Despite being such an important part of business for so long, there is still a lot of confusion on how web-pages should be built. Some people claim that style comes first and foremost, while others put their money behind functionality as paramount. The truth is that there is no one easy answer and that for different websites, both of these ideas can be viable.
What is more important is finding the balance, and that is what we want to investigate today. By taking a look at online casinos as a base, we want to examine why finding the right personal fit is the best bet. While you might not want to copy our examples exactly, they should at least give you an idea of the form which your website could take.
Sticking to a Theme
For a start, your website needs to operate on the basis of one connecting theme. You might be tempted to make each page utterly unique for the sake of variety, but this can serve to disconnect and confuse users. For a positive example, consider this page for the slot games Rainbow Riches offers.
“Pencil design” (CC BY 2.0) by patchtok
On this page, the idea is to demonstrate a review of the slot game which has a wildly different color scheme than the host website. This could cause an issue of clashing, where the solution was found on compartmentalization. For most of this page, the website uses text to detail a review of the games’ features like RTP, bonuses, and more. It also ensures consistency, by applying the general website colors of green, white, and orange.
The logo of the slot itself, however, is simply set against a dark and clean background. This is so important an example because the concept of business applies to so many websites which feature many products. The design and color of these can easily clash with your greater setup, and so effort needs to be made to give them room to breathe.
Balancing Clarity and Flash
Exactly where you draw the line between style and substance is largely dependent on the number of goods or services that your website offers. If you focus on just a few items, then learning into a stylistic approach can be just fine. This way you can better reflect an overall feel, which can generate intimacy and familiarity even on a first visit as Interaction Design explains.
The more items your website offers, the more efficient you have to be with space. The is the case for online casinos, which often offer hundreds of slot games for players to choose from. This necessitates relying on small discrete sections to relay important information efficiently. As with the theme example, these sections aid in reducing visual clashes with a greater website, to make navigation easier for new and returning users.
“Project detail: Website” (CC BY-ND 2.0) by Design Feast
When starting on creating your website, know that few projects begin as winners. Really, web design is about iteration, of narrowing down your balance of style and substance to best mirror your business’s attitude. You don’t have to start from nothing, though, as our examples from online casinos show.Approach other websites you see with a critical eye and consider what they do that fails and succeeds as Crazy Egg does. We can’t guarantee that any other website will be a one to one match for what you offer, but this should at least give an idea of where to start.
