Why do you need a highly creative website?

There is one opinion that the main function of design is solving a problem. Is that right? But why do we see so many similar websites that solve problems? Why do brands invest in creative/unique websites and get profit from it? How does it work and when should we use creative solutions in website design?
The Obys team aims to find the answers to these questions and share their own experience in the design of highly creative websites.
What is a highly creative website?
First of all, let’s figure out what a highly creative website is. A creative site is not a template approach to the design and development of a site with the use of new technologies, animation, unique composition, and other design techniques. More often these are corporate, promo, e-commerce websites, events websites, landing pages, and portfolio websites. The main purpose of such sites is the emotion that the user will experience, which will cause him to remember the website and brand. And this brand will be remembered by the user from the mass of others.

What are some characteristics of creative websites?
- A custom grid in design
- The use of new technologies (WebGL, AR, VR)
- Attention to macro and micro animation
- Non-standard usage scenario (horizontal scrolls, preloaders, appearance effects, interactive cursor ant, etc.)
- The use of music to increase emotional efficiency
- Quality content, custom graphics (3D, photo, video)
- High attention to detail in a design
- The high interactivity of elements
- The mobile version effects are most similar to the desktop
Who needs a highly creative website?
There is a misconception that the best creative sites can be afforded by only large brands with large budgets, but this is not true. This impression is created due to the fact that large brands have much more access to marketing and advertising companies in different parts of the world and sometimes there can be several at the same time and highly creative websites become a part of these companies. Small and medium-sized brands can also create highly creative websites. For example:



There are some opinions that say this is all for the fashion industry, design, architecture, sports, photography, etc. They would also say that creative solutions are not suitable for companies apart from these industries. This is completely wrong; the principles of creative websites are quite universal and allow for creative solutions across different industries. For example:


For small and medium-sized businesses, creative websites allow you to stand out in a large crowd of competitors. Also, creative websites often take part in design awards, such as Awwwards, CSSDesignAwards, and FWA.
“To win one of the 3 awards from Awwwards, CSSDA, or FWA is to get confirmation that your product is made according to all world standards, and it will be relevant for years to come and set trends because it is better than other competitors and international judges rated it highly.”
Viacheslav Olianishyn — Jury at Awwwards and CSSDA, Art Director at Obys
That allows the brand to light up on a large audience since when the site won on Awwwards, the number of transitions in the first day is about 10k and more, in the second 6k, and so on … a similar effect is observed by victory in other awards.
When do you need a highly creative website?
We do not quite agree with the opinion that the main task of design is to solve problems. So, solving problems is what design should do by default; it’s an axiom and nothing else. But how many products do you know can solve your problems? How about a taxi? There are many taxi applications on the market and they all solve the same problems … Here come the visual design and creative solutions that make your product stand out against all the “solving problems” brands. For example, Uber among taxi applications.

Absolutely in any interface, you can apply creative solutions. Of course, there is functional design (for example, a dashboard for project management) in which it is necessary to limit creative solutions, but even in these applications, there is a place for micro-animations or other techniques that give the website more uniqueness or help with the user experience.
Every brand seeks to be unique and stand out from the crowd of competitors.
It is always important to find a balance between the use of creative solutions and functionality.
Advantages of the highly creative website
+ Emotions from exploring such sites will be associated with the brand
+ Uniqueness of the site, which enhances the uniqueness of the brand
+ High citation in the design environment
+ Trendsetting in the industry (competitor brands are trying to inherit you)
+ More visits to the site
+ Ability to impress potential customers and partners
“Such sites (highly creative websites) show the company’s level, its ambitions and attitude towards its cause, that everything they do is done at the highest level.”
Roman Salo — UI / UX designer at Obys
Disadvantages of highly creative website
- Cost (more expensive than a regular site)
- The risk to turn to non-professionals and get “too much creative” and inappropriate elements
Conclusion
The decision to produce a highly creative website is suitable for both large and small brands, from absolutely any field of activity. These are typically corporate, promo, e-commerce websites, events, landing pages and portfolio websites — aimed at generating emotions from the user. It is the best solution for brands that value uniqueness and strive for it, for those who want to be a leader in their industry or already are!
If you have any questions, suggestions, projects or ideas please contact us at info@obys.agency
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