There are billions of websites harvested on the lands of the World Wide Web and each one of them has a unique appearance and function. However, we cannot give the entire credit to the development team for providing a memorable experience to website visitors. We must also appreciate the efforts of web designers and graphic designers who work on the façade of the website that is part of the user-interface and helps to maintain the aesthetics of a website.
Design plays an integral role in the completion of any type of graphic work, in this case a website. You just don’t want to make it user-friendly, you also want to make sure that it looks great. There are many ways to approach the design bit of website designing and today I will discuss the aesthetics of modern web designs with an emphasis on eclectic design.
Eclectic design has become a popular design taste in modern interior designing and this is where the term spread its branches into other forms of art and design. The article Eclectic Decor: Mixing Old and New Styles published in Apartment Therapy defines the term eclectic as a design that “comprises of heterogeneous elements – a mixture of textures, time periods, styles, trends, and colors.” Nevertheless, achieving a balanced sense of eclectic design is not a piece of cake. Unlike working separately on design styles, in this approach you have to harmoniously match two or more design styles and trends to create a (website) design that is unique and embrace diversity.
Now that we have a foundational understanding of aesthetics and eclectic design, it is time to explore how we can use such a design palette in website designing with some examples. Know that in website designing, the technique of eclectic can either be subtle or in the face, depending on the way a brand or business wants to portray itself to its visitors.
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1) Combine photographic images with shapes to show a comparison of organic and geometric forms. The contrast creates an interesting composition that puts the imperfection of natural elements and perfection of illustrated shapes side by side.
Image Source: madies.mx
Image Source: restaurantcolibri.ca/fr
Image Source: viens-la.com
2) Show versions of the same design in different ways such as a negative and positive. One of the cool tricks is to use the technique of photography in website design as if you are putting the negatives of the reel and the final outcome in comparison. You can do this using colors, as shown in the example below.
Image Source: ivang-design.com
Image Source: erikamoreira.co
3) Put static and moving visuals together to add an interesting edge to the website design. While still images helps to focus on one person or object, animations adds movement in the design and breaks the monotony.
Image Source: bonfirered.com/studio
4) Website design styles vary in nature. For example, you can put line art illustrations with flat graphics. You can also have different animation or effects styles on your website. Here is an example to illustrate this point. Notice, as you hover, each animation is different and this is what creates interactivity.
Image Source: nathan.tokyo
You can add an eclectic sense by using different styles of photographs in a collage. Check out this example of a website design that combines images of people, objects and text.
Image Source: favoritealbums2019.yaybrigade.com
Here is another idea to take inspiration from that captures the essence of eclectic aesthetics.
Image Source: hadi.marketing
Here is another website that uses colorized photographs, skeuomorphic illustration and gradient to give the web design an eclectic feel.
Image Source: udx.bike
5) You can do this in a number of ways: a) differentiate in size, b) play with the placement, direction and hierarchy of text, c) use dissimilar fonts, and d) use different languages. Just make sure, it should be appealing to your audience. Know that typography plays a huge role in web design.
Image Source: monokai.nl/2019/japan
Image Source: chanskydesign.com
Of course, you can invent your own way to add diversity of design styles, design trends, design elements, and design principles in your professional website design to make it eclectic. Just make sure you keep asking yourself, is this working together?
Good Luck!
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