The Importance of responsive design and how it benefits you long term

Having the right website for the job is a core part to building an audience, your website should reflect the sort of person you are and what your business has to offer to the consumer. The generation we are in greatly values the use of handheld electronics such as phones and tablets so you should be looking to adapt so that your website fits comfortably within the screens constraints this is known as a responsive website.

The official definition of an adaptable design or responsive website is a development choice made by designers which allows a website to change appearance depending on the screen size or the orientation of the device, this type of design greatly relies on proportion based grids to rearrange elements of the site. This style of design is encouraged to new designers as it allows the consumer to view your content regardless of device, which means you aren’t deterring any future clients if they are trying to view your work on a phone rather than a laptop.

Responsive design is becoming increasingly more important as tech companies work to develop new sizes of device. Having a responsive website gives your consumer an optimal experience and will encourage them to spend more time on it because if a website doesn’t fit a customer’s screen appropriately then it may appear jarring or uncomfortable to look at so they won’t spend the time to see what you can offer them they will instead find a website which is more aesthetically pleasing and easier work through. It will also improve how your website is ranked on google as the more people visit and stay on there the better it will rank, if you website is not pleasant to look at then people won’t continue to view it or tell others about it.

Some benefits to this style of design are:

• You will be able to attract a wider audience as your consumers will be able to view your website on a variety of devices and won’t be deterred as your website gives a great experience meaning you will be able to retain viewership to your content.

• This style of website is easier to maintain as if there is something wrong with it you can correct the issue across the board. Some designers may choose to optimise and design different websites for the different devices but a responsive website allows you to optimise for all sizes of device.

• A responsive website will increase audience retention which will keep traffic flowing to your website as it is optimised for a range of devices, meaning visitors will have a more pleasant experience.

To summarize it is important to optimise your website for a range of devices. This is to ensure sure your audience’s experience on your website is positive and something they would want to recommend. Having a responsive website ensures that this fact is adhered to and allows your business to flourish in an age where mobile devices are on the rise.

What design trends are on the rise in 2021

Do you want to stay ahead of the curve in designing a website or graphic so your business can excel in 2021 – then these elements may be for you.

Keeping up with trends is a crucial part in the designing process, seeing what’s popular and how you can incorporate it within your own works. When it comes to staying at the top search results trends can be a great way to skyrocket your own career and sell your work to the masses.

Analysing these trends may show you why they are popular at the moment and what their relevance will be in the following years. Last year has been a very culturally and environmentally fuelled year so expect these themes to be on the rise this year and possibly next year. 

Some design elements to keep in mind because they are on the rise are:

Reconnecting with nature:

• People are becoming very environmentally conscious so variants of green and using a leaf pattern may be beneficial to you within your designs to perceive that your brand has a connotation of connecting with the environment.
• People are also making a conscious change to work with businesses which match their views, so it may interest you to possibly use a green accent on your website to show that connotation as people are looking to reconnect with nature and become more environmentally weary.

Retro elements:

• Retro elements are on the rise, people are looking for more geometric shapes and more fun designs which show a sense of nostalgia from the 80s.
• Bright colour is also back in style as people want this feeling of optimism due to the year that has just past, so colours such as light blues and yellows may be beneficial to you in showing those connotations of optimism and nostalgia.

Symbols rather than words

• Symbols have had a huge prominence in designing and that trend continues to rise in popularity as you have the ability to tell people in a concise way what you can offer them. You should also use text as that will affect your rankings in google but when used in tandem you can show a really powerful message.
• Symbols tell the reader what they are about to read without reading it so it is important that your symbols are relevant and impactful.

Authenticity

• Authenticity is on the rise because if your design shines honesty then the reader is more likely to trust your opinions and go with your business over one which they don’t trust.
• A professional design can be used to show trust and historically the colour yellow has been used to connate honesty, if you are looking to excel in the market then maybe consider this in your design.

To summarize the last year has been rough for many designers in the graphics industry, but things are looking optimistic for this year, so keep your eye on these trends as they progress during the year.

Five tips for great logo design

In the world of design, a lot of time is spent dreaming up a perfect logo, most commonly to represent a company or product. And a logo is important as it can help form a recognisable bond with a company or product After all, how many brands can you recognise by the logo alone? If you are trying to dream up the perfect logo design, here are some helpful considerations.

Have your logo tell a story

A logo should mean something, something relevant to your brand. Sometimes the story behind a logo is obvious, sometimes less so. Sometimes clever details are not initially noticed by the masses, then it goes viral when it is (think the hidden bear in the Toblerone logo-excellent for marketing when it’s spotted and shared!) For a logo with depth, don’t just put shapes and colours together, construct something that makes sense.

Use negative space well

Sometimes a logo with a plain background framing it can look good. But be careful or having too much white space, sometimes it does no favours. Judge the right amount of blank or coloured space (if any) to leave, or use it wisely by having it add something to the main logo area (think the hidden arrow in the FedEx design.

Sometimes simple is best

Yes,, we all love a clever logo. One that has some kind of trick that makes it very clever, such as the Amazon logo having the ‘A-Z’ of products it sells represented in its design. But sometimes keeping the logo simple is the best option-no tricks are needed. After all, you want to make sure everyone ‘gets it’. How simple is the ‘f’ that represents facebook? Very, and yet it is easily recognisable as being part of the branding. You have to be careful not to confuse anyone with what your logo is saying.

Have a unique logo

One thing that you don’t want is a logo that is too similar to an existing one, or one that someone is likely to come out with themselves, and if it is too generic of a design that is likely to happen. So although above we have said about keeping it simple, don’t go too simple! If you can find a way to make your logo unique, it’ll be all the better for it, and stand out well, making it easier for people to identify it with you. A good way to achieve this is with the styling of any imagery used, or a font. In regards to the font, think about how well the famous CocaCola one works.

Have fun !

This may seem a generic point, but if you are too uptight about the designing of your logo you can sometimes restrict yourself with your output. Think outside the box and get creative-your more likely to come up with a winner this way!

These tips will hopefully act as a helpful guide when it comes to the important process of designing a logo. And if you are struggling to come up with the goods there are plenty of very talented designers who will be more then happy to take the project on themselves!