Getting people to visit and stay on your website can pose quite the challenge.  Your website graphics can either invite your visitor in–or turn them off immediately. I prefer clean simple website graphics that quickly communicate who we are and what we do for whom.

header

Your website header graphic is the most important item on your page.  Does it display your company logo and maintain brand consistency?  Are you using color to reinforce your brand?  Does it give a phone number where I can reach you?

When I design a custom website header, I use Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.  I design it in Illustrator, then export it to Photoshop for sizing. To export your design, use Export under the File menu.  You can either make it a jpeg. or png. file, both work.  Make sure to indicate RGB for color.

I make sure I use the exact dimensions allowed for my header box (measured in pixels), otherwise the template will make my design fit, even if it has to distort it, which is a not a good idea.  Never distort a logo to fit a design.  The logo should be used in its purest form for maximum recognition.  Your logo design tells people who you are when you’re not around, so it is very important that your company logo is prominent on your website and stays consistent.  It should be the first thing that people see and recognize. Your logo needs to sit prominently on the top of the page, but does not necessarily have to be big, just “comfortable”.

color

Second step is to use color.  I mean really use it!  Does your company have a color it “owns”? A color it uses all the time to identify itself?  A strong color header or background makes your web page come alive when you use color strategically.

Your header is your opportunity to make your color statement, so make it. The header is a chance to be bold and get your customer’s attention, so use color to do just that. A color header acts as an anchor to hang your information from. Be bold, yet appropriate with color in your website design.

You can take graphic design elements from your logo or business and utilize them in your header, perhaps as a background pattern, as I did here in the Harry Chapin Run Against Hunger website header.http://www.runagainsthunger.com/  In order to do this I took the wheat motif and masked it into the header box in a subtle, “tone on tone” color, allowing the white typeface to be prominent. Be careful that your header doesn’t over-power your homepage by being too “loud” and perhaps distracting.  It should be prominent but not distracting.  The program we designed for this organization holds together with strong graphics.

You only have a split second to engage your visitors..make the most of it and draw them in with dynamic website graphics.  We can help you evaluate your website graphics and establish a plan to make them better!