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Top 6 Web Design Clichés to Avoid
By Tanuj Rastogi
Dated: Nov 11, 2011
There are several elements used by designers in web design that are highly overused and diminish the
unique aspect of the website. Some of the most clichéd web design tricks include Flash, stock images and
white background.
Repetition is always boring and in web design it can mean the demise of the website. You can find several
websites and web pages that are designed using clichéd elements that make the site look obsolete and
out-dated.
In order to add freshness to your web design, it is important to become more innovative. The web pages of
your site should have a distinctive appeal about them so that the visitors are able to identify the pages even
without reading the content. Having uniform and overused web design tricks no longer work in today’s
competitive times. In Sydney, you can find several web designers who claim to build outstanding designs
for your websites; however, most of them use commonplace templates and design elements all over the
website.
Discussed below are some of the web design clichés that you should avoid in order to stand out from the
crowd and gain prominence on the Internet-
1.Flash pages
During its introductory days, Flash was extremely popular and people found it trendy to have a Flash
introduction on the web pages, especially the Home page, of their websites. Sometimes Flash websites
would take longer than usual to load and people would have to go through the annoying procedure every
time they visited the site. Flash-based websites saw a drastic fall in visitors and conversion rate and it was
found that Flash introductions only serve to annoy visitors and delay them from getting to the main point,
i.e., getting information about the company/services and making some purchase. While many of web
designers have realised that usage of Flash should be minimalistic, there still are surprisingly a large
percentage of websites that are loaded with Flash.
2.Stock Images
The common handshake image or the globe or the call centre lady- these are all highly overused images
that need to be rested now. These images make the website look commonplace and boring. These days
there are several websites from where you can purchase high quality images and pictures for your website,
instead of using commonly available images. Highlight the uniqueness of your company and business by
using unique and attractive images.
3.White background
Colours always attract attention and yet most of the websites have white backgrounds. This may be due to
lack of imagination or personal preference. But the black and white contrast is the most clichéd web page
design that one can have. While there is nothing wrong in having a white background in the web design,
some use of creativity and colours can make a plain website look lively and attractive.
4.Wet floor/reflection/shadow effect
Wet floor effect is history and shouldn’t be used in websites of modern times. Since Apple used this effect
for one its products, it had become a rage. However, the trend is soon dying…and thank god for that.
Though it seems to be a nice gimmick, it is something that should not be overused.
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5.Big fonts
There was a time when web designers used really small fonts, but with monitor resolutions increasing, the
font sizes have also increased- and in some cases, it has increased to a large extent. In order to make a bold
statement, you can find many website designs that have huge fonts. While big fonts are eye-catchy and
bold, they should not be used too often and all over the website. Strategic use of big fonts can be effective
in a website design.
6.‘Click Here’
This is a widely used call-to-action button in web design. While the purpose of this button is to entice
people to take a positive action, it is wrongly worded. When you say ‘Click Here’ it creates ambiguity
about the whole message. The visitor is unaware of the action that will be performed by clicking on the
link. Instead of such a redundant and mysterious term, you can use phrases such as ‘Contact Us,’ ‘Read
more about our services’ etc.
Company Website - http://www.sigmainfotech.com.au/websitedesign.htm
###
These aspects should be avoided or should be used in moderation to keep the uniqueness of the website
intact and to help it stand ahead of its competitors.
Category Internet
Tags web design, graphic design services, web application, design, website design
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Fax 1300 79 44 02
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City/Town Sydney
State/Province New South Wales
Zip 2000
Country Australia
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