Designing a Corporate Website

It’s always a great challenge to come up with the design for a corporate website that resonates. On one hand, you want to convey an influential image of your company. On the other hand, you don’t want to come across as boring and blend with every other company.

Corporate identity only works when there is common enforcement of the brand guidelines that are focused on a distinct company style. The key to pulling off a great corporate web design is to balance the company culture, service, or product offerings with promise and philosophy. From there, you can think about creative ways to present the brand and engage the users.

To help you start brainstorming concepts, here are some jump off ideas.

A minimalist site with custom photography

If your corporate site has clear intentions on what it is supposed to achieve, then a minimalist design can do the job. Combined with custom photography, you can let your copy do the talking while giving an impactful imagery of what you want to portray about your company. This works because you get clear to the point of what you want to say and place emphasis on the content and experience-oriented design.

A common mistake that, we see companies make when it comes to this style of corporate web design is creating the opposite effect with generic-looking photography or stock photos. Just because you’re using photography doesn’t mean you can get away with a generic image. An inadequate photo can make your website seem misaligned with your message. Think carefully about what you want to say with your content that will complement the images.

Hero image with limited options

Some corporate websites are using large hero images (header graphics) that take up half or more of the page’s space with a strong and straightforward message to catch the attention of the user. This often works well because it gives users the breathing room and negative space for the eye to relax and focus on the message inviting them to learn more about what else is on a page.

A common mistake is pairing a simple hero image with too many menu options. This is counterproductive since the goal is to be inviting, concise, simple and clear. You want to provide no more than two links or point-to-actions below the hero image to allow the user to find what he is looking for on your website and navigate simply through the journey.

A storytelling oriented design

If you have a compelling story to tell, a storytelling corporate website design format is the way to go. Many companies have used storytelling with a long scrolling format to engage readers and get them attached to the story. Some websites combine parallax scrolling along with videos or animations to keep the attention of the user with great success.

You can’t forget that the goal is to keep the attention of the reader throughout your entire story. A poorly written or boring copy will fail to do the job.

Hopefully, these ideas will spark some great corporate web design inspiration for your next project.