Getting your brand in front of consumers is an ongoing challenge. However, the more often they see your brand and the more consistent the message, the more memorable your brand becomes. When it comes to your website, there are some practices in particular that you should implement if you want to increase overall brand awareness. Think of your website as the central hub where you send leads and keep current customers engaged. Here are 15 web design tips to help kickstart your brand design journey.
15 Web Design Hacks to Improve your Brand Awaress
Use these 15 helpful tips & tricks to help light a fire for your web design inspiration and brand design.
1) Use Consistent Colors
A simple color palette with similar tones.
You should have a basic color palette you use everywhere that signals to consumers that this is from your brand. Use these colors in your logo, in your website design and on social media. Anything with your name on it should feature these colors. The goal is for consumers to see the colors and immediately think of your brand name. Think about companies such as McDonald’s, who uses the golden arches or Coca-Cola with their red and white color scheme.
2) Balance White Space
A good example of whitespace used effectively.
If you want a website that is visually pleasing and a positive reflection of your brand, cut the clutter. There has been some research into whitespace, and data scientists found that adding whitespace between paragraphs and around blocks of content increases comprehension by about 20 percent. It is typical to find the addition of such whitespace in any modern web design tutorial.
3) Add Cross-Channel Marketing
Take the time to consider how your marketing impacts consumers across different mediums and if it presents a consistent message. Studies show that three out of every four people prefer a cross-channel approach and will spend three or four times as much than when only reached on a single channel.
What does cross-channel marketing look like in practice? A wide-print sign hanging in your store directs customers to download an app that updates them on current sales and also includes the company website address. Your website consists of a link to download the app, which then directs the consumer into the store for a free item or discount.
4) Simplify Your Fonts
It’s tempting to use one of the many beautiful fonts to create unique typography on your site. Just remember that a little goes a long way. Use fancy fonts for a logo and then switch to simple, easy-to-read fonts for body content and overall brand design aesthetics. Site visitors should be able to easily skim over your text. In addition, the font needs to look good on both big and small screens as many people access the Internet via smartphones today.
5) Add Value
It’s tempting to use one of the many beautiful fonts to create unique typography on your site. Just remember that a little goes a long way. Use fancy fonts for a logo and then switch to simple, easy-to-read fonts for body content and overall brand design aesthetics. Site visitors should be able to easily skim over your text. In addition, the font needs to look good on both big and small screens as many people access the Internet via smartphones today.
Burt’s Bees “How-To” Section.
If you want to set your brand apart as the best of the best, add some information that makes you the go-to source for all things in your industry. There are a number of ways you can add value to your website. How-to videos and articles on topics your customers care about are two ways to create assets on your site (or even this article based on web design tips is another example).
Burt’s Bees does a great job of adding some valuable content that will drive their visitors back to their brand. Note the how-to videos that cover topics such as how to rock a nude lip and winter skin secrets. They post new articles and videos regularly.
6) Include Videos
People tend to skim over words, but a video helps grab users’ interest and keep them engaged. A survey from Hubspot found that 54% of consumers globally prefer to see video content from the brands they support. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend a lot of time or money producing a video.
Use product images or highlight a product in use. You can even create a 360-degree view of your product to attract more attention and add interactivity to your brand design.
7) Create a Podcast
Want to secure your company as the go-to source? Add a podcast, and you’ll capture new listeners and new leads. A survey showed that about 27 percent of men and 24 percent of women listen to podcasts every month. The numbers grew from 24 percent to 26 percent between 2017 and 2018. The best way to come up with topics for your podcast is to look at common questions your customers already have. Simply answer each question in-depth.
8) Integrate Facebook
Add a Facebook feed in your sidebar or a link to your Facebook page. Make it easy for people to like and share content on your site. About 79 percent of the U.S. population uses Facebook. Make your brand stand out by using Facebook for engagement.
9) Tell Your Story
Another thing that makes a brand stand out is the personal story of how they started and what the vision of the founders is. Add a section to your site that tells your backstory and gives an in-depth look at key employees within your company. Having a better understanding of your own company vision will also bring about more web design inspiration to incorporate into new projects and campaigns.
10) Know Your Customers
Before you can apply these web design tips, it’s important to understand your typical customer and what they want. You should do an in-depth analysis that looks at everything from the location of your site visitors to how much money they have to spend. Use website analytics, poll current customers and look at internal sales figures, such as how much the average purchase is.
Web Design Inspiration from Minnetonka.
Minnetonka does an excellent job of creating a site aimed right at their typical customers. Note the three boxes that offer options for gifts under a certain price point of $50. They know this is how much their target audience spends on average. The info is likely based on analysis of sales in years past, so they created gift categories targeting that price range. The Minnetonka site has a brilliant brand design aimed directly at making their brand more beloved by consumers.
11) Use Relevant Images
Another way to up the ante on your website is to improve the quality of your images. Images must be highly relevant, and one of the main pieces of advice that any web design tutorial will give you is to avoid stock photos whenever possible.
You may need to hire a professional photographer/designer to help with images, but the investment improves your overall presentation and the quality of your website. Not only does this improve your brand design, but it also adds a larger sense of trust between consumers and your business.
12) Reconsider Your Logo
It may be time to perhaps reconsider the logo image used on your website. Is it large enough to draw the user’s eye the minute they land on your page? Your logo needs to be near the top of your page to the left or center for left-to-right reading languages. Make sure the logo is large and bold enough so that it draws the user’s eye (For some this may be web design tips 101, but you get the picture).
Your logo is the face you present to the world over and over again and the center of your brand design, so you want it to make a vivid impression.
13) Check for Consistency
Understand your brand message and company philosophies. Is this reflected through every page of your site? For example, if your message is that you go above and beyond for your customers, you shouldn’t then include a policy that states you accept no returns under any circumstances. Such a policy is inconsistent with the other message and confuses consumers — which makes them less likely to trust you.
14) Add a Loyalty Program
If you want customers to remember your brand design and share your products with others, create an incentive for them to do so. Brands who connected on social media with loyalty members had an increase of 168 percent in engagement.
There are numerous reasons people remain loyal to a brand, and a loyalty program is just one component. You also have to keep the customer pleased and remain true to your overall brand image. As an example, SkySilk provides a brand loyalty rewards program known as “SkyPoints” to earn money back on every transaction.
15) Rework Your Tagline
Does your tagline align with your overall brand image? It might be catchy and cute, but if it doesn’t explain who you are at your core, then it falls flat. Spend some time brainstorming your tagline and see if you need any tweaks. Share the tagline in your header and liberally throughout your site.
Filter Everything Through the Lens of Your Brand
Every part of your site needs to speak of your brand and what you stand for. Filter every element through the lens of who you are as a company and how your customers see you. If you’ve slipped up and added elements that don’t jive well, don’t be afraid to delete those elements and replace them with brand-appropriate items. With a little work and revamping, your site will represent your brand and stick in the minds of site visitors.
As a final note, another great resource for web design inspiration can be found on various sites which revolve around beautiful designs like awwwards and dribbble.
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Lexie Lu, Designer & UX Strategist.
Lexie is designer and UX strategist. She owns and manages Design Roast and can be followed on Twitter @lexieludesigner.
