What is the Golden Ratio in Web Design?

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While not everyone may have heard of the golden ratio, it’s actually a mathematical theory that dates back over 4,000 years. Invented by the Ancient Greeks, the golden ratio is all about achieving aesthetic harmony and balance. So, how does it work with regards to web design?

Golden ratio explained

The golden ratio is a theory that uses maths to determine how different elements can be placed together to create a harmonious look and feel. It’s by no means a new concept and has been used in the construction of many famous buildings, in nature and music, as well as by renowned artists such as Salvador Dali and Leonardo Da Vinci.

The theory states that the different sized elements used to create something should equal 1:1.618. This is often represented by spiral shapes and goes by the formula A/B = (A+B)/A = 1.618. So, if length A is equal to 100 px, then length B would be 161.80 px.

You first need to work out the length of the smallest element and then multiply this by 1.618 to achieve the ideal length of the bigger element. This could relate to images on a page, artwork, photography, as well as all other areas of design.

Golden ratio in web design

One of the major characteristics of effective design is a clear user interface. All the elements of the website need to be well-balanced and placed so that users can easily understand the information on the screen and interact without any effort.

A website design company will make use of the principles of the golden ratio theory to understand how different design elements are best placed on a screen to enhance the user experience. This will include considering small elements such as icons, buttons, and logos to larger elements like images and text.

By using the golden ratio theory, a web developer can ensure that all the elements are in proportion to each other, are harmoniously balanced, organised, and easy to read, without looking out of place.

These designs just look right. Images, blocks of text, sidebars, buttons, etc can be placed in golden rectangles that form a “perfect” design. This makes visitors feel comfortable viewing the website because it, sub-consciously, reminds them of familiar works of art and, particularly, nature.

If you’re looking for a web design company that builds aesthetically pleasing results, contact us today.

What is Meant by Web Page Design?

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Websites are integral to the effective and successful operation of a business, but when it comes to putting a website together, what does web page design mean exactly?

Web page design explained

When a web design company creates a website, it needs to consider the functions and goals of the site, as well as the target audience. This information is used to decide how to put each page together, and how each page will contribute to the look and feel of the entire website.

Each page will be designed with a focus on aspects such as appearance, layout, choice of colours, text, and fonts, using specific design software or templates. Special attention will be paid to making sure that the brand elements of a company are included on each page, whether that’s on a home page, an about us page or a contact page.

When designing a web page, it’s not just how information is put together that matters. Designers will also make sure that the white or empty space on the page allows the rest of the elements to easily flow together to enhance the user experience.

Page design

Web designers have a choice of various software and design templates they can use when putting a website together, and which one they choose often depends on what the site or pages are intended to achieve. E-commerce pages may need a different design structure than a simple information page, for instance, while a contact page will need a form layout, including buttons and a drop-down menu.

Some pages of a website can, however, be designed using the same template, so that their background, menus, and header images all look identical on each page. Each page may then be given its own specific design elements to differentiate it from the other pages.

User-friendly design

In order to create a successful web page design, a website management company will need to ensure that users can view the site on all different types of devices, including desktop computers and smartphones.

Web pages will be designed for use on different devices using either adaptive or responsive design. In adaptive design, web pages are designed in fixed layouts that match different screen sizes, while page content moves dynamically to suit the screen size in responsive design.

If you’re looking for effective web design services to create a web page design for your site, get in touch with us today.

Is Web Development Part of Digital Marketing?

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By now, most business owners know what digital marketing is in general. For those who are unsure, digital marketing is marketing your company online via digital channels. Although it sounds simple to grasp, the individual parts which make up online marketing can sometimes be less clear.

In this blog, we’ll be taking a look at whether web development can be classed as part of marketing via digital channels.

Can web development be included in digital marketing?

The simple answer is that web development is part of digital marketing. This is because any website you develop exists online in a digital format and has a direct impact on how your business is perceived. Even if you do not use the site you develop in marketing campaigns per se, it can still be the first place people interact with you online and can help you to attract new customers.

In addition, a website that has been expertly built can be a valuable marketing tool for showing consumers you are a professional company. When people use your site and see you have invested resources into its core functionality, they will view you in a more positive light.

Web development takes the basic design of a site and brings it to life for consumers with scripts, dynamic content and coding.

Web development is key for SEO

It is not just the impact on brand image and showcasing your business online which makes web development essential for digital marketing. The functionality of your website also has an impact on SEO.

Search engines will take into account how well your website functions, how easy it is to navigate and how long it takes for pages to load. By getting the development of your website right, you can improve your SEO and move your website up to the top of search engine results pages.

At Real Internet, we know how important expertly built and developed websites are for digital marketing. Based in Wotton-Under-Edge, our affordable web development services help clients get the functioning, agile websites they need.

Get in touch today for more details.

 

What is Adaptive Web Design?

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Adaptive web design allows users to view a website on multiple devices, but what does this involve and how does this differ from other types of web design?

Adaptive web design explained

First coined by web developer Aaron Gustafson back in 2011, adaptive web design is, essentially, a way of allowing a website to be viewed across multiple devices. More of us now use a range of devices to view web pages, with smartphones now trumping desktop computers in terms of use, and web design services have had to change to accommodate the different ways we look and search online.

Adaptive web design has become one of the leading solutions used for browsing on different devices. It involves the creation of different web layouts that are fixed, and which can be adapted to suit various sizes of screen. Therefore, instead of having a single, static page that looks similar across all devices, with adaptive web design you get a number of web page versions that fit a particular device.

This means that a website design company might develop different designs for various screen widths to suit mobile phones, laptops, desktop PCs and tablets.

Benefits of adaptive web design

A web design company may choose an adaptive design because it offers a number of different benefits. Since it is designed for various resolution sizes, it is considered relevant and specific to a user’s needs. It also delivers faster loading speeds, particularly compared to other types of design.

Isn’t it the same as responsive design?

If you’ve heard of adaptive web design, then chances are you’ve probably heard of responsive design, too. These phrases are often used interchangeably, and many people assume they are much the same thing. However, there are subtle variations between the two. While adaptive design consists of different layouts, there’s only one in responsive design, which responsively adjusts to fit the user’s screen. It is the browser window that decides on the layout with responsive design, while the back-end, as opposed to the browser or user, determines the layout in adaptive design. The server selects the correct layout according to factors such as operating system and device type.

Find out more about adaptive design for your website, by contacting our expert website team today.