Your web design style says a lot about your business. It emphasizes your brand personality, subliminally communicating to visitors what they can expect from their interactions with your brand. It can also create cohesiveness in your visual identity and give your branding a consistent, ultra-clear corporate style— making it easier for your target market to recognize and fall in love with your brand.
If you’ve decided you need a new website, determining which style of design will be most beneficial for your brand is an important next step.
The only issue? There are many types of website styles to choose from, and making the right choice is kind of a big deal. After all, your web design style sets the stage for your entire online presence.
Fortunately, by familiarizing yourself with the core styles of website design, you can gain the core knowledge you need to identify which style will work best for your business.
The secret to finding the best web design style for your brand is... knowing your options!
Here Are The 5 Most Common Web Design Styles:
1. Minimalism
If you prefer a clean and contemporary look, a minimalist website style is likely the ideal fit for your brand. This web design style focuses heavily on eliminating unnecessary clutter, maximizing white space, and using only crisp, legible fonts. The Benefits of Minimalist Web Design: Minimalism can be incredibly beneficial in terms of user experience (UX). By eliminating unnecessary design elements, you lessen the likelihood of visitors becoming lost or confused when perusing your site. Plus, minimalist websites emphasize written and visual content more than other styles of website design since there are no distracting animations or intrusive background textures competing for the viewer’s attention.
Example: Rouillard
2. Realism
Realism is best suited for brands that want to add vibrancy, depth, and life-like appeal to their websites. Of all the different design styles for websites, realism is the top pick for restaurants and automotive brands (among other businesses) due to its ability to showcase products in an immersive way. If you’ve ever seen a website where a product or image seemed as if it were “jumping off the page”, that’s realism. This web design style is all about making elements appear “true-to-life” with absorbing visuals and accurate perspectives.
The Benefits of Realist Web Design: Realism is the best option for brands that rely heavily on visuals to communicate the value, appeal, or uniqueness of their product or service. Realistic website designs allow the user to immediately gain insight into how an item looks, feels, and functions— eliminating the need for long blocks of written content.
Example: Ultimate Ears
3. Flat
Flat web design styles are characterized by their two-dimensional visual components. Unlike realism, flat design isn’t meant to be “true to life”— it’s more about using symbols, illustrations, and stylistic features to communicate your brand, message, or value. Flat designs frequently utilize color, typography, and digital art elements to create a simple yet modern and consistent look.
The Benefits of Flat Web Design:
Because flat design leans into simplicity, it is much easier for website designers to create and launch websites that are created in this style. Flat design is also the ideal style for clients seeking a responsive website design, as the simplified graphics can be easily scaled and adjusted for various devices. This can translate into performance benefits as well, including faster web page loading times and increased crawlability for SEO.
Example: MetaMusic
4. Geometric
Of all the types of website styles, geometric design may be the most straightforward. As the name suggests, geometric website designs harness the visual impact of shapes and lines, which are used to draw attention to specific elements and to direct the user where they are meant to go.
Symmetry and organization are two of the most prominent elements of geometric design, making this style ideal for businesses that appreciate a balanced, streamlined appearance.
The Benefits of Flat Web Design:
Geometric design elements are an excellent way to create cohesive visual patterns that are naturally pleasing to the eye. Plus, these patterns can be used to make navigation more seamless (arrows are an obvious example here) or to give users a specific impression of your brand (triangles are associated with stability, power, and ingenuity, for instance).
Example: LM Chabot
5.Parallax
Parallax is one of the lesser-known styles of website design. This type of design is less about a specific look and more about how a site functions. Essentially, a parallax website design has a background that moves slowly, while elements in the foreground move more quickly as the user scrolls. This design approach originated in popular video games like Sonic the Hedgehog and Donkey Kong Country.
The Benefits of Parallax Web Design:
Parallax website design creates the illusion of storytelling for any user who visits your site. As they scroll, they will feel as though they are “moving through” a timeline— making navigation a breeze. Additionally, parallax design creates interactivity, giving the user control over their experience as they scroll up and down or side to side.
Example: Green Rebel
Let’s Find Your Ideal Web Design Style
Together, we can analyze your most vital marketing and branding needs and compare various styles of website design until to determine which would work best. With more than 100 successful projects under my belt, I’m certain I can help you make a confident decision for the future of your business.
Are you ready to work with an Edmonton website designer who understands both flair and functionality? Reach out today.