We know that websites must be visually appealing. But in truth, things go deeper than that. Great designs do not simply look good. It’s actually a marketing and branding ploy that aids in delivering great results.

What Qualities Define a Beautiful Design?

From the context of marketing, a beautiful design is not simply about making a website appear pretty using fancy graphics and nice images. Instead, it works in bringing the form and function together to motivate an individual to take an action reducing anxiety and providing an easy and clear path to conversion.

Let’s break it down a little.

• Motivate to Take Action

Beautiful designs motivate people to take action through creation of desire for a given service or product.

• Reduce Anxiety towards an Action

Designs that are wonderful reduce anxiety by addressing concerns and fears a user might have around a given service or product.

• Offer a Clear and Easy Path to Conversion

Attractive designs offer an easy path to conversion, clarifying what the conversion action is and by removing the distractions and obstacles that may prevent users from taking actions.

A great design, when incorporated in landing pages, websites, and the email campaigns, is possible to accrue better marketing results.

So, how first impressions are formed?

It begins with the very first things that a user notices about a given website.

What are they? Any guesses?

Here’s a quick look at them:

• Color
• Typography
• Images

What is the message sent by these elements? Is communication organized and clear or it brushes on to irrational and chaotic? Whatever message the user gleans from the first glance will aid in shaping communication later. Websites must be properly designed, so that the users find it worth returning to in future. It must have a design matching the information and content that is easy to digest and see.

Right after the initial glance, the users need a reason to stick around or to think about the company, brand, or the website. Give them more. Show the user things that are unique with your design. Great visuals are the best way to get this job done.

No doubt, a great looking homepage goes a long way in converting targeted audience into prospective customers. But all the pages, tools and elements need to be equally well designed for that. More than half of the users will land up in web pages other than the homepage. So don’t you think that all the pages of your website deserve to be equally well designed?

Trust Building

After you have hooked a user for a single visit, you need the design to encourage repeated visits and turn the first-time visitors into loyal customers. A perfect logo, wonderful color palette, and easy-to-read fonts are some of the ways to reach this goal.

Now it’s time to establish a connection. You can establish loyalty with images or words that the users want to be associated with.

Recognition Creation

Consistent design helps the users locate you. You need a design scheme that everyone can recognize. Make sure to stick to a given style, color, type palette and message. The logo must be well integrated into the design. Great visual designs will fail to work if the users don’t know what it represents.

Decision Making and Style

When it comes to decision making and style, your goal should be consistency. You need to know who you are and what do you want to be in future.

Why will the users want to establish a connection?

If you spend some thought on these questions in the designing process itself, you are quite likely to make a better choice. Answer these questions with your design. Create a unified look as well as presence across the web. Make sure that the same visuals are used throughout, on your:

• website
• social media
• mobile app
• printed materials
• other marketing products

Easy to Use and Connect

Don’t forget that connection with the users must be easy. This includes a few design and development concepts. The site must load fast and make use of modern web as well as HTML technology.  Websites that are easy to use will help the users to relate. Pleasurable experience helps to bring people back and encourage them to be loyal visitors.

Your design must establish trust, followed by encouraging the visitors in making a buy. This can be quite tricky. Elements like typography and color can impact trust. It’s better to opt for the traditional choices if you have an e-commerce website. You can also add other design elements encouraging trust like links to media coverage, client testimonials and making a website that does not appear to be simply a template.

Most of the factors that you consider for the design will cast an impact on the marketing aspect as well. Techniques like color, images, and type create an overall brand message. Remember that your design is a part of the story of your brand. Good design to most equates a good company.

Image Courtesy: blog.skyboxsecurity.com