Creating visually stunning websites involves finding a great UI designer, and aligning existing design inspiration with your own ideas to your own projects. Here are some of our best tips to help you find inspiration and create visually stunning web designs:

Study current design trends

Keep up with current design trends by following industry leaders like design agencies and independent designers on social media, as well as reading design blogs. This can give you ideas for colors, typography, layout, and other design elements.

A fantastic source of inspiration is Dribbble. From app designs to websites, and graphics – this is a great place to explore when starting your web design project.

Use mood boards

Create mood boards on platforms like Pinterest or Behance to collect images, color schemes, typography, and design elements that inspire you. You can refer to these boards when you start designing your project or when commissioning a UI designer.

Remember, your mood boards should be in-sync with your overall branding strategy – meaning they work with your brand pillars, keywords and values.

Look at other websites

Visit websites of other companies or designers in your industry to see what they are doing with their web design. Take note of what you like and what you don’t like about their design choices. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but avoid fully copying another website design. Take bits and pieces, repurpose them and create your own unique identity – especially if the website you’re copying is in the same industry.

If using a builder tool, review existing templates. A great source is ThemeForest if you’re using WordPress. More on this in our Growth Programme for founders.

Use color theory

Use color theory to choose a color palette that will be visually pleasing to your audience. Websites like Coolors, Adobe Color, or Canva can help you create a color scheme based on your preferences. As with everything else, your colors should be fully aligned with your brand’s unique identity.

Create a style guide

A style guide is a document that outlines the visual and design elements of your website, including colors, fonts, logos, and other design elements. It can help you stay consistent and focused as you create your web design. This is especially important to maintain a consistent brand image.

A style guide will also be crucial to whatever designer and developer you work with. To show professionalism, you must maintain consistency within your brand – meaning your font sizes, shades and icons are all consistent from medium to medium. Be sure to create this before starting any project.

Keep it simple

Simple, yet stunning visual designs can be powerful. Avoid overloading your design with too many elements, and focus on creating a clean, minimal design that is easy to navigate. While it can be tempting to try and incorporate as many design elements as possible, doing so can often lead to a cluttered and overwhelming final product.

Instead, focus on creating a design that is clean, streamlined, and easy to navigate. This might mean using a simple color scheme and typography, as well as limiting the number of images and other design elements used on the page.

Another important aspect of keeping things simple is to ensure that your website is easy to use and understand. This means designing your website with your target audience in mind. Which brings us to the next point..

Don’t forget about user experience

Your website design should be visually appealing, but it should also be functional and user-friendly. Consider the user experience when designing your website, and make sure it is easy to navigate and use. A visually stunning website can be a pleasure to look at, but if a user cannot find the checkout button then you’ve already failed your mission.

Next Steps

○ Review this reading
○ Find your design inspiration
○ Create your brand style guide
○ Learn about wire-framing