Web Design and Graphics Design for Business Branding

The prime focus of a graphics design on a website should be to keep the branding of the company strong and consistent across all the pages of the website. Putting across the right message to the customers may not need extravagant graphics or lengthy text. Lengthy text will only bore your visitors and increase your bounce rates. Portray your business accurately with graphics and concise text.

Here are a few tips for web design and graphics design professionals to bear in mind while they create websites for businesses:

Colors and Fonts

Colors and fonts are what will make or break your website. The first impression of your website will be its look and feel. Ensure that the color scheme you use in designing makes it appealing. The font should also be readable and not too large or too small. Legible font with to the point text matter will ensure that your website will capture the attention of your visitors and help them with the right information. Regarding the colors, – don’t mix and match too many colors. Keep them consistent with your branding. The blend of colors and fonts should be simple yet impressive. Colors have meanings and evoke certain emotions. For example Red color could mean bold, love or rage. Blue could mean trustworthy, experienced and cool while yellow and orange colors could imply happiness. Select the colors as per the theme of the business that you are designing for. Keep the color scheme consistent throughout the site.

Spellings and Grammar

Well, even though this is almost every time overlooked, the spellings and grammar of the text on your website matter the most! Spelling mistakes not only create a bad impression on the reader, they are also perceived bad by search engines and negatively impact your search rankings. So, the quality of the content that you place on your website is important.

Negative Space

Provide breathing room for your text. Do not keep on and on about your products and services, filling up every bit and piece of your web page. Just because there is an empty space, it does not mean that you have to fill it.

Other than this, make all the necessary adjustments for making the look of your website appealing. Align the text and make it more and more legible. It should guide the user’s eyes to the right parts of the text. Keep a strong call to action which has a great landing page where customers can accomplish simple tasks or can find what they are looking for easily without having to go round about on all the pages of your website.

Lastly, make sure that your contact information is easily accessible. That’s where your customers are going to contact you!

6 Steps to a Perfect User Interface Design Process

User interface design is the process of designing the frontend of an application, website etc. with prime focus on the user experience and interaction with the application / website. A good user interface design enables the user to complete a task without unnecessary distractions. Use of appropriate graphics design and typography enables designers to create highly usable user interfaces. It should be a perfect balance between the technical functionalities and visual elements that go into the making of attractive, yet user friendly interfaces.

Here is a brief process that will help understand the design process for user interfaces:

Functionality and Requirement gathering

It is crucial to understand what the core functionalities required by the project are. Understand the aim of the application and make a list of functionalities that are required by the project. Secondly, understand the requirements of the users and the potential needs of the users while using the applications. This will give you a clear idea of what to include in the interface design.

Users and Tasks analysis

This is the process by which the research is done to evaluate what must be included in the interface from a user workflow perspective. The logical flow of the interaction of a user with the interface is chalked out and then the various elements of the design are placed logically. The user’s technical aptitude and taste in terms of creative design is also researched on.

Information Architecture

The hierarchy of the pages and the information flow from one page to another is studied and the interface is then designed with the detailed logic in mind. Wireframes and prototypes are created to get an initial idea of how the final design would look like.

Usability Inspection

Inspecting the interface is an important part of the design process. This can be used early in the development process and designers need not wait for the development cycle to complete. Some methods of usability inspection are cognitive walkthrough, heuristic evaluation and pluralistic walkthrough.

Usability Testing

This is the process where in an actual user uses a prototype of the product and tests it for its features and functionalities. This helps the designer understand the design from the viewer’s perspective and make improvements if need be based on the feedback they receive from the users.

Graphics Designing

This phase includes the actual designing of the interface after evaluating inputs from all the previous stages of the process.

By following all the above stages stringently, designers will be able to create flawless and highly successful applications. Any problems that are seen at any of the above phases can be rectified and the design can be perfected at every stage of the process to create attractive and user friendly user interfaces.

Must Have Traits to Look For When You Select a Graphics Design Company

When looking for a graphics designer or a graphics design company, you are looking for someone who can be a good listener and effectively convert your ideas into something tangible. You are looking for someone with a right balance of creativity and business sense. Who understands your business and is able to research enough to represent your business aptly on the web. Graphics design is a skill and designing graphics for various industry verticals requires the designer to have enough experience working with various projects. Here are some of the must have traits that you should be looking for when you select a graphics design company for your next project.

Graphics Design Skills

The designers should have the required skills and must have learnt the basic principles and should be able to translate these principles into effective web or print graphics. You should be looking for an experienced designer who knows what he/ she is doing. Well, check the technical skills as well such as – InDesign, HTML, CSS, and integration of graphics into various applications. So, selecting the right designer to do the task comes first. Make sure the designer has the right skillset.

Resonating and Strong Portfolio

Check the portfolio of the designer. A strong resonating portfolio will tell you what you can expect from the web design company. It will clearly imply what they can do and what they cannot. You can even check the portfolio and look for previous work that is similar to what your requirement is. This will make it easy for you to convey what you want and for them to understand your requirements.

Business Processes

Thoroughly check their work methods. Make sure that the company is capable enough to meet the deadline that you set. They should be able to deliver as and when you require and not at their leisure. Furthermore, during the course of the project they should be able to provide you with constant updates.

Timeliness and Responsiveness

One important aspect that you should be looking at is the responsiveness of the company. When you have anything to say or ask, you should get prompt answers. Ask for time estimates for the project or phases of the project and keep a track of the same.

References and Background

Always check previous work and feedback or testimonials for previous work from various channels. Talk to past clients, read about what their clients have to say on the net and on social media. Every company today has social media presence.

Overall, be careful and run a thorough check before you select a graphics design company for your next web project.

Image Credit: http://goo.gl/tU6wya