For the creation of an effective website design, our mind-set before we design also plays a key part in the outcome of our efforts. We not only have to think of the yet to be built design creatively, but also objectively and logically. In my initial few years of website design I would, more likely than not, jump right into the layout design phase without giving deeper thought to the overall working objectives of the website being designed - my naive attitude being that "creativity should flow and not be boxed in with restrictions" and "anyhow adjustments can be made later". Though most of the designs were a hit with the respective client, I being my own biggest critic over a period of time strongly felt that a better job could have been done with the final designs as well as the layouts given as options to the clients. Slowly, but surely, I started incorporating logic and objectivity into the way me and my team designed and built websites. As a result not only did we streamline our way of working as designers we also saved a lot of time in the process and we started getting recognized for our rapid design services.
The following are some tips to build creatively without neglecting objectivity and logic from personal experience:
The following are some tips to build creatively without neglecting objectivity and logic from personal experience:
- Focus on the Goals: Though designers, as creative beings, instinctively want to create designs that are totally incredible and heavily graphical, its important to reign in your creativity (in fact sharpen it would be more apt) to please your client and/or targeted audience and not yourself - this in itself being an important objective. You will also need to dig deeper and draw more specific objectives from what your client requires even if he/she doesn't spell it out technically. Sometimes clients leave out gaps in their specifications as they genuinely don't know what they need to be built or they tell you to decide what's best for them - a designer in these circumstances needs to learn to think from the client perspective as well. If your client is selling a service or a product try not to impose a heavily graphical website on them when a simpler slick build that's optimized would be more effective. Even if the client is "you" try to get your goals down on paper before designing, it will keep you focused.
- Gauge the Impact Factor: The desired impact of the website design also plays a key role when you design. A complicated question, most clients don't know how to answer to it. More often than not you will have to draw to a conclusion on what the impact of the design should be from all your information. Many times clients will need high impact designs without actually wanting them to be jazzy with effects and they might not be able to convey that. Impact can not only be increased by the right effects but also by the use of the right colors and optimized subtle effects. Highly experience designers would agree with me that the Impact should be of "perfection", "polished look" and "uniqueness" when you are left to make this decision. When in doubt stick to "simplicity" and "common" impact look-and-feel as most people are quickly comfortable around familiarity.
- Keep the Visitor in mind, always: A website user's needs is its top-most priority and should never be neglected - usability, accessibility, user experience and user interactions considerations are all part of this. Knowing what your targeted site's visitor will be looking for from page to page is something that not many clients can help you with though some of them do. However, over a period of time through experience you will be able to instinctively determine what type of design would be suitable for a particular website type. This is especially true when designing the site's overall feel and navigation elements. If you are new to building websites, stick to the basics of keeping things simple, obvious and undistracted.