5 Timeless Web Design Elements That Will Always Be in Style

Timeless Web Design Elements or Hot Trends?

Every year you hear about up and coming or “hot” web design trends that you should consider as you design a new website that year. And each year we are curious which hot web design trends will be around the following year. Usually, only a few, if any, last that long. But what about timeless web design elements that will always be in style?

The thing with hot trends of any kind is that they are simply trends that someone else feels strongly about. Remember dashed lines, curled paper, or vertical ribbons in web design? They were all hot web design trends in 2011! But you don’t see them very much in 2019. And even back in 2011, they did not appeal to everyone.

That’s another thing about hot web design trends. Even if you personally think they are pretty cool they may not work very well for your business or industry. For instance, if your target audience is older and less Internet-savvy having the latest hot web design trends on your site may alienate them, which in turn hurts your business objectives.

So today we want to focus on five simple and timeless web design elements that will elevate any business website to the next level. We are not going to mention hot trends that may not be relevant by the time you finish reading this. These are the basic elements that enhance the usability and user satisfaction of any website.

Timeless Web Design Elements

Keeping it Simple

This is the first, and one of the most important of our timeless web design elements. No matter what type of website you need, and how much content you need or plan to have, if your website is confusing to visitors they will simply go away.

Sharing a huge amount of information all at once is a bad idea. It will only lead to confusion, followed by site abandonment. If the primary reason for being on your business website is not immediately apparent you need to start over.

To simplify your website focus on the primary reason why your visitor is there, and what you want them to do next. Being cute is not going to work. Instead, keep your site content structure and navigation simple and consistent.

Intuitive Content and Navigation

The next of our timeless web design elements is the intuitive aspect of your website. Simplicity and intuitiveness go hand in hand. That means you need to anticipate how your website visitors will actually use your site. Keep in mind that you will have visitors of different skill and comfort levels. In order to be effective, your website has to be intuitive for all of them.

In this case, function has to dictate design. Don’t add elements that serve no specific purpose other than to make a few visitors go WOW. Make sure that all of your design elements serve a specific purpose, remain consistent across your pages, and are easy to use across all devices.

Ask yourself who will be using your website, how will they be using it, and what do you want them to do at the end? Once you address all of these questions your website will be that much more intuitive to the end-user.

Great Photography

The Internet is visual, folks. We really cannot stress that enough. As humans we are hard-wired to respond to visual clues, so be sure to provide as many as you can on your website. But not just any visuals! Another of our timeless web design elements are striking and impactful images that tell your story.

Nothing will ruin your business website as fast as having low-quality visuals. Think about it; would you buy a product if the product image is too dark or out of focus? Of course you wouldn’t! You can have the most amazing products known to mankind, but if your product images suck nobody will give them a second look.

And this is not just for product images. Any photographs on your website, regardless if it is of your location and team, your specialty menu items, or your latest conference, need to be the best they can be if you want to tell your story. If your photography skill is snapping pics on your iPhone you should consider hiring a professional photographer instead!

Legible and Readable Text

The next of our timeless web design elements relate to your text content, specifically the readability of it. Most likely you have come across websites with text so small you had to squint to read it. Not a great user experience, is it? This is especially true if your website features a lot of unbroken text.

You see, modern visitors don’t read text on a web page; they scan it. And nobody reads everything on a page any longer. We are becoming more and more impatient as a species, and we certainly don’t want to waste time reading a bunch of illegible text.

In order to capture the interest and attention of your target audience, you must ensure that your content is easy to read. Use a font and size that is legible across all devices, break your content up by using images, bulleted or numbered lists, or different colored backgrounds.

Using White Space

The last of our timeless web design elements actually ties them all together. Sometimes it is not what there is, but what there isn’t, that makes a great website. This makes the use of empty or white space such an effective design element. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most overlooked.

White space simply means giving the different elements of your website enough room to spread out and breathe. You don’t like getting smashed in the rush hour subway, do you? Well, your website content doesn’t feel or look engaging all smashed together either.

A better approach to web design is to use white space to draw attention to different elements on your website. And no, it does not need to be a white design element. White space simply refers to empty space in your design; it can be any color and even texture to be effective. Mix it up a bit for even better results!

Final Thoughts About Timeless Web Design Elements

Many web design trends are simply that, a trend. That means that they will be hot one day, and forgotten the next. Here are some previous design web design trends that have outlived their usefulness that you may remember. The thing to remember is that having outdated web design trends on your website will make your brand appear outdated as well. Not a good thing, is it?

A much better approach is to remember these timeless web design elements and be sure to include them in your website design. You can add a few hot trends if you like in order to appear extra hip and relevant. Just remember that hot trends can and will change. But timeless web design elements will always be in style!

Need Help Implementing Timeless Web Design Elements?

Here at ESPRESSO.digital, we offer a full range of small business website consulting and design services, including brand strategy and design, website design and development, search engine optimization, and business website hosting.

Feel free reach out to us and learn more about our innovative WordPress web design services. Our team can help you determine exactly what type of website and content you really need, and help you implement both timeless web design elements as well as add a few cool trends to make your online presence pop. All you have to do is click the button below. The highly caffeinated team is here to help!

Do You Have Timeless Web Design Elements?

Does your online presence include some or all of these timeless web design trends? Or did you recently upgrade your site and add a few of them? How did that work out for you? Did it help you achieve your business objectives? Or did you have problems with our suggestions? Please feel free to let us know so our audience can benefit as well, and grab our feed so you don’t miss our next post! And feel free to share our post with your audience!

Thank you! We appreciate your help to end bad business websites, one pixel at a time!

By ESPRESSO Team Mobile-first experts translating innovative web design ideas into measurable business results! @ESPRESSOcreates