Getting Your Website Right
At what point does it seem right for a creative agency’s website to stop displaying past projects? Why would they make that choice? I can’t imagine why.
As a designer, I love seeing the work of colleagues and cheer for them when they achieve excellence.
Lately, I’ve come across quite a few websites with no portfolio or projects displayed, no “about the company” or staff biographies on view, and no social icons to use to follow them.
Are they just playing coy or arrogant? Why are they being so mysterious and making it difficult for us to learn more about them? How are we to gain appreciation of their expertise if they don’t show us any work?
The web has all kind of sites, from the three page simple website with creatively arranged graphics to those with the chaos and mess of too many links, subnavigation and animation.
Each website walks a fine line to get it just right, and this is where branding and art direction are most critical. We lead the visitor by the click and toward the page or product that addresses their needs and the reason they visited the site in the first place.
It’s about showing the right amount, revealing your “why,” so visitors are satisfied.
When I visit a designer/engineer/landscaper/architect’s website, I expect to see the projects they’ve worked on. Images should be easy to find and navigate through. If I visit any other type of site, such as a restaurant’s site, I expect to see more about the place, its owners, and of course galleries that show off the ambiance and the menus.
If I visit and leave confused and unsatisfied, you’ve not gained my attention and favor but lost me and, I suspect, others.