Design

The principles of visual communication in the modern day

Humans primarily communicate with words, but studies have shown that 90% of the information that’s transmitted to the brain is visual. What’s more – we process visual information 60,000 times faster than text!

It’s clear, therefore, that visual information is much more powerful than text, which is why it’s so important to incorporate this into your website design. However, simply placing media elements, such as images or videos, onto your site isn’t sufficient. Instead, you need to consider the principles of visual communication and how they can inform your website design. To get started, take a look at these top tips for incorporating the principles of visual communication into your site’s design:

1. Start with the Structure

The structure of your site should be carefully thought out so that users know exactly where they are going and how they will get there. Navigation bars should always be visible at all times; you never want people to feel lost on your website! 

With professional graphic design services, you can use the navigation bar to propel users through their customer journey, seamlessly taking them from interest to engagement to action. 

2. Use Design to Foster Familiarity

Whether you opt for an informal tone or go with something more formal, make sure your site feels like home. If not, potential customers might turn away for good before giving your product or service a chance.

Even if you want to give users a fresh, new feel with a re-brand or launch a brand-new company, savvy graphic design companies will balance innovation with familiarity to get the benefit of both worlds. 

3. Find Your Typeface

Visual information doesn’t just refer to jpegs or mp4s. In fact, there are a wide variety of formats that are considered ‘visual information’, including fonts, diagrams, and even emojis. Finding the right typeface for your website can be a great starting point for the rest of the graphic design. Choosing a typeface that’s available in multiple weights will enable you to create varying effects while retaining your branding, for example, while the typeface itself will tell users a lot about your brand. 

4. Send a Clear Message

Before you get to work with graphic design website creation, it’s essential to think about the purpose of each web page and the website as a whole. What message do you want to convey to users? Every element on your site should serve a purpose, including the visual information. By identifying the message you want to send, you can ensure that the graphic design of your site delivers this message consistently. 

5. Make an Impact with Colour

Colour can have a tremendous impact on people. From evoking certain emotions to conveying brand values, you’ll find that colour, tone, and shade play a significant role in graphic design website building. A formal website might feature deep, calming colours, for example, while a more informal site may use vibrant, bold colours for a playful feel. Furthermore, where and how you feature colours on your site will determine which elements a user focuses on, which means that you can use colour to prompt engagement and action.

6. Create Visual Interest with Contrast 

Repetition quickly becomes boring, which is why we tend to ‘switch off’ when we’re faced with the same information or style again and again. To keep your users engaged, use contrast in your graphic design website to create visual interest. 

Contrasting colours will make elements jump off the page, for example, while contrasting sizes will highlight which elements you deem most important. By using contrast in this way, you can direct the user’s attention to the areas of your web page that you want them to focus on (like the ‘Buy Now’ button or the ‘Contact Us’ form)

7. Use the Right Tools

Successfully web design requires a combination of creativity and tech skills. To get the best results, you’ll want to use the right graphic design software, design apps and tools. You’ll find some fantastic graphic design examples online and these can give you an insight into what you can achieve with particular platforms. Of course, it can take quite some time to become proficient with graphic design software, which is why finding talented graphic designers is so important!

8. Use Reading Patterns to Enhance Your Graphic Design

Sure, you want people to absorb information visually, but this doesn’t mean that reading patterns are irrelevant when it comes to using graphic design online for websites. When scanning a site, users tend to use an F-pattern for text-heavy sites and a Z-pattern for sites that contain more visuals. 

A Z-pattern means that the focus starts at the top left of the page then moves in a Z shape towards the top right, diagonally to the bottom left and horizontally to the bottom right. Incorporate key visuals in these locations and you can increase the chances of users absorbing the information and acting upon the message you’re sending. 

When to Use Graphic Design Services?

As you can see, graphic design and website design is about a whole lot more than ‘what looks nice’! In fact, there are scientific and theoretical principles that underpin both graphic and site design. By working with graphic design companies and using professional graphic design services, you’ll get the benefit of these conceptual aspects of graphic design, as well as the practical results that a well-designed site can offer. 

It’s easy to assume that you only need professional graphic design services when you’re launching a new website, but this isn’t the case. Even a seemingly minor change to your site can warrant the services of an experienced graphic designer. Whether you’re updating the images on your site, changing the layout or upgrading the navigation bar, working with a website graphic designer will ensure you get the best results from your site. 

To find out more or to learn more about our graphic design services, get in touch with the H2 team now on 01225 302473 or email us at hello@h2.co.uk

Design

The principles of visual communication in the modern day

Humans primarily communicate with words, but studies have shown that 90% of the information that’s transmitted to the brain is visual. What’s more – we process visual information 60,000 times faster than text!

It’s clear, therefore, that visual information is much more powerful than text, which is why it’s so important to incorporate this into your website design. However, simply placing media elements, such as images or videos, onto your site isn’t sufficient. Instead, you need to consider the principles of visual communication and how they can inform your website design. To get started, take a look at these top tips for incorporating the principles of visual communication into your site’s design:

1. Start with the Structure

The structure of your site should be carefully thought out so that users know exactly where they are going and how they will get there. Navigation bars should always be visible at all times; you never want people to feel lost on your website! 

With professional graphic design services, you can use the navigation bar to propel users through their customer journey, seamlessly taking them from interest to engagement to action. 

2. Use Design to Foster Familiarity

Whether you opt for an informal tone or go with something more formal, make sure your site feels like home. If not, potential customers might turn away for good before giving your product or service a chance.

Even if you want to give users a fresh, new feel with a re-brand or launch a brand-new company, savvy graphic design companies will balance innovation with familiarity to get the benefit of both worlds. 

3. Find Your Typeface

Visual information doesn’t just refer to jpegs or mp4s. In fact, there are a wide variety of formats that are considered ‘visual information’, including fonts, diagrams, and even emojis. Finding the right typeface for your website can be a great starting point for the rest of the graphic design. Choosing a typeface that’s available in multiple weights will enable you to create varying effects while retaining your branding, for example, while the typeface itself will tell users a lot about your brand. 

4. Send a Clear Message

Before you get to work with graphic design website creation, it’s essential to think about the purpose of each web page and the website as a whole. What message do you want to convey to users? Every element on your site should serve a purpose, including the visual information. By identifying the message you want to send, you can ensure that the graphic design of your site delivers this message consistently. 

5. Make an Impact with Colour

Colour can have a tremendous impact on people. From evoking certain emotions to conveying brand values, you’ll find that colour, tone, and shade play a significant role in graphic design website building. A formal website might feature deep, calming colours, for example, while a more informal site may use vibrant, bold colours for a playful feel. Furthermore, where and how you feature colours on your site will determine which elements a user focuses on, which means that you can use colour to prompt engagement and action.

6. Create Visual Interest with Contrast 

Repetition quickly becomes boring, which is why we tend to ‘switch off’ when we’re faced with the same information or style again and again. To keep your users engaged, use contrast in your graphic design website to create visual interest. 

Contrasting colours will make elements jump off the page, for example, while contrasting sizes will highlight which elements you deem most important. By using contrast in this way, you can direct the user’s attention to the areas of your web page that you want them to focus on (like the ‘Buy Now’ button or the ‘Contact Us’ form)

7. Use the Right Tools

Successfully web design requires a combination of creativity and tech skills. To get the best results, you’ll want to use the right graphic design software, design apps and tools. You’ll find some fantastic graphic design examples online and these can give you an insight into what you can achieve with particular platforms. Of course, it can take quite some time to become proficient with graphic design software, which is why finding talented graphic designers is so important!

8. Use Reading Patterns to Enhance Your Graphic Design

Sure, you want people to absorb information visually, but this doesn’t mean that reading patterns are irrelevant when it comes to using graphic design online for websites. When scanning a site, users tend to use an F-pattern for text-heavy sites and a Z-pattern for sites that contain more visuals. 

A Z-pattern means that the focus starts at the top left of the page then moves in a Z shape towards the top right, diagonally to the bottom left and horizontally to the bottom right. Incorporate key visuals in these locations and you can increase the chances of users absorbing the information and acting upon the message you’re sending. 

When to Use Graphic Design Services?

As you can see, graphic design and website design is about a whole lot more than ‘what looks nice’! In fact, there are scientific and theoretical principles that underpin both graphic and site design. By working with graphic design companies and using professional graphic design services, you’ll get the benefit of these conceptual aspects of graphic design, as well as the practical results that a well-designed site can offer. 

It’s easy to assume that you only need professional graphic design services when you’re launching a new website, but this isn’t the case. Even a seemingly minor change to your site can warrant the services of an experienced graphic designer. Whether you’re updating the images on your site, changing the layout or upgrading the navigation bar, working with a website graphic designer will ensure you get the best results from your site. 

To find out more or to learn more about our graphic design services, get in touch with the H2 team now on 01225 302473 or email us at hello@h2.co.uk

We have lift-off!

We must be mad! Rachael, Lewis and Rob are doing a sponsored wing walk in May! Rachael asked in the office one day: “Does anyone fancy doing a wing walk?”. A resounding “NO” was the reply (or something along those lines!) from everyone except Lewis and Rob. So, it was arranged and there’s no going back now!

Every year, the H2 team fundraises for local and national charities that are close to their hearts. And this initiative is in aid of Dorothy House – a local hospice that provides exceptional, personal care for people with life-limiting illnesses.

Your support to help them soar to new heights is greatly appreciated!

Donate Now

Exciting new partnership

We’ve recently been working with innovative jewellery  company Ti2 Titanium – a team of skilled designers and jewelry makers who craft each unique piece in their collection. We’ve revamped their brand, redesigned and built their website and taken bespoke photography, as well as managing their social media.

To enhance their online visibility and increase brand recognition and engagement, we’ve utilised intricate social media tactics and created compelling photo and video content. This has significantly increased their followers, reach and interaction. We’ve also streamlined their online checkout process and product customisation, gaining excellent feedback for user experience and resulting in a considerable increase in sales.

We’re looking forward to working with Ti2 Titanium more in the future!

Read full case studies below:

Ti2 – Rebrand & Website
Ti2 – Social Media
Ti2 – Photography



Teaming Up

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