Design your way

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Websites have often been designed with very bright layouts that can sometimes be difficult for the eye to cope with.

However, in recent times these bright websites have been abandoned by some designers for darker websites with more desirable designs. This darker design is more attractive and seductive to individuals and can often come with imagery that will make it really stylish.

More and more designers are choosing to make dark website designs so as to create a sense of elegance and appeal to the user. Many clients also choose this dark style for their website, if they are given the option. However, this type of design will not work in every situation.

It is also true that many web designers do not know how to effectively create dark websites. This is because a dark design on the website can lead to a sense of loss in terms of usability, as well as the difficulty in being able to read the content on the page.

However, a dark website design has the ability of being able to draw the viewer’s attention to the most important information that is on the page. This can be incredibly handy as a way of standing out from all the other less important parts of the website.

In this article we’ll look at the main ways in which one can develop a dark website design so that it can effectively attract viewers and stand out among the other sites and you will also have a showcase at the end.

An easy first step: use white space

When you create a website with a dark background it can be a good idea to use white space within the design, as this is one of the effective ways of creating good websites whether it be dark or light.

The use of a dark design on a website can create the sense of it feeling heavy and this can be balanced with good use of white space. By using white space on a dark website effectively you can create a design which doesn’t have that cluttered feeling that regular dark websites do.

White space can be used in different ways and is effective in many situations. For instance, using it as a framing solution can be a great way of giving space within a dark designed website. By doing this the designer will be giving each element of information the space within itself and the ability to stand out and be easier to digest by the viewer.

Make the text readable

The text is probably the most important part of the website as it holds the information that they viewer wants to read. If the text is not designed correctly on a dark website, it will be difficult to read and will have a disastrous effect on the overall viewing experience.

Ways to get around this include wider paragraph spacing and larger font sizes. You can also use techniques such as kerning and leading in order to make the text easier to read.

One of the most important things to consider when designing the text on a dark website is that of the font size. One of the main problems with a dark website is that of eyestrain and this can be very annoying for visitors.

Finding a good balance with all these elements can be the solution to creating a great website with a dark design.

Showcase

Because of the popularity in bright white websites that have been designed in a simple clean style, darker website designs are less popular and harder to come by.

However, they can be just as good at getting the viewers attention and giving them an experience that is elegant and enjoyable. If a dark design on a website has been done well it can be just as good as the popular white designs and can have many benefits that these white designs do not possess.

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