Values not aesthetics: the crucial aspects of good design

Every visual element of your website design can help communicate your brand's values ​​and core messaging. At Adchitects, we understand that design is much more than just making something look pretty. It's about giving your audience a clear idea of who you are.

During our workshops with clients, we determine what values should be reflected in the final project. These could be modernity, friendliness, or trustworthiness. Then, we decide which values the client categorically doesn't want to be associated with. These could be elitism or dishonesty.

Values chosen during the workshops can be expressed through the medium of various visual elements. Together, they make it possible to create a cohesive and memorable brand image. Read on to learn more and discover the role of values in good design.

The role of typography in graphic design

Typography has the power to help express and communicate ideas through its shape, size, and typeface. Each typeface has a personality and a message associated with it. To give an example, serif and sans-serif fonts evoke different emotions. The former have traditional rounded letters that can communicate prestige, elegance, or timelessness. On the other hand, sans serif typefaces have a modern sharpness to them that suggests progressiveness and innovation.

Understanding typography and using it to your advantage is essential to any successful design. Here's how it works in practice. Our client wanted to stand out from the crowd. They realized that their visual identity was too similar to that of a direct competitor. By switching up their typography, we made them appear modern, trustworthy, and innovative without making their visual identity overly complicated and overwhelming.

The meaning of colors

Colors can evoke strong emotions. As a result, they can have a huge influence on the perception of a brand. For instance, the use of warm colors can make a brand seem friendly and approachable. Cold colors, such as blue, evoke feelings of stability or are associated with technology.

The contrast between different color schemes can also be used to create an electrifying design that will grab people's attention and leave a lasting impression. For that reason, the selection of the right color should not result from the current graphic trends. Instead, it should be a carefully thought-out design choice made with the client's target audience in mind.

Our client Seasn wanted to express a variety of values to appeal to a wider audience. We presented them with a simple, yet multi-colored logo. Each color represented a specific value. Orange helped create a more welcoming environment, while violet symbolized wisdom. These two colors were chosen for a reason. The brand's main target group was mature women looking to achieve financial independence, who were likely to find these colors and what they represented appealing.

Why is visual content important?

Bill Gates once said, “Content is king.” Content is a major success factor for any brand or business. Currently, anyone can take photos with a phone, which is why the right artistic direction and content selection determine the success of a brand or cause its downfall. This choice depends largely on what your target audience is like, as different audiences react differently to different types of content. Knowing your target audience and choosing the kind of content that's going to resonate with them can help you gain loads of loyal customers that will keep on buying from you for many years to come.

While redesigning the new website for Kaiterra, we simplified its dashboard screens and put an emphasis on their minimalist products. While doing so, we prioritized the reliability and indispensability of Kaiterra solutions.

Pictured is the responsive website for Kaiterra, created by Adchitects.

Don't forget about animations

  The last element of the brand that is often overlooked is motion. In the current era of smartphones and digital communication, it is necessary to grab the user's attention using movement. The key here is to determine what kind of movement suits a given brand. If the customer expects legibility from the brand, they will prefer small micro-interactions. On the other hand, if the brand is about being loud and energetic, the customer is likely to prefer dynamic movement.

As we redesigned an e-commerce store for Ugallery, we focused on their customers. Their target audience consists of mature people that appreciate functionality over aesthetics. We also wanted to address the brand's main values, including approachability, helpfulness and friendliness. For that reason, we focused on designing subtle micro-interactions. Creating a more dynamic layout would have a negative impact on the development of Ugallery's new branding and probably cause them to lose older customers.

Summary

Designing visuals for clients is not just about making something that looks nice. Sure, it should look nice, but the key here is to use it to communicate specific values and ideas. With that in mind, we ask our clients about which values are important for their brand. Then, we do our best to make their website or mobile application reflect these values.

In case you don't know how to make your online presence convey specific values, get in touch with us! Our world-class design experts are going to do their best to ensure that your branding and digital products align with what you believe in.