Clarity – – CLARITY!

The first and last word about what your website should be, and how it should look is – CLEAR.
Everything else is details.

An Overview of the Details:

• When a viewer comes to your site, and isn’t engaged, they will leave in a matter of SECONDS.
  First impressions matter on the web more than anywhere before, so the initial impact needs to be strong, clear and appropriate.
• Have a purpose for your website!
  If that sounds ridiculous, go look at some sites, and see if you know their intention right away.
  Surprisingly, not  as often as you’d think.
• Be Consistent.
  Once you’ve set a tone, stick with it.
  You’ve introduced yourself. Let the conversation follow. Confusing people gets in the way. (kind of!)
• Be Yourself. (Your Voice)
  Speak to your audience the way you would speak to a client/customer in person.
• This is Your Site.
  You own it. (literally)
  Your web designer should be designated as the contact person, but you own the domain and pay the host and should have that information. (that might seem to fall into the category of obvious, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been hired to re-do or update a site, and my client never had access to the information that makes it possible for the site to go online.)

Rules of Engagement

• Choose 1 main focus for your site.  (Focus!)
  Choose carefully. You’re making a lasting impression (hopefully).
  This can be a process of sorting through priorities, since you may wonder (incredulously) how to narrow it down to one, and if that’s really so necessary.
  It’s a starting point, and a focal point. If you sell shits and pants and socks, etc. your main focus is clothing.
  In another sense your main focus may be style, quality, customer service, location, etc.
  It’s about the engagement of the visitor with your business.

• You are starting a conversation. (building a relationship.)
  Imagine trying to start a conversation where you just blurted everything about yourself all at once, in no particular order.
  What response would you expect? It could vary (though not by much) in person, but on the web, it means you’ve just turned someone away. We’ve all seen these sites. You had a purpose when you went there, but the onslaught on visuals, or the lack of focus leaves you confused and repelled. This is the web. If one site doesn’t have what you’re looking for, or isn’t communicating to you that they do, you look elsewhere – fast.

• Who are you?
  • How would you describe your business in a nutshell?
    Your goals, the way your see your business, how you want to be seen,… – and by WHOM?
  • This is the essence of the thinking that comes before planning your site.

• Color, Design and Your Message (Putting it Together)
  • You’ve crystalized your message, now the fun part!
    Fun? Yes, though it can feel intimidating if you look at the blank ‘canvas’ for too long.
  • Color – Start with One.   More on color
    This is both a helpful way to decide what the central color for your website should be, and a good way to start working out a color scheme in general.
  • Design
    Grace and Harmony.
    A Shock to the Senses.
    Whichever is true.
  Don’t always open the bottle that says, “Open me first”. Or just go through any rabbit hole. Follow the path that makes the most sense.
  In the real world.

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Explore posts in the same categories: Design on the Web, Mintz Web Design, the Conversation, Understanding your Website, web design, Web Design Process

Tags: be consistent, clarity, collaboration, conversation, design, engagement, main focus, message, planning your site, purpose, web color, web designer, web visitors, your business, your site

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