12 Simple, Yet Attention-Grabbing Website Design Tips

Constant life in a multitasking environment leaves an imprint on the perception of a modern person. While talking on a mobile phone, we park our car, read a book on the subway and count stations before crossing, work and at the same time correspond with a friend on Facebook: at any given time, our attention is divided among several irritants.

You don't want divided attention on your website. Your goal is to be noticed. Then the visitors will not only return to you but also bring more customers. Let's take a closer look at what exactly makes a website unforgettable.

Purple cow

To summarise the notion of uniqueness, Seth Godin used the term Purple Cow. Cows are usually boring and unattractive, but if you open up the purple cow to the world, it will become a sensation and a topic of conversation for a long time. However, over time, all "purple cows" become commonplace - and interest in them fades away.

Exclusive design solutions when creating a website give the effect of exclusivity. But the more designers use them in their works, the less the effect. All of this applies to your website as well.

Try to find a way to be different from others - this will attract visitors and make an exceptional impression. Do not forget about the nuances of your strategy that are difficult to copy. Find unique, unusual and memorable features of your business.

How do you create a purple cow for your business? Tips and tricks

1. Animation and video

Even if animated sites are definitely not a new phenomenon on the Internet, with them, you will always be one step ahead of those who use only static images. Moving elements are great for capturing the attention of users, and also create a mood.

Remember that animation is a great technique, but you can't overload it with visuals either. Therefore, we advise you to use it carefully. For example, only in the slider. You can add a cool background video there to impress your customers.

2. Large 3D elements

3D images add dimension and depth to the site. Such elements will help you solve different problems: to show your product realistically, to reflect the dynamism of your brand, or to create a whimsical virtual effect.

The main thing is not to overdo it and use 3D graphics only to add accents. For example, this is another slider idea.

3. Grab attention with headlines

Did you know that almost 80% of visitors to any online resource see the headline first? It is the persuasiveness of the title that determines the depth of your site's browsing, and if you are counting on high conversion, then your titles should attract attention.

4. Monochrome is your everything

No ideas? No good images? Use black and white. You will have a brutal design with the right composition. This will help you understand where and what to balance, where to fill in the gaps, and how to embed text and geometry.

5. Create a "balance sheet"

Just replace all of your web page content with simple black and white geometric shapes. Replace light and small objects with grey shapes. The goal is to equalise the number of black elements on the left, right, top and bottom of the screen.

Of course, everything can be done by eye, but first, you have to count. After several years of practice, the process of positioning objects will become automatic, because your eye will feel the wrong balance.

6. Remember the visual hierarchy

What is visual hierarchy? It is a term that describes the way our eyes move across the page; a way to help you draw attention to important content on your site. For example, if you want to add a Subscribe button, you will need to place it in the most visible place so that as many users as possible click on it. According to the visual hierarchy, our gaze moves from top to bottom and from left to right. This means that most people will stop their eyes on the button located in the upper left corner of your site, and this can lead to an increase in the number of clicks. Remember that only the most important content should be in this enviable place. That being said, it is important not to overdo it: if you put too much information here, you will not get the result you are striving for.

7. Make the text easy to read

Text information plays a significant role on the site. It provides the necessary information and answers questions even before they have been asked. Therefore, it is important that it is easy for users to read the texts on your site. There are some simple rules to help you write easy-to-read texts:

Use matching colours. For example, you should not use a beige coloured font on a white background, otherwise reading can cause a headache, or even discourage the desire to read. When applying a new colour scheme, double-check how easy your text is to read.

Don't use too small print. It may look cute, but not practical at all. Users don't have to strain their eyes to read your text.

Stick to your chosen fonts. Develop a specific style that uses a maximum of 3, or even better, 2 fonts. For perfection, use easy-to-read fonts so that your writing doesn't look like a doctor's prescription.

8. Get the most out of the mobile version

What's the use of a professional-looking website if its mobile version doesn't look as professional? In our time, practically none. But this is not a reason to worry. After all, in most site builders you will find an intuitive mobile site editor and can use its full potential. Above all, you do not want to lose visitors/users / potential buyers because they are on your site while passing the time in traffic?

After you complete all these steps, switch from the editor to the preview mode to see all the changes in action.

9. Add some air

Too much space is better than no space at all. People don't like cluttered designs. You can add a little air to it in several ways:

Highlight background shadows.

Avoid the text canvas effect with paragraphs and spacing.

Use images that don't get too much attention.

Shorten the text, leaving only catchy phrases.

10. Avoid carousels and rotating sliders

Image carousels and sliders have been popular in web design for years. But there is a small problem: visitors can only see the first slide when they land. There has been a lot of research in the field of UX, which has proven their inexpediency.

The message that you are trying to convey on the second, third, fourth slide is most likely ignored or even not caught by the potential client.

Why do sliders still live? The reason is simple: when in a large company fifteen departments are competing for the top of the site, you have to put them in one carousel.

11. Distortion, Glitch, Noise in Web Design

Distortion, interference, noise - let's add incongruity, randomness, imperfections, malfunctions, blurriness, fuzziness - in a word, CHAOS.

Web design experts from Sydney say that a strong breeze in web design trends is the feeling that things are not as they should be or not as expected. 

You can use mixed typography, random spacing and imagery, even odd colour schemes (or rather lack of any schemes) that are linked only by the fact that nothing links them. Something similar to anti-design. 2021 makes a potentially large-scale statement about our lives today, stimulating the observer to draw their own conclusions about what they see. A truly exciting design trend!

12. 90's Experience in Web Design

Times of uncertainty often translate into strong nostalgia for the days gone by and pink glasses, through which everything seemed beautiful and cloudless. The 90s are not exactly vintage, but definitely old school: the advent of Windows, the proliferation of computers that changed everything - they were long enough to remember the good, but not long enough to forget their quirks. Integrating 90s style into web design is a real contender for the most creative use of retro today. There is something inherently cool about it, strangely alien to the younger generation, and familiar enough to bring an understanding smile to an older face. All of this does the job perfectly in a stylish combination of the most basic structures and codes of the past, and technology of the present, in an ingenious way.

Conclusion

We love beautiful web design, but that's not enough. Focus on content development, not just the container. Websites should be beautiful. They must have an emotional impact. But the success of the site is not only in the beauty. The user must find what he came for. This is the goal of all the listed web design tips.