A design concept is a visual concept of a future design project that clearly represents the style and general mood of the future site, what associations it will evoke in users, what color palette will be used, and what fonts, icons, and other visual patterns will be used. This is an important stage before the start of the design because with its help you can set the general style and mood of the site, which will suit the customer of the UI & UX design and development company. In this article, we will figure out how to build a website design concept in 5 steps.
What is a website design concept and why is it needed
A design concept is a carefully chosen system of images, textures, typography, and colors to convey a particular look and feel of a website. The design concept is also known as Stylescapes/Moodboards 2.0.
A design concept is a key image of a website that you can rely on when creating a visual look. The approach to work here is as follows: imagine the site as a “character” – with appearance, value system, communication style, and behavior. This “character” will offer customers and users products or services of the business. Therefore, it is important not to forget about the target audience and competitors: what character and method of communication are better for customers? How to create an image that will be different from competitors?
A design concept is a metaphor or an image that simplifies the perception of a product, or a company and makes the corporate identity recognizable not only on the website but also in all digital channels.
The design concept should be used for the following reasons:
- Firstly, the design concept helps to identify the main ideas and directions for design development and agree on them with the customer. Customers want to know where the design is heading. Thanks to the design concept, you can capture at the start what is behind the phrases: “I like the minimalist style” or “I like this brand”.
- Secondly, the design concept helps to assess whether the chosen direction is suitable for solving the task of creating a unique image with character. It can be used to get feedback from potential users.
- Thirdly, it helps to visually demonstrate development ideas to clients and the team. In fact, it forms an ideological base, a common vision of the project for all participants.
The design concept helps to form a single space in which everyone understands each other and effectively cooperates to achieve goals.
Instructions for developing a website design concept
In the simplest version, the construction of a design concept goes like this:
Stage 1. Collecting data about the client’s case
To immerse yourself in the client’s business, you need a brief:
- Marketing kit.
- Marketing kit in short format.
- Point-of-View (POV).
Stage 2. Design study of the digital landscape and space for the concept
Minimal design research covers what competitors look like, say, and do. This approach is also called communication analysis. The main task at this stage is to find points of difference from competitors.
It is better to differ from competitors in two ways at once: promises (analysis of words and deeds) and image (analysis of color and graphic nuance).
For example, the color difference is one of the strongest and is laid down by nature itself. And thanks to the graphic nuance, the brand will be different from other players in the market.
Stage 3. Style debut
In the work on the embodiment of the unique style of the site, the moodboard technique, as well as the technique of graphic storytelling, will come in handy.
A moodboard is not only mood pictures but also graphics and site shots, various images, and signs – everything that has hints of a new brand. All this helps to fix the directions in which the concept will develop.
Graphic nuance and rhymes with a check for replicability at various points of contact. The moodboard is the material to work on creating graphic nuance and rhymes. Nuance is the distinguishing visual feature of a design concept, while rhyme is what helps to combine all the additional brand graphics into one image. The result is a constructor of your unique brand image.
Stage 4. Detailing the main page: a mix of verbal and visual communication
Here we take “the most valuable thing that is important to the audience about the company”, graphics, and try to collect the site header, advertising banners, and merchandise, then, if necessary, we return to steps 1 and 2 to achieve the integrity of perception.
Stage 5. Presentation to the client
Remind the client what the last meeting was about, and guide the client through all the steps to freshen up the picture of working together on the project. Discuss the result with the customer, collect feedback and discuss the list of points that should be corrected.
What is important to consider when creating a website design concept
It is important to adhere to the following rules when developing a website design concept:
- Don’t skip the business and culture immersion phase.
- Examine the client’s existing graphics, they may have hints of corporate identity.
- Draw graphics like writing a story.
- More moodboards – more information.
- Base color and graphic nuance form the main spot and taste of the brand.
- Don’t interrupt product focus with graphics.
- Use a single graphic alphabet at all points of contact with the client.
- Put a common rhyme into infographics.
- Keep the customer up to date on the project, and do not arrange surprises on the last day of delivery.
Final thoughts
Design concepts help to achieve an expressive identity. It also adds coherence to the work of the team and saves time and money. Design concepts guide design decisions and highlight flaws before the visual detail phase begin. And what is more important it encourages designers to look for an expressive solution stronger than competitors. Dworkz is a company that specializes in web and mobile application development. The company’s employees will perfectly cope with the development of a design concept, as a result, you will receive a quality product that will have a beneficial effect on the development of your business.