line height of your content. After all, typography serves as the catalyst for nearly 95 percent of website design. The best line height per the pros is 1.6 for paragraph text. You may have a website builder with line height options, or you simply add it into the CSS code.
4. Keep column character count low
No one wants to read a long-winded gaggle of content in a column. It simply provides a poor user experience. To combat this bad design practice, use a nice rounded number for column content, like no more than 50 words. Also be sure the columns are level with one another to avoid mismatching.
5. Know how to use white space
Understanding how to use white space effectively can really make the content in a website pop. When you feel good about a certain section, image, or video, leave ample white space around it to emphasize aesthetics.
6. Keep it organized
To provide the best user experience for the site’s target audience, be sure to organize like-minded sections, columns, etc., together. This improves navigation, as well as the flow of a webpage. However, don’t jumble things together, remember the rules behind white space and don’t be afraid to use line separators and on-brand colors.
7. Think about user navigation
You might design the best website on the planet, but if users can’t navigate the site properly and accomplish their reasons for landing on-page, it’s a lost endeavor. This makes user navigation vital. Look at what your competitors are doing when it comes to menu and footer. This will provide a productive roadmap for navigation success.
8. Separate text using lines
To provide a powerful user experience, separate text with lines. This can keep the message clear and concise. For instance, if you have a H3 tag that is too long for the section, put a line under the main words and add the rest of the text under that. This keeps everything clean and concise, as well as highly readable for the user.
9. Background photos and overlays
If your web design project just doesn’t seem right, add in background photos and see if that will do the trick. Background photos with an overlay to make text pop is also a useful web design hack.
10. Leverage image layouts
This is a web design hack that many e-commerce sites are using to showcase as many product images as possible in a tight, organized way. Image layouts are also great for pairing horizontal and vertical images together. Just be sure to ensure optimal WordPress speed optimization by compressing images. No one likes a slow loading page.
11. Use style guides for web design
In order to provide the best and most mind-blowing user experience, you should either get a style guide from the client or create one as you go. This will keep every page looking and feeling consistent for users. It doesn’t have to be anything lengthy, just a quick outline of brand colors, fonts, font sizes, line height, and more.
Design websites with user experience in mind
Providing a powerful user experience is a very important part of web design. Not all that shimmers is gold, so be sure to keep the target audience in mind during design. The above are just a few web design hacks to get you started, but you’ll pick up more as you go. What is your number one web design hack?
This is a guest post by John Mason.