Designing a website is hard. There are so many things to consider when creating the perfect interface, and sometimes it feels like you can never get it right. So it’s not a bad idea to get started by consulting with an agency specializing in Shopify & Shopify Plus development. But if you use the right tools, stay organized, and follow some basic design principles, it doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming. This guide will help you think about how your site looks and works from start to finish — and how each part fits into the big picture.
Make the most of your fonts
Fonts are the most important aspect of a website. They help convey emotion, personality, professionalism, and authority. If you want to make an impression with your new online store, then you must choose fonts that are right for your brand.
You also want to think about how your fonts will be used in conjunction with other elements such as images and color schemes. For example, if a website uses light text on a dark background (a common trend), it should use clear sans-serifs so that there isn’t too much contrast between the two elements.
Another thing to keep in mind is readability — it’s important that people can read what’s written on the website without straining their eyes or squinting at tiny letters! So try not to go overboard when choosing fancy fonts; instead, opt for something legible like Georgia or Arial if possible.
Think about your color palette
A color palette is an important part of your design, and it’s important to choose a palette that reflects you and your brand.
You should use a limited number of custom colors for your design because the fewer colors you use, the stronger the effect of each one will be.
When designing with color:
- Make sure your text is easy to read. Use different shades or styles effectively so it’s easy for users to scan through content quickly.
- Use color to highlight important information or guide users through your website by using a consistent color scheme throughout all pages on your website. Don’t overdo it!
Pay attention to readability
When you’re designing a website, one thing to keep in mind is readability. How easy is it for your site visitors to read the information on the page?
To improve readability and make sure that your site is easy to navigate:
- Choose a font size that’s large enough but not too large — approximately 15-18 pixels or larger works well. If you use a font size below 12 pixels, some people might have trouble reading it.
- Use a color contrast that contrasts against the background of your website. For example, if you choose black text with white background (which many web designers do), there won’t be enough contrast between those two colors for people who are colorblind or have poor vision. You can use tools like this one from WebAIM if you’re not sure how good your background-text color contrast is going to look when viewed by someone with poor vision or color blindness.
- Keep fonts simple; avoid using more than two different fonts on any given page. Resist the temptation to overuse graphics — keep things simple!
Make your buttons noticeable and consistent
There are several ways to make your buttons noticeable and consistent. Here are some things to think about:
- Buttons should be large enough to be easily clicked. If you’re using Shopify, the default size is 64px wide by 64px tall.
- You should have a consistent style for buttons across your website. You can create custom CSS or use a third-party tool like Boost Sales (https://boostsalesapp.com/) which allows you to customize all of the elements in their templates with just one code snippet! It’s amazing! Get started on this early so that you don’t have any surprises later down the road when you’re building new pages or changing out templates as needed for seasonal promotions or special events at your store location(s).
Keep menus easy to find and use
- Make sure menus are easy to find.
- Make sure menus are easy to use.
- Make sure menus are easy to navigate.
And finally, make sure your menus work well on mobile devices.
Use iconography well
Another way to use iconography well is to use it in a way that makes your website more visually appealing. This can be done by using icons as an alternative to text, like on the checkout page or cart page. However, there are some rules of thumb when using icons:
- Make sure your icons are consistent with your brand and style.
- Use them sparingly; if you overdo them, they could come across as tacky or childish.
Make your site responsive
Making sure your site is responsive is a must. Your potential customers will be using all kinds of devices to access your site, including desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones. The last thing you want is for them to be unable to use every feature on your website because it’s not optimized for their device.
To make sure your site is responsive, follow these steps:
- Check the size of each page and make sure the content fits nicely into the space available on any screen size without looking squished or too large (you can test this by resizing the browser window).
- Check that images resize appropriately when viewed on different screens as well (you can do this by clicking “View full-screen” in Google Chrome).
The basics make all the difference
Your website is a representation of your business. When someone visits your site, they should be able to find information about what it is that you do as well as how to get in touch with you.
- If you don’t have a website, then people can’t find out about your company and what makes it unique. In this day and age, everyone has a website and if yours doesn’t exist then potential customers will assume that either: A) You’re not important enough to warrant one, or B) That maybe your business isn’t very good after all!
- You don’t need to be spending thousands of dollars on hosting or designing an elaborate site. Just make sure the basics are covered: contact details, product descriptions (if applicable), and social media links among other things.
Conclusion
In the end, designing a website is an art. You have to use your creativity and think about what will work for your business. While there are many tools available to help you build a beautiful site, these tips can help give you some inspiration on how to design a site that works well for your customers and keeps them coming back again and again.
