So, what makes a good commercial web design? It's easy to see looking at these few great examples from rage of different businesses.

1. EXAMPLES OF GOOD COMMERCIAL WEB DESIGN
WHY THIS WORKS: a) most important content in most visible places - leads your eye to key messages b) clear & easy navigation - not too many options, instead homepage content is used as entry points to internal pages c) relevant imagery and clear messages - there’s no doubt what this
company does d) good usage of colours, supporting visual focus & page structure e) simple and consistent colour scheme f) consistent use of stylistic elements - i.e. folded corners on boxes, borders, shadows g) consistent style of typeface
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The whole idea behind the design of a commercial website is to convert web visitors into real customers. And the way to achieve that is by clearly communicating your USPs while looking attractive to your target market

2. EXAMPLES OF GOOD COMMERCIAL WEB DESIGN
WHY THIS WORKS: a) colour coding of the different business sectors is used as a main design element, which results in a very clear & easy navigation system, as well as defining the style of the design b) simple and consistent colour pallet
c) company USP is clearly communicated d) strong, engaging and adequate hero area for the business e) not too many graphical elements
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3. EXAMPLES OF GOOD COMMERCIAL WEB DESIGN
WHY THIS WORKS: a) great image selection for hero area -friendly, smiling, genuine-looking business employees b) creative way of making phone number stand out, in keeping with business USP c) stylistic elements
are consistent with the website message (friendly yet professional)
d) simplified colour palette with strong leading colour is used to highlight the key messages & structure of the site e) very simple & effective layout
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4. EXAMPLES OF GOOD COMMERCIAL WEB DESIGN
WHY THIS WORKS: a) clear USP & very clear navigation b) all graphical elements support the USP & support functionality (i.e. ‘learn more’ arrow - points out to more text below the fold, logo shape - reference to recycling symbol; background texture - consistent with recycling theme)
b) very informative yet very simple layout keeps focus on the essential information, while simple mapping leads to more in-depth information on internal pages & below the fold
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5. EXAMPLES OF GOOD COMMERCIAL WEB DESIGN
WHY THIS WORKS: a) concise message - visual and textual b) clear USP c) spare use of graphical elements - fewer used with stronger impact (hero image, background texture, ‘learn more’ buttons)
d) two tone, strong colour pallet (red and yellow ) e) clear information structure with plenty of ‘empty’ space around key message (in order not to distract viewer’s attention)
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6. EXAMPLES OF GOOD COMMERCIAL WEB DESIGN
SUMMARY - HOW TO DESIGN A GOOD COMMERCIAL WEBSITE
a) homepage is important - customers decide in seconds whether they have found what they are looking for, therefore make sure that you are very careful about what you put on your homepage
b) be concise & clear about your USPs: don’t dilute them & clutter the page with unnecessary details & stylistic elements. Overload of information may be off-putting & confusing for the visitor
c) make sure that the imagery used shows or strongly supports the business USPs & does not lead to any confusion - i.e. a smiling businessman means nothing; a product or employee at work communicates what the business does
d) homepage straplines, headings & calls to action need to strictly relate to the business USPs
e) structure your page to lead viewers’ eyes to the most important messages - by using highlighting colour, blocks of colour or imagery, you should ‘hot spot’ the page
f) make sure that navigation is simple and clear
g) be consistent and don’t overuse stylistic elements
h) use layout wisely and stick to the most common and recognisable formats - most of customers like familiarity, not surprises
i) make sure that all text is easily readable
j) contact information must be easy to find
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Written by: Ursula Zajkowska Edited by: Honor Clement-Hayes
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