Fashion Web Design Tips II

What makes a great fashion web design? In my previous post "CREATING FASHION WEB DESIGN," I discussed one of our web design projects for a fashion client, and the methodology behind it. In this article, I want to discuss certain design elements that will contribute to a visually pleasing fashion web site designed for higher-end or designer labels. In this article, we will focus on the home page design of the web site.

Here are three design elements that work well in a home page for fashion web design:

1. "Airy," uncluttered layouts. Creating a web design that has a sense of space and is free of clutter speaks of good taste and refinement in the Western culture. Spacious layouts allows the eye to linger on the subtle and fine details of a beautiful presentation without distraction. It focuses the attention of the viewer rather than diffusing it. It conveys a sense of luxury critical to the marketing of a designer brand.

2. A home page design focused on branding, not selling. The purpose of a home page for a high-end or designer fashion web site is to promote the brand. You are not selling based on price. Rather, you are creating a lifestyle that the consumer is immersed in. The home page beckons the viewer into the web site through emotional appeal, not price. Therefore the brand or designer name, and all the cachet it musters, is the subject of the home page.

3. Artistic Photography. The photography used on a fashion web design home page must be emotionally compelling. It must have artistic value on its own, and, it must promote the lifestyle of the brand. It does not sell product so much as it portrays the emotional values and lifestyle of the product. It whets your appetite for the consumer experience within the web site. The skills of the web designer are called upon to use COLOR and a polished layout to support a compelling home page image

These are three basic values that will contribute to an effective fashion web design. Again, we are discussing a web design that promotes a brand or designer. The three design elements discussed here are used on the home page to prepare the viewer for the consumer experience upon entering the web site. The home page is strictly an appetizer, preparing the consumer for all the goodies found on the shopping pages contained within.

I will share more tips as projects are completed as added to my portfolio.