The web is constantly changing. Sometimes it is hard to keep up. As your website ages, some design elements may become obsolete, seem over-used, or are just no longer effective.
There may also be some new design elements that spiff up your web pages and present your content in a fresh new way… that your visitors will enjoy.
Here are some interesting elements and programs I have used recently on several of my client’s websites and my own.
Lottie Animations
A Lottie is a small but high-quality animation file format you can use on your website. They work on any device and can scale up or down without pixelation. You can browse the Lottie Marketplace here.
News Ticker or Marquee
This is an example of a News Ticker. It’s like a scrolling marquee. You can add custom text or posts, change colors, fonts, speed, and more.
Before and After Photo Slider
Use the handle in the middle of the photo to expand either side. This element can be customized.
Tooltip
Hover over this text to see an example of a tooltip.Countdown
A great way to increase sales is to use the urgency technique. Simply make your offer available for a limited time by using a countdown feature.
Charts and Graphs
Display data in a variety of clear and stylish formats.
My Services
Flipbook
A flipbook is a neat way to present ebooks, reports, magazines, etc., on your website. It features 3-D page-turning animation with sound effects. Take a look at this lovely example on www.tara.org.
Photo Book
A lovely client of mine had a website that showcased her deceased mother’s fine art. A lot of work went into photographing the art, writing descriptions, and creating an eCommerce website. When it became time to take the site down, my client wanted a memento of her mother’s portfolio of museum-quality work. So, we created a full-color actual book with beautiful photos of every spectacular piece. You can choose the type of paper you want to use and the size of the book. Then you can order as many copies as you wish.
Audio and Video Files
Audio files can be hosted directly on your website or embedded from SoundCloud. Videos can be embedded from YouTube or Vimeo.
Embedded Social Media Pages
You can embed your social media feeds from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Flickr. Here is an example of my Facebook page.
Progress Bars
Progress Bars are great for displaying varying data types for visual effect to your target audience. Many customizations are available. Here is an example.
Grammarly
Remember, what your website says is the most important element on your page. Your design elements should enhance your message, not get in the way and distract your reader from becoming a lead or customer. That being said, a program I use every day on every project is Grammarly. Grammarly will find typos and grammatical errors. It will also suggest better ways to construct a sentence or paragraph and let you know when a word is over-used. It can offer tips on clarity and tone. It even has a plagiarism tool. I use it on my websites, emails, and other word documents. Check it out.
