How Do Designers Make Unique Looking Websites?

Written by Webfoot on August 23, 2018. Posted in Blog, Branding, Business Strategy, Content, Graphic Design, Responsive Design, Templates, Tips, Trends, Website Design, Websites (General).

Unless you have gone ahead and used one of those ready-made templates where you simply add in your own information, then you may be wondering how designers make unique looking websites. Well, aside from the knowledge and experience side of things, there are several other ways in which a good designer can take your brief and turn it into something that is indeed absolutely unique.

First, a designer should be able to look at your website, or ideas, and view it as a unique problem that needs to be solved. In all honesty, this has to be one of the most important points to be made because if a designer starts to view two websites in the same way, then it can lead to an amount of crossover in the design that may not be best for either website.

It can become all too easy for the web designer to fall into the trap of feeling very comfortable in what they are creating because it is the fourth construction company website that they have made in the last 12 months. Ultimately, ideas can be regurgitated, which is also not good, and there can be less of a creative flow that can ultimately hamper the final design of the website.

The best way to get around this is indeed to view each website as being a one-off problem that has to be resolved. If this is the approach that is taken, then solutions will also flow more easily, which is not exactly a bad thing.

Starting from Nothing.

A good designer will listen to your brief and then start from absolutely nothing with the design. That means it is built from the ground up because taking an existing website and then personalizing it is going to lead to that crossover issue that we mentioned earlier.

If a website is constructed from point zero, then the chances of it being unique in every way is only going to be increased. It creates a certain freshness about it all and that can only be a good thing for the client.

Research is Everything.

To get a unique looking website, there has to be an amount of research undertaken to ultimately get the rough outline of the website which can then be added to as the project progresses. A designer going into a project blindly is increasing the chances of making mistakes, and that should clearly be avoided.

The designer should carry out research into the company they are working for, the market they are in, the competition, the color schemes that work well for the branding, and the key mistakes that need to be avoided. Failure to do any of this is only going to result in a relatively botched attempt to produce something that is satisfactory to the client. If you do not prepare, then you will more than likely fall back to previous designs and use them as your inspiration which can, as a result, lead to a number of parts effectively being copied.

But then, there is a point that should also be made in that you are going to find it very difficult to have something that is indeed completely unique. There will always be minor aspects that are effectively borrowed from elsewhere, but it is the overall scheme of things and the way in which they are all put together that is the key.

A designer is going to be aware of this, but they will not allow it to cloud their thinking. Instead, they will accept those aspects and continue working towards the brief in order to ultimately produce something that is unique for that client.

Even though having a template where you just add your own text is tempting, it can affect the way in which people view you as a company. Having something that is functional and delivers on what you need is the most important thing of all. So what if something is not 100% unique. If it provides to you what you need in your website, then that is key and if the designer has been able to achieve your brief and produce something that works and represents your brand, then the overall project should then be viewed as being a success.

Web Design Templates Are So Last Year

Written by wfootD on January 7, 2015. Posted in Templates, Uncategorized, Website Design.

You may have come across a number of websites that offer you the opportunity to go ahead and design your own website for either no money whatsoever, or a very small fee. This does of course sound rather promising because we all like something for nothing, but is it actually worth all of the effort on your part?

Why Those Free Templates Are Useless

To actually answer this question, we need to look at the templates that you are going to be working with. In the majority of cases they are rather plain, unable to be personalized a great deal, and generally lacking in anything enticing. Instead, these templates are used more for purely practical reasons, but even here there are problems.

You see, a website should reflect what you do, but how can this be possible when you use a template that is identical to possibly thousands of other websites out there? The only difference is going to be your name, some images, and of course the content, but the overall structure will still be the same on every website that has ever been created by these means. Now, do you think that this is attractive to people that visit your site?

Studies have shown that people are more receptive to websites that come across as being unique. You just have to think about it yourself when you have stumbled across a site that looks strangely familiar to another one that you looked at the other day. How do you feel? Do you perhaps feel slightly cheated? Do you feel that the people behind the website do not actually care that much about their site that they have not bothered to make it personal to them? Most people will then change their opinion of the company in question and if you want people to spend cash with you, then do you think that this is now possible with how they feel about you?

Having Your Own Website Is More Productive

What we are saying here is that these templates are pretty much a waste of time. Sure they allow you to have an actual website, but at what cost to how you are viewed by others? Instead, you are much better off actually investing a relatively small amount of cash in your own unique site. The reasons as to why this is better are plentiful.

1. It is tailor made

The first advantage is of course that it is tailor made to suit your own individual needs. This means that you can sit down with the designer and come to some agreement as to what your site should look like and what should be in it. You really do not have this option with those free templates as you are pretty much stuck with what is available and being able to be flexible with a website is very important if you are to be happy with the end result.

2. It is easier to optimize it

With a website, one of the key things is search engine optimization and when you have your website made by an actual designer, they can do the correct work for SEO as the site is being built. This will tend to mean that you will get better results on the likes of Google whereas those templates make this vital part so much harder to do. You need to think about things carefully here because what is more important to you? Saving money and getting a free website that nobody sees or paying money for something that is more visible and attracts more attention?

3. It is easier to make changes

A good website should be fluid and by this it means that various things can be changed as and when required. However, it is also important to make sure that everything continues to look perfect from a design point of view whenever those changes are made. Now, how much easier will life be when you leave it in the hands of a talented designer? Compare this to you making your own attempt via those free templates with you being fully aware of the possibility of you changing something and the design then being completely thrown out. Would you know how to rectify it?

4. You can continue to build

With templates, you are pretty much stuck with what you get at the outset and where is the fun in that? However, when you use a designer life becomes so much easier in so many ways. How would you go and deal with adding in details regarding your Twitter account showing your latest Tweets on your site? How would you add a cool gallery that now has to hold more images than ever before? How would you make sure that it could be easily viewed on smartphones? There are so many things that you can do with a website, but those free templates usually lack them and it is you that will be missing out.

What You Need To Do

The only option that you have available is to use a professional web designer to create your site in a professional and efficient manner. They can take your ideas and turn them into reality rather than you trying to squeeze them into a pre-existing template that just doesn’t work. Give us a call today to discuss your needs with a member if the team and look forward to having a website that you are proud if.