I’ve often found it useful to utilize real-world experiences as inspiration for endeavors in design.
The first question that comes to my mind is ‘what feeling do you want to impart on visitors?’ Do I want a conservative, blue and tan décor with a suit and tie mood? Do I want a sleek, minimalist décor with a creative, yet perhaps stuffy feel? How about a dark, almost foreboding décor with what could be considered an ‘edgy’ or ‘downtown’ sort of vibe?
Then I think to myself, ‘What do we do,’ and ‘how do we WANT to be perceived?’ Yes, there are quite a number of conservative elements that mould the way Novo goes about business but we are most assuredly not ‘suit and tie’ people. We create applications intended to make business processes more efficient. That says to me ‘creative,’ but ‘stuffy?’ I don’t think so.
We’ve illustrated that Novo is a seemingly contradictory balance of creativity when it comes to application design and conservative ethical and business practices. Looking at our present site, you could say that we’ve been doing the ‘tan and blue’ thing. It’s a handsome site that we’ve put a great deal of thought and effort into but it’s about time for that change we’ve been talking about.
So what do you think about a site that is sleek and minimalist but warm and inviting at the same time? Inventive use of light, color and shading will lend depth and warmth. Well thought out navigational and content elements will lend an air that is both functional and creative. Attractive multimedia elements will be usefully employed rather than added as the afterthought. It will be intuitive and interesting.
What do you guys think? What do you like and what do you dislike about contemporary websites in terms of overall ‘mood’ and ‘vibe?’