Visual Identity
Branding is an important factor when building a website, this is what keeps a user interested. It is crucial to be unique and have something special that would make your website stand out against the billions already available and make it memorable so that they return again and again. When deciding what your website will look like you must remember that it should convey and represent the topic at hand and not stray too far from that for purely aesthetic purposes, it must be beautiful but relative.
There is a great importance in expressing your own personal style when creating a websites design. You can know all the little tricks and principles of graphic design but if there is no originality they can be put to waste as there is potential for you to create something that has been done ten times before. There must be some element of uniqueness in your designs otherwise how are you supposed to stand out in a sea of websites on the same topic as your own? Personal touches can create a really special and interesting visual identity. For example, the way IKEA uses the colours of the Swedish flag in their logo makes it a lot more interesting than if they randomly chose red and green.
The typefaces you choose to design your website with must also reflect the mood and topic. Most successful brands have one iconic typeface that you would recognise as being theirs in a heartbeat, such as coca cola. The swirly handwritten type used gives us the feeling of fun and uniqueness which would quickly catch the attention of their target market.
In contrast to the laid back typeface of Coca Cola, Fedex chose to do a simple sans serif one which conveys a more serious tone in their company. It feels more trustworthy and clinical because they are a postal service, this particular typeface gives you confidence that they are professional and will deliver your package safely.
Overall, visual identity is extremely important for a brand or page to stand out amount billions of others. There needs to be something special and unique for a page to be successful.
