The overall appearance of a website is influential when it comes to engaging visitors. In fact, a poor layout can easily turn people away. Because first impressions are as important online as they are in the real world, every business should be aware of site aesthetics. This can be especially true for architecture firms who want to show off design capabilities.
Excellent web hosting platforms can only take site success so far. Putting consideration into design has to be a priority. Here are 10 beautiful sites across the web that may be inspiring when it comes to design ideas.
1. Rollpark
The Rollpark website is a fine example of an interactive design. Not only do various elements come to life thanks to lazy-loading techniques, but the image examples are easy to see and understand. This flat design is more minimalist than some of the others in this list, but the message is clear.
From the very beginning, the website dives right into the primary focus of the company. Before a visitor gets any further, the understanding that Rollpark deals with parking lots and pavement is fairly obvious.
2. Elicyon
Viewing the Elicyon website, visitors are presented with a short slideshow of luxurious interior design ideas. This header takes up a great deal of space in the site while delivering a basic menu along the top.
While scrolling down, the home page doesn’t go into a great deal of detail regarding the company. However, it does make use of larger images that act as links to the services the company provides. This makes it an ideal design for those using mobile technology to view the content.
3. Ven Amsterdam
For those looking for examples of what can be done with parallax designs, Ven Amsterdam may be the site to visit. Not only will graphics change while the user scrolls, but the site delivers text information as well.
Even the header is responsive to mouse movements as the background will shift in correlation to the pointer. The only downside is the massive amount of interaction that is taking place may take its toll on older computer systems.
4. Dewey & Felix Architects
The homepage layout of Dewey & Felix Architects is a bit unique. It uses various grids to display a primary image. However, the gallery will shift various elements of these grids at different intervals. This makes it look as though each is a piece of a graphic puzzle falling into place.
This uneven grid is apparent through the site as each graphic becomes a representation of links. In other words, this site is very mobile-friendly.
5. S&A Stairs
The S&A Stairs design is simple. It uses a slight parallax flow while scrolling and at the same time delivering basic company information with large example images. The graphics are a bit interactive as each will fade to an overlay when the mouse goes over them.
What makes this design pleasing is that it focuses on the mobile experience of web hosting. Larger font sizes, images that are large enough to tap, and minimalist layouts give this site a way to engage smartphone and tablet users without alienating desktop owners.
6. Clark Design Group
This minimalist design has all of the common elements to drive a good website in today’s world. Clark Design Group implements larger links for tapping on smartphones while delivering a larger header image gallery displaying past projects.
The grid layout for the project gallery is evenly spaced while each image interacts with the mouse. Although it’s more of a simple design and doesn’t delve too far into text-based content, the site does have a sense of elegance about it.
7. Cooper Carry
Cooper Carry’s website utilizes a slight panoramic feel in the homepage as an image gallery shows pictures of various projects in an automatic-panning visual. The homepage keeps all elements above the fold until an option is clicked or tapped.
While exploring the site, the thumbnails are all perfectly squared in shape and justified throughout. This gives the site more of an organized feel when viewing the content.
8. The Diehl Group
The website for Diehl Group Architects is another that makes use of a massive parallax background. It also makes use of an image gallery as its header while displaying basic company information along the bottom.
It’s a darker background than what some may find online, which gives it a certain visual appeal. The links and buttons are all designed for mobile readiness without making them look gaudy on desktop computer screens.
9. VMDO
VMDO has a minimalist design while imploring a parallax header. While it doesn’t go into a great amount of detail behind the organizations purpose, the overall layout of the site is pleasing for both form and function. It also demonstrates the use of text, image and video use on the home page giving it somewhat of an interactive feel.
While using white space on a site is a growing trend, this seems like the designer took the concept too far. The font color used for the links is more difficult to see and the map is more difficult to read.
10. Workstead
Workstead is perhaps one of the simplest designs in this list. There isn’t a great deal of detail that goes into what the company provides until users actually start exploring. However, one of the more interesting parts is how the background changes with each visit.
The image gallery responds to a full-size monitor display using high definition imagery. It’s a simple design that might perform better if there was information regarding the company in more areas.
In conclusion…
Every online business needs to be aware of the importance of site design. Whether it’s a personal blog about carpentry or displaying the amazing work from architecture firms, it’s all about the appearance. Choose the best web hosting platform and design a site that is elegant and engaging. It may contribute to the reputation of the business as well as improving a client base.
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