Web Design Creative Considerations Explained
Unlike in other creative careers, web design creatives frequently do not have free reign to do as they’d like. Instead, they usually have to work under some level of constraint, but they still manage to express themselves, and fulfil (or surpass) clients’ expectations. Here we’ll explore why these limitations exist, how Seek Social’s web design creatives manage to thrive under such circumstances, and why you should entrust your net web design project to us!
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The Realtionship Between Web Design & Creativity
Sheer ‘creativity’ itself is limitless, but unfortunately when it comes to working in web design creative expression is not. That’s not to say that web designers and the creatives that they work alongside are any less imaginative or inspired than creatives in other fields, but the technology that they work with does have limits, and those limits impose rules and consequences on the people that work with it.
Just as architects need to work with existing building materials and use them correctly if they want their plans to turn into an actual brick-and-mortar building, web design creatives need to work within the capabilities of whatever framework is being used to build a site if they want to have an actual, real, functioning site to show off at the end of the project. So, while we might not necessarily like it being there, this gap between ‘what can be imagined’ and ‘what can be built’ needs to be respected – and on top of that there’s usually extra considerations such as what’s realistically do-able given the time available, the budget, stipulations in the client’s brief, and so on.
It can add up to a series of rules and considerations that creatives in other fields might find pretty restrictive or stifling, but web design creatives accept those limitations as part of the job. In fact many of us (including those at Seek Social) feel that not having the freedom of a blank slate and the ability to just do whatever you want, actually makes us more creative than when we have that freedom. What’s more, we relish the challenge of overcoming those limitations and creating something awesome for our clients.
Here at Seek Social, our web design creatives work in close partnership with our development team – to the point where their desks are right next to each other! This is because having easy access to (and a good working relationship with) a development expert can be invaluable for a web designer. It gives them someone to bounce ideas off of, accurate feedback regarding if those ideas can be turned into a reality – and if so – how much work it will take.
When people think of the word ‘branding’, the first thing that often comes to mind is a logo and colour scheme. Both of these are certainly two key elements of a branding package, but as our web design creatives know, they’re far from the only elements that you have to work with, or need to consider.
For example, the fonts, images, alignment styles, even the wording and tone of voice that you use on your website contributes to your overall ‘brand’ and the impression it’s making – and there’s likely to be even more elements than this in play across your site, depending on the layout and purpose of each individual page. In addition, when working on a website each element contributes not only to your brand, but also to the quality of the UX and UI that your site delivers. If you’ve read our pages on UX and UI then you’ll know how important it is that web design creatives consider the look, position and functionality of these elements very carefully, since to deliver top-notch UX and UI, everything has to work together.
When it comes to projects involving web design creative input won’t be limited to the Seek Social team. Feedback from clients is welcomed and encouraged by every member of our team, since every piece of feedback (good and bad) helps us get closer to that perfect visual representation of what you have in mind.
And speaking of ‘having things in mind’, for the sake of clarity and the avoidance of misinterpretation the Seek Social team will always SHOW finished articles to our clients rather than asking them to visualise something in their mind’s eye. What’s more, we are happy to show work that’s still in progress too, so if you do want to see a particular design that we’ve been working on for you then feel free to ask. We’ll make it clear for you whether a design is finished or it’s still being worked on (as applicable), and then take you through the idea behind the image, as well as the reasoning and creative and thought processes that created it – explaining everything in plain English.
We mentioned in the text to the left how some people actually find it easier when there are restrictions placed upon what they can do – and that includes members of the Seek Social team – so if our designers ask you for some materials or cues, don’t be discouraged. It’s not down to a lack of ideas or inspiration (if anything, quite the opposite in fact), it’s just part of their personal web design creative process and helps them ‘get the ball rolling’.
