You loved them in the 90’s, and now they’re knocking on your door begging you to take them back. That’s right—gradients are trending again in web design. But this time, they focus on aesthetically pleasing transitions that compliment—not compete—with your site’s content.
Below are our top five tips for incorporating gradients into your website design:
1. Spice Up Your Backgrounds
Simplicity is a huge part of the less-is-more aspect of modern design, but you don’t want to over-simplify your website. A simple gradient background can really visually stimulate your visitors without sacrificing a modern aesthetic.
2. Be Up Front About It
If you wish to keep your simple background, you can utilize gradients in your wording or logos and icons. A gradient here would definitely catch a visitor’s eye, drawing attention to the most important part of your site (such as the company name, call to action, etc.). Just be careful not to use gradients on every word or otherwise use them in an overwhelming way—that less is more mantra still applies.
3. Make It a Focal Point
Is your site lacking in something eye-catching? Did no art, photography, or visual focal point make it onto your homepage? Let a gradient take center stage. Be daring and rather than transition between shades of the same color, incorporate a three or five point gradient spanning different colors and shades. Just make sure all of your transitional colors keep up—nothing turns a visitor off like a muddy gray between two extraordinary hues.
4. Direct Your Visitors’ Gazes
Not only are they appealing, but gradients are also a great tool to use to direct your visitors’ gazes. Use the light-to-dark scanning many do to your advantage, having the lighter end of the gradient where you first want visitors to look and guiding them down to your call to action with the darker hue. No need for arrows when you can experiment with color transitions.
5. Image Overlays
Last but not least, don’t count out gradients if you already have an image you love occupying your site. Image overlays are super trendy, so creative uses will make your site stand out. Utilizing a gradient overlay either on the whole image or just in part will add an extra element to your site that keeps the imagery you love while staying on-trend.
Whether you want to take the plunge and redesign your site around a dramatic gradient, or simply want to add a gradient here and there, Kraus Marketing is here for you. Our expert designers and web developers are prepared to make your vision come alive, creating a beautiful website that gets your business those valuable conversions. Contact us today to learn how we can get you on-trend in a way that’s unique to your brand, helping to prevent your website from fading away.
