A lot of us find it difficult to create a good WordPress web design, especially if we lack the necessary design background. Most of the time, if not all the time, an unattractive design can pull attention out from the content.
Best WordPress design practices for non-designers
The design part of creating a website is entertaining. However, it is also the area where many non-designers tend to overdo it and go overboard. The key here is to build a simple and easy-to-understand website, which is doable by following the tips below.
Build your brand identity
Branding is essential; it helps you secure your target demographics’ trust and loyalty. A high-quality design is how your website branding can start. You can be designing your website as a simple online brochure that only provides information, but if you make that information look great and relevant, then your visitors will definitely see it as quality and will take it more seriously.
Keep in mind that branding is all about visual, that is why it is important to make sure that your website has the looks that can best support your goals.
Keep it simple
The best design is focused, and simplicity never fails. Do not make your design cluttered to make it easy for your visitors to navigate and find the information they are looking for quickly.
The most important thing is to build a website that is simple, readable and easy-to-understand.
Organise content
An organised website content will allow visitors to find and access the exact information they need. Oganising your content is as important as keeping it simple. When deciding which content is the most essential on your website, the first thing you need to think about is the goals of your website.
Once you know your target, you can start modifying the content to fit in the goals. Make sure to give your visitors valuable and relevant information that are easily accessible.
Color theory
The most common mistake people make in designing is putting in a variety of colours in their web design. Your website’s colour scheme is an important and critical factor in designing, and it can have a dramatic impact on your possible success.
Choosing the proper colours is never an easy task. However, there are numerous tools online that you can use to help you create shades of colour or find the colours the correctly complement. Colours have the power to affect our feelings, perceptions and even interactions, so before choosing your website’s colour scheme, it is vital to acquire a basic understanding of colour and its effects.
Typography fundamentals
Using the proper font can provide a complete look for your website; it plays a major role in providing visual hierarchy and contrasts. But just like with colours, it is easy to overdo fonts.
You can use a variety of font sizes and styles for your design, but you should minimise your use to at least two to avoid chaos in your layout. A clean, minimalist font interprets well on websites and does not take away from your message.
Importance of white space
White space or negative space gives your design breathing room that makes a big difference.
Adding space between lines and paragraphs will provide a cleaner, more organised and professional look. Giving elements space is also useful in creating a focus on your website.
Proper alignment
An alignment system is an element a well-designed site has. A proper alignment comes hand-in-hand with grid systems that make it easy to split things up in half, thirds or quarters.
Alignment is used to improve your design and it’s not just about a matter of whether you want to align text or images to the left, right or centre of the design. Using a correct and clear alignment will make your site’s layout visually appealing and easier to run through.
Photography
Choosing and using the right quality of photos to match your design and social or other marketing collateral is very important. Good photography will make your site look and feel better. Just make sure that you are careful with copyrights for photos if you are going to get it from search engines, especially if your site is product based.
To help increase your site’s credibility and customer trust, you can take your own quality photos or if you have the budget, it is also a good idea to buy royalty-free photography online.
Let form follow function
Create a website where form follows function. This means that your website’s looks should be determined by its purpose. Avoid a website where your visitors will find numerous amounts of trash cluttering it.
Your visitors will simply leave if they cannot find what they came for. How your site functions will be a more notable element in providing a satisfying experience for your visitors than its decorations like apps.
Be consistent
Consistency in your design elements is of utmost importance. Just like with the alignment, we tend to notice inconsistencies from elements in a website we expect to look the same. Keep your colours, fonts and element styles consistent unless you are trying to emphasise a difference from a specific element.
Do not let the design process keep you from creating and launching a WordPress website that you can be proud of. Keep the above tips in mind, take your time, and you will be on the right track to becoming a better designer in no time. And the most important thing is to simply have fun!
Really appreciate the way it is described, You don’t need to so many things just do follow these instructions step by step and you will get dynamic results.
Hello, Patrick Del Rosario
Thank you so much for such a great article. I have read this article, and basically i am a web developer and don’t have much knowledge about designing. but reading this article i have learned so many new things and ideas. Thank you so much for such a great content.