Hey There!

Today we are talking about texture on your website.

I know, it doesn’t sound all that fascinating, but it can really make a difference on your website and I’m going to explain how and show you some good examples of texture use.

Texture is not a passing trend in web design. Texture is an essential tool for adding depth and dimension to an otherwise dull, static page. The best designers know that a website’s texture can captivate a viewer’s attention and can help bring the eye to certain words or images. The right texture and color also have the power to transform a website into a truly breathtaking work of art. There are limitless options for adding versatile textures to a site, and it is quick and easy for an experienced designer to add textures to any design to create a desired effect.

Two questions you may be asking yourself:

“How does this work?”

“What will adding some texture to my website do for your website?”

Well, I am glad that you asked!

• First off, adding texture to your website can GRAB ATTENTION.

Our designers can use texture to focus the eye on things like your headings, titles and icons. It can also be used to draw attention to your footers, call-to-action buttons, artwork, fonts, or logos. Many companies like the way a textured logo looks as well and will opt to use these to help give their product and company names maximum attention.

• Adding texture can also ADD CONTRAST.

Adding some texture to your website can provide some much-needed contrast to your side-bars, information boxes or other sections of important content. Using texture to add contrast can help a web designer add more information to a page without making the page seem disorganized or cluttered. Website architecture had vastly improved with the use of texture in this way.

• Texture is also great for providing a UNIQUE ATMOSPHERE.

Atmosphere is something our designers take very seriously. We feel branding should take center-stage. Everything should be clearly spelled out in the design aesthetic s – the mood, the images, the colors, and the textures. Your visitors should be moved by your website design and get a clear feeling for who your company is and what it does based on the atmosphere your website conveys.

• Texture CREATES REALISM.

Some web designs call for using very realistic approaches. Adding texture can help a page appear like a part of nature – be it ice, water droplets, wood, or stone, and this realism can be very impressive to behold. If it is done properly and can really set your website apart from the competition.

As with anything, you can also overpower your website with too much texture. Poorly plotted use of texture can create a disjointed, chaotic environment that overshadows the main points of the site, or – worse yet – appears like a cliché design lacking any creativity and imagination. It’s very important that you work with a web designer who is experienced in using texture in website design. In recent years, amateur designers have been quick to jump on the texture bandwagon, after template of textured layouts that cover every WordPress blog and band website. As a result, some people will characterize textured web designs as “grungy” or “unprofessional”, when in reality they can be extremely professional and have a classic look about them if all elements are balanced perfectly.

To make sure that your website does not over utilize texture, we abide by several important principles in our web design:

• We value legibility as the most important element of your website. If any part of the website becomes more difficult to read once texture is incorporated, it must be removed or altered. If people can’t find the information they want within several seconds we know that they are going to move on to another website regardless of how pretty the site may look. Getting your message across is always the #1 goal.
• We believe texture should be used minimally, with purpose, and never in bulk. Just as a person should not leave the house wearing polka-dots, stripes and plaid at the same time, a designer should not try to stitch multiple textures together that make the content more difficult to be deciphered. (And we promise we will never use polka-dots, stripes and plaid all at the same time. Ever.)
• We are mindful of loading time in our designs. The more you pack into a website, the longer it will take for all of that information to load and slow websites just aren’t cool. It is possible to include texture, without sacrificing speed and efficiency. For instance, sometimes it’s faster to create smaller repeating images, rather than one gigantic image.

Now since you’ve been so patient, here are a few creative uses of texture that we really like!

We love to get to work with awesome clients and on awesome website designs so if you have a project that you are considering, please, give us a call and let’s chat about it!