7 Essential Website Design Tips
Writing from a designer's perspective to a client. I am outlining what information, files and documents we need before placing pen to paper or placing one pixel onto the canvas of design software. This is also useful for designers starting freelancing who don’t know what to ask from clients to make their job easier by providing the client value.
1. Design - Vision for your website
What is the overall goal for your website? Is it to gain customers? Is it to share your daily blog? Or is it to get people to sign up for a service? The more information you give us, the more we can solve your design problem.
2. Site navigation - Rough idea of pages needed / user journey
How many pages does the website have? How will you navigate to each one? Is there a specific journey you want your audience to be funnelled through?
3. Copy and Content
For each of your pages, we will need the ‘copy text’ and information that you would want to be displayed. This included copy text for Headers, Sub-Headers, Body Copy, and Buttons. If any images go with any text, we will need these too. Unless you want us to come up with any icons, photography, illustrations, video (link) etc. Assets should be shared via a cloud-based service or local server for easy access. Having these set up will also make it easier for designers to share design progress with you as well as having a good structure for file management.
4. Brand Guideline
This above all things is number one. This guideline makes a designer's life so much easier. With this, we can design a website in keeping with your values and brand. We know how to treat your logo, we know what colours, fonts and images to use. But most importantly, we know how to take your design a step further and add value.
5. Images, Graphics, Photography, Video
Any assets for your brand should be shared, most importantly the logo, logomark and any graphical elements that go with them. If there are illustrations, 3D models.
6. Contact Details + Social Links
Do you want your audience to interact or get in touch with you? Maybe you have an online store and you will need to provide some form of customer service. Which modes of contact will you be linking to your website. Also which social applications will you choose to interact with your audience.
7. The Clients Inspirations
If clients were designers they would design the website themselves and even when it comes to articulating what they want, that sometimes can be difficult for them. To help unlock their vision let them pick three existing web designs that they really love and also 2 of their competitors whose websites work really well.