Retro Web Designing

Image from Themeforest.net WordPress Theme – Retro Portfolio

When the internet was still young, simple website were everywhere. Basic layouts with pictures and basic text was the norm, websites were mostly informative, domains were free and web hosting was either fairly low if not free as well. Anything that had fancy colours, blinking text, or flashing banners stood out. Today web designing has seen so much innovation, but it’s slowly going back to square one, where people want a clean and simple website that’s easy to look at and easy to browse. Obviously the graphics are much more improved than before, but simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

When retro style is brought up, the internet slang meaning of the word is “old fashioned style”. It can obviously have it’s own meaning depending on the context it’s being used, but since we are talking internet there are many ideas that can be discussed that will differentiate you from the crowd.

A good way to start is to have a one page layout. If you take a look at my website for instance, Web Designer Toronto it may seem to have multiple pages, but everything is actually on one page. That is an idea that can be used to differentiate yourself amongst other websites on the internet.

The one page layout can be used very easily for a profile website, whether it’s for business or personal, that displays images and pieces of information. The visitor has everything in front of them, all they need to do is scroll down to find everything they need. Once again simple, unique, and user friendly. Web designing today has to be done in a way where your visitors need to see right away, what the website is about, where your location is, and contact information if they need to get in touch. Let’s not forget Social Media, also very important to have a design concept to keep website like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube in mind.

Another important rule is to use fonts that are clean but stand out. For example when you look at my homepage, WEB DESIGNER TORONTO, stands right out. It tells you what the website is about, it tells you the location of the service, and what he does. The main header along with a strong logo design and placement is great for catching attention and creating brand awareness.

You can use various fonts on your website, but don’t use too many. Usually it’s a good idea to have a font type for headers, and links, and a different font type for content. Dont make them too different, just keep it consistent.

As you may have noticed, my motto is “Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication”. That is a famous quote from a famous person, his name is Leonardo Da Vinci. Even back in his time period that’s what people thought, and if you look at his work it’s always been done with that kept in mind. Simple but yet very beautiful. Having said that, designing a logo which is also simple is another great idea. You want to design a logo that will stand out from the crowd, a logo that with time will always be recognized. Great examples are the Microsoft logo, plain text but will be remembered forever. The point is also to create trust in your brand and tell your visitors to “use your website”, and without alienating anyone with an old browser.

The trick to use retro in web designing is to make the website look fresh and clean. If a new website is being launched it can give your visitors the feeling that your website has been around forever. When designing a retro website use modern design theories and apply them on older concepts to get the right feel of old fashioned style.

These are just a few pointers and ideas of a retro web design. Retro has been successful for many years, in many types of designs, whether its clothing, or automobiles, so there is no reason why it can’t be used in web designing as well.