photo: kaboompics.com
This article explains the importance in designing your website based on the brand, the customers, and the company. With this in mind, it is crucial that the logo remain the same so that the brand makes the website recognizable to people who are visiting the site for the business, whereas the website itself can change but have the elements remain the same. The author uses Amazon and Apple as an example of this, because the website has continued to use the same elements overtime but updated it based on trends. Amazon sticks with the colors orange, black and light blue up against a white background, but updated the site based on trends such as a cleaner shadow look to the navigation bar or a more interactive way to venture through the site. The same goes to Apple, the layout remains the same but the style becomes updated due to trends. The navigation pane is still at the top of the page, but the design of the pane changes in terms of shadows and shading for the color theme.
The article goes on to say that trends are constantly changing, and that it’s necessary to stay on top of them in terms of competitors. As long as the website remains easily accessible and easy-to-use, a new design can be carried out successfully. This means that a bad way to re-design a website would be forgetting the overall purpose, audience and meaning of the site. The designer must keep in mind the colors, textures, typeface, font, etc. that is already accepted for the company or customers.
An example that I find helpful in this article is CNN. The logo has always remained the same, as well as the colors white and red. The site needs to be easy to use, easy to navigate, and easy to read. Right now, I think CNN does a great job on their site of making sure the headlines are not cluttered, easy to read, and they make sure to put the most important feature on the top right center, and have the other information surround it. In terms of trendiness and timelessness, CNN has continued to update their layout so that it’s interactive, but has a timeless style with a classic, clean look.
J Elizabeth 