Throughout the month of March 2021, we have discussed various topics surrounding websites and website design. By reading our previous posts in this series, you will have learned about where to start with your web design, mistakes to avoid while doing web design, and why mobile web design is just as important as desktop web design. These are all important parts of the world of website design, but they are not the only things you must consider.

For the last post in this series, we are going to be covering some web design examples that are both good and bad. These examples will provide you with a frame of reference that you can combine with the tips from our previous posts to create the best website possible for your local business. Here are some web design examples that will help you out!   

Web design examples

Good web design

Dropbox

If you are looking for website design that is good and simple, Dropbox is an excellent example to follow. Upon opening the website, you will see a direct call-to-action with a “start your free trial” button. At the top of the webpage, you can also find more information about the company, its features, and pricing tiers. If you scroll down on the webpage, you learn more about the pricing tiers as well as examples of many companies that utilize Dropbox. The font of the webpage is easy to read and the images are big and clear. Dropbox is definitely doing a great job of making their website accessible for everyone!

Healthline

As primarily a medical education website, Healthline is one of the best web design examples out there for similar companies. The reason that this site stands out from most is because of how it is organized. For example, topics such as COVID-19, nutrition, and parenthood are featured at the top of the page. These topics are relevant for many people, so they are easy to access. As you navigate the page, you can see the editor’s picks and the latest stories that may be of interest. Further down the page, you will see the site’s staff and contact information. Overall, the design of Healthline’s website is very clean and straightforward. Sometimes, a simple design can make a world of difference for a company.

Starbucks

Let’s just face it: everyone knows about Starbucks. The company is absolutely huge and can be found almost anywhere that people are. Obviously, a company this big needs a great website that gets more customers to visit their locations. The reason that the Starbucks website stands out so much is because of how frequently it changes. Product offerings change all the time at Starbucks, so it is a great idea for them to be promoted on the company’s home page. On top of that, the website is pretty to look at. The images they use are vibrant and organized in a way that is not confusing. Options are laid out in an understandable way and the white background is aesthetically pleasing. While not the most ambitious design out there, Starbucks’ website simply gets the job done.

Bad web design

Yale’s art department

The website for Yale’s art department is a great bad web design example. This website is exactly what happens when you try to get too out there with your design. Although the abstract design of the website is intentional, it is very off-putting to those that are simply trying to find information. There is way too much going on in the background of the website and it only gets worse as you slow down. If you are an art company, we fully support if you create an abstract website, but also make sure that your users have the ability to find the information that they are looking for. Functionality is key.

Craigslist           

For a company as big as Craigslist is, you would think that they would put a little more effort into designing their website. This is likely one of the most confusing websites that you will stumble across, simply because it is so hard to find what you are looking for. Even if you click on the category that you are interested in, the site’s design still feels like an obstacle that you must overcome. Craigslist’s website should serve as an example that extreme simplicity is not always a good thing. The ideal website should be good-looking and functional, and it feels like this website is neither.