In today’s digital age, your website is often the first impression potential clients have of your business. A well-designed website can set you apart from the competition, create a memorable user experience, and effectively convey your brand’s unique identity. Whether you offer a product or service, and whether your business is fully digital or brick-and-mortar, having a standout website is crucial now more than ever. Here are six unique web design tips that can take your website from DIY template to a stunning and memorable web experience — not only visually appealing, but also functional and engaging.

01. A unique custom navigation menu

No one ever said your navigation menu has to be a simple linear layout — slap your logo in the top middle, some links on each side, and call it a day.

Having a custom navigation menu is a cool way to bring a little uniqueness and a modern flair to your website. If that matches your brand’s style, this might be a perfect way to spice up your website. Little things like customizing the navigation menu can make the experience of using your website a branded experience that sets you apart from your competitors.

One caution: Your top priority should be the usability of your website navigation — people can’t book / hire / pay you if they can’t even navigate your website. I have seen this overdone or done wrong. Remember, your custom navigation menu should never be so crazy that it’s distracting or detracts your prospects from actually navigating your website.

02. Hover effects

Hover effects are a huge part of the user experience on websites that you love and use every day, but you may have never noticed. For example, this can apply to inline links, buttons, images, text, and more.

Hover effects give you a subtle visual clue that something is clickable, thus subtly moving your customers through your funnel or browsing your website. Little details like hover effects communicate professionalism through an elevated website experience.

One caution: Like all of these web design tips, my caveat is not to overdo it. A website with too many hover effects can be overstimulating. Most hover effects should be super subtle.

03. Brand patterns + illustrations

I love being a brand and web designer because I start to have a vision for all the ways a brand’s visuals can seamlessly work together within their online presence, social media, website, and marketing collateral, just through cohesive and custom branding. When you book me for both branding and web design, my heart sings because I get to create this vision that I have for your website when I designed the branding itself!

I include custom illustrations or icons and brand patterns in my base brand design package, and this is a way that those assets can come into play and be useful. Patterns and illustrations are a way to use these custom, bespoke touches that create brand recognition and trust. Plus, it makes your brand and website feel so cohesive, and it’s just super cute!!

One caution: If your product or service is visual in nature, i.e. photography, videography, etc., you definitely don’t want to overpower the actual product with too much branding. So I often use other elements like shapes, borders, and textures (more on that below) to tie your branding in, as opposed to actual illustrations. But no matter what, I’ll always make sure to let YOUR work shine — your branding and website are just the picture frame it’s displayed within.

04. Interactive sections

This is another way to make your website feel more custom and intentional. I love to include sections on websites I design that can be clicked through, revealed, scrolled, etc. by the website’s visitors.

Adding a little bit of interaction on your website makes the experience feel engaging and interesting, making your prospects feel more involved in the process of consuming your website/content.

I also use these types of layouts as a way to break up large chunks of text or information, rather than making it all visible at once — it’s far more attractive from a design standpoint, and your website’s viewers are more likely to actually take in the important information!

One caution: This can also be overdone! Not everything has to be a quiz or a click-through type of layout. It should be done strategically with information that’s either 1. not so crucial, or 2. in the nitty gritty details that your clients who are really interested in booking you will go looking for (think, for example, FAQs).

05. Texture

I adore texture. Too much solid color can really make your website feel stale and stagnant. Texture is an excellent way to give that custom touch that shows your website isn’t just a run-of-the-mill template your prospects have already seen a million times. For the right kind of website, this can be a huge key to tying your whole web design together.

One caution: Your website doesn’t HAVE to look like a textured, layered scrapbook if that’s not your style. Again, too much can be distracting, and could definitely make some text on your website (that could be super important information) difficult to read. Therefore I always use texture sparingly and intentionally!

06. Scroll effects + animation

Just like hover effects, scroll effects are a super subtle detail that elevate your website experience just that touch more. When you scroll through a website, some elements appear in different ways, whether they pop on screen or slowly fade in. Sometimes photos have a parallax effect that elevate the design. No matter what, your website should never be totally stagnant.

I also like to combat stationary, lifeless websites through animation! This could mean some photos fade in and out between a few photos, or your galleries automatically scroll after a few seconds. These are also great ways to showcase more of your work in less space!

OR if you have branding videos, or you take photos in rapid succession, I can make them into gifs that play on your website and give a super unique and personalized touch!

One caution: Just like all the tips above, always use animation intentionally and only in places where it makes sense and adds to the website experience. 

Implementing these unique web design tips can significantly enhance the look and feel of your website, making it more engaging and memorable for visitors. Remember, the goal is to reflect your brand’s personality while ensuring a seamless user experience.

Ready to transform your website? Don’t just take my web design tips. Let me create a brand and custom website that suits your small business perfectly. Let’s work together to create a beautiful online presence that captures the essence of your brand and keeps visitors coming back for more.