The Elements of an Outstanding Web Design Work

In web design, the building blocks are the core factors that determine the overall visual and interactive experience. An outstanding web design work does not simply rely on flashy effects or a single aesthetic style; rather, it achieves a balance between visuals and functionality through a thoughtful combination of elements and a scientific layout. It is worth emphasizing that visual elements in web design are not inherently “good” or “bad.” Instead, they can only be judged as “appropriate” or “inappropriate.” Aesthetics itself is a relatively subjective art form, unlike most disciplines where problems often have one definitive solution.

The key to evaluating whether a web design work is excellent lies in its alignment, consistency, and human-centered approach.

Alignment means that the design elements of a webpage must match the overall style, brand tone, and core messaging. For example, the typography, color scheme, and imagery of a luxury brand’s website should convey sophistication and elegance, rather than relying on random bright or exaggerated colors.

Consistency requires that all elements within a page coordinate in style and attributes. A website with strong consistency allows users to switch between different sections while still perceiving a coherent visual order.

Human-centered design is perhaps the most critical criterion in evaluating a website’s quality. It emphasizes how clear layouts, intuitive interactions, and straightforward visual cues help users quickly and accurately grasp the information being communicated. This has long been a focus of continuous exploration and optimization for web designers and developers.

In other words, artistry and practicality in web design are never opposing forces. Truly outstanding works not only appeal to users’ emotional perceptions but also fulfill their rational needs throughout the browsing experience.

A Refined and Industry-Aligned Color System for Web Design

In web design, the color system is often the first visual element users perceive. It not only shapes the overall atmosphere of the page but also subtly influences how users understand and remember the brand. A well-developed and well-matched color system allows users to immediately sense the website style and industry characteristics, while also conveying the brand’s aspirations, goals, and vision. Moreover, a carefully designed color scheme ensures both the readability of the content and a clear hierarchy of information.

1 Brand Identity and Emotional Value

The color scheme of a website should first and foremost reflect the brand’s identity and emotional value. The general standard is to form a complete system composed of primary brand colors, interaction colors, and auxiliary colors. The emotional attributes of these colors need to align with the characteristics of the industry, thereby creating strong associations in users’ visual memory. For example:

• Tiffany Blue immediately evokes luxury, elegance, and romance.

• Google rainbow palette conveys openness, diversity, and innovation.

To illustrate, on a financial services website, using a primary palette of deep blue and silver-gray can communicate professionalism, stability, and reliability. Meanwhile, incorporating orange or bright yellow as accent colors introduces a sense of vitality and positive emotional cues for users.

2 Functionality and Hierarchy

An effective color system is not just an aesthetic expression—it must also serve the functional needs of a webpage. There should be a clear hierarchy and contrast among primary colors, interaction colors, and auxiliary colors, enabling users to quickly distinguish different types of information.

• Consistency: The same function or category of information should maintain consistent coloring—for instance, all CTA buttons using the same primary color.

• Contrast: Important information should stand out through differences in brightness and saturation, such as a highly saturated primary color paired with a more muted auxiliary color.

For example, in the design of an e-commerce platform, the primary color is often applied to “Buy Now” buttons or price tags, ensuring users can quickly capture key information. Auxiliary colors, on the other hand, are used for secondary navigation, labels, or informational cues, helping to avoid confusion with core actions.

3 Aesthetics and Harmony

Beyond brand identity and functionality, a color system also needs to achieve aesthetic harmony. The key considerations here include:

• Proportion of Brand Colors: The primary color typically covers 20–30% of the overall page to highlight key areas; auxiliary colors are kept within 10–15% as accents; while neutral tones (black, white, gray) occupy 50–60% to ensure overall visual balance.

• Contrast and Readability: It is essential to follow the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standards, ensuring sufficient contrast between text and background so that users can read content effortlessly.

1). Taking a Biotechnology Landing Page as an Example

Brand Identity and Emotional Value: The brand color palette adopts shades of green to convey emotions of being organic, eco-friendly, and natural. Since the company specializes in recombinant proteins extracted from plant chlorophyll, green precisely communicates the ecological attributes of the product. To reinforce a sense of innovation, fluorescent green is used as the primary color for headings and CTA buttons, allowing users to immediately perceive the brand’s emphasis on cutting-edge and forward-thinking values.

Functionality and Hierarchy: The color hierarchy is clearly defined—fluorescent green highlights key information such as CTAs and headings, ensuring users quickly focus on critical content. Auxiliary colors are applied to secondary information and backgrounds, helping users establish a structured sense of information flow.

Aesthetics and Harmony: The overall style is built on a natural and minimalist foundation. The combination of green with neutral gray creates visual balance and avoids overwhelming brightness. Meanwhile, 3D plant models paired with green light effects enhance the sense of technology and immersion.

Through this color system, the landing page not only ensures clarity in information delivery but also strengthens users’ emotional connection to the brand, achieving a dual balance of aesthetics and functionality.

A Font System Aligned with Web Design Style

In web design, the font system is not merely a vehicle for conveying information—it is also a crucial component of visual aesthetics and brand recognition. Especially in modern web design, fonts are often given greater expressive power; for example, the hero section frequently uses large, decorative headline fonts to capture users’ attention. This means that an effective web font system must simultaneously satisfy readability, visual appeal, and brand alignment.

Generally, a website font system can be divided into three categories:

1. Headline Fonts

2. Body Fonts

3. UI/Interaction Fonts

Among these, headline fonts have the greatest impact on the overall web style, shaping the first visual impression of the page. UI/interaction fonts come next, influencing users’ intuitive experience during interactions. Body fonts primarily affect content readability and the comfort of long-term browsing.

1 Three Standards for Adapting a Font System to Web Design Style

1). Typeface Alignment with Web Design Style

The choice of typeface directly determines the mood and tone conveyed by a website.

• Technology Websites: Headline fonts often use geometric, sharply structured sans-serif typefaces such as Eurostile or Roboto. The squared corners and straight lines convey a sense of futurism and modernity.

• Fashion or Luxury Websites: Serif fonts like Didot or Bodoni are commonly used. Their slender strokes and high contrast give the page an elegant and refined feel.

• Education Websites: Rounded, friendly sans-serif fonts such as Nunito or Open Sans are preferred, conveying approachability and credibility.

For example, Tesla official website uses clean, bold, and slightly geometric headline fonts, perfectly aligning with the brand’s positioning in technology and futuristic mobility.

2). Hierarchy Through Font Size, Letter Spacing, Weight, and Color

The hierarchy of fonts is expressed through the coordinated use of size, spacing, weight, and color. A well-designed hierarchy enables users to quickly distinguish between primary and secondary information.

• Font Size: Headline sizes should be significantly larger than body text. For example, hero section headlines are typically above 40px, while body text ranges between 16–20px.

• Letter Spacing and Line Height: These enhance the “breathing space” of the layout. Technology websites often use tighter letter spacing to emphasize precision and rationality, whereas fashion websites employ wider spacing to create an elegant atmosphere.

• Font Weight: Key information uses bold weight, while secondary content uses regular weight, establishing clear contrast.

• Color: Body text usually employs neutral tones like black, gray, or white to ensure readability. Highlighted text or interaction cues can use brand colors to emphasize important elements.

For example, Airbnb website design effectively leverages font hierarchy: headlines are bold and large to capture attention, while body text remains lighter, helping users naturally discern information priority while browsing.

3). Consistency and Uniformity

A unified font system helps prevent visual clutter and enhances users’ reading efficiency. Specifically, this includes:

• Uniform Style for the Same Hierarchy: For example, all H2 headings should maintain consistent font size, weight, and letter spacing.

• Cross-Page Consistency: On multi-page websites, the font system for navigation bars, buttons, and body text should remain consistent to strengthen brand recognition.

For instance, Apple official website consistently uses the San Francisco typeface across all pages, ensuring uniformity in product displays, interactive elements, and content text. This consistency allows users to experience a cohesive and premium brand feel when navigating between different pages.

A font system aligned with a website’s style is essentially a balance of content readability + brand perception + user experience. It serves as both the visual backbone of the site and a bridge for communication between users and information.

To learn more about web font systems, refer to our article “Core Principles of Framer Web Font System Design.”

High-Quality Images and Videos Aligned with Brand Style

In web design, images and videos are the most important visual elements after color and typography. They not only convey information but also directly influence users’ perception of the brand and their emotional experience. High-quality media can reinforce brand value and enhance the page’s overall quality, while low-quality or stylistically inconsistent media can severely undermine the user experience.

When using images and videos, it is essential to balance clarity, loading performance, and stylistic consistency:

• Clarity: Media must be high-resolution to ensure a professional visual impression and preserve detail.

• Loading Optimization: Images should be properly compressed to balance clarity with loading speed. Videos are recommended to be hosted on third-party platforms such as YouTube or Vimeo to reduce the website’s own load.

• Stylistic Consistency: The color, filters, and tone (warm or cool) of media should align with the website’s overall color scheme to avoid stylistic clashes.

Next, we will break down the common categories of images and videos used on websites and illustrate them with examples.

1 Product Images

• Purpose: Used in product section cards, category pages, and product detail pages.

• Characteristics: High-resolution, distraction-free images showing the front, side, and back of the product. Backgrounds are typically simple to highlight the product itself.

• Example: On Apple’s official website, iPhone images are often displayed against a white or dark gray background, ensuring that the user’s visual focus remains entirely on the product.

2 Product Detail Images

• Purpose: Used in product detail pages and key product highlight sections on the homepage.

• Characteristics: Showcases fine craftsmanship and material texture through close-up photography or 3D rendering.

• Example: When presenting hair dryers, Dyson uses detail images to highlight the nozzle structure and material, conveying a sense of advanced technology and premium quality.

3 Product Lifestyle Images

• Purpose: Commonly used in banners, product detail pages, and key feature sections.

• Characteristics: Employ lighting, filters, or blur effects to create a mood, emphasizing the product’s lifestyle context or the brand’s tone.

• Example: IKEA official website frequently uses warm-toned lifestyle images, placing furniture in cozy home settings, allowing users to intuitively perceive how the products fit into daily life.

4 Product Mechanism Illustrations

• Purpose: Used in product detail pages or technical showcase sections on the homepage to enhance user trust.

• Characteristics: Presented as 3D renderings or exploded diagrams to visually explain how the product works.

• Example: On Tesla’s battery introduction page, 3D cross-sectional diagrams illustrate the battery modules and energy flow, reinforcing technological credibility.

5 Product Usage Illustrations

• Purpose: Highlight the product’s application methods and practical uses.

• Characteristics: Present the product’s functions and usage scenarios clearly and intuitively, avoiding any ambiguity.

• Example: On Philips electric toothbrush detail page, animations or step-by-step images demonstrate brushing modes and cleaning effectiveness.

6 Use Case Images

• Purpose: Used in banners, key product sections, and product detail pages.

• Characteristics: Show the product in real-life settings, helping users imagine their own usage scenarios.

• Example: On GoPro official website, product displays feature extreme sports scenes to emphasize the camera’s durability and high-definition capabilities.

7 Company Team Images

• Purpose: Used on the homepage “About Us” section, team pages, and contact pages.

• Characteristics: Showcase company culture and team atmosphere; images can be filtered or rendered in monochrome to serve as background visuals.

• Example: Slack official website features authentic team collaboration images, highlighting its positioning as a communication tool.

8 Abstract Mood Images

• Purpose: Commonly used on abstract product websites or as background visuals.

• Characteristics: Include gradient graphics, geometric patterns, light effects, and brand logos to enhance visual depth and a sense of technology.

• Example: Stripe official website, a fintech company, extensively uses blue-purple gradients and abstract geometric shapes to convey a sense of digital innovation and modernity.

Consistent and Meaningful Icons or Animated Illustrations

In web design, icons and animated illustrations are important supplementary elements for visual communication. Their role goes beyond decoration—they reduce the cognitive load for understanding information through intuitive, symbolic representation. Compared to lengthy textual explanations, a concise and consistent visual language can capture users’ attention more quickly and help them intuitively understand functions, mechanisms, or workflows.

A high-quality icon and illustration system should have the following characteristics:

• Consistency: Colors, line thickness, and shadow styles should remain uniform to avoid visual confusion.

• Clarity: Each icon or illustration should clearly correspond to its intended meaning, avoiding ambiguity.

• Alignment: They should harmonize with the overall web style, appearing neither jarring nor excessively decorative.

1 Icon Categories and Application Examples

1). Flat Icons

• Characteristics: Simple color blocks with no shadows, suitable for modern, minimalist websites.

• Use Cases: Functional navigation in educational SaaS platforms or content management systems.

• Example: Google Workspace uses flat icons to differentiate tools like Docs, Sheets, and Slides, allowing users to recognize them at a glance.

2). Line Icons

• Characteristics: Shapes are outlined with lines, creating a light and airy feel, suitable for industries emphasizing professionalism, such as technology or healthcare.

• Use Cases: Action buttons, navigation bars, and feature explanation areas.

• Example: Airbnb extensively uses line icons in its interface design—for search, favorites, and map markers—providing clarity without distracting from the content itself.

3). 3D Icons

• Characteristics: Convey a sense of space and material, offering strong visual impact.

• Use Cases: Technology, finance, or creative websites, used to highlight key features or reinforce brand tone.

• Example: Fintech company Stripe used gradient and light-effect 3D icons on its campaign landing pages to enhance the technological atmosphere.

4). Skeuomorphic Icons

• Characteristics: Based on real-world objects, simulating their appearance.

• Use Cases: Product demonstrations or educational websites, helping users quickly form an intuitive understanding.

• Example: Early iOS system icons for Calendar and Camera are classic examples of skeuomorphic design, allowing users to understand their functions without any learning curve.

1 Animated Illustration Categories and Application Examples

1). Cute-Style Illustrations

• Characteristics: Cartoonish and lively, conveying approachability and friendliness.

• Use Cases: Children’s education platforms and e-commerce marketing pages.

• Example: Duolingo official website features its mascot, the little owl, providing entertainment while reinforcing brand recall.

2). Minimalist Illustrations

• Characteristics: Use simple lines and color blocks to convey information, emphasizing clarity and intuitiveness.

• Use Cases: Technology websites and product feature pages.

• Example: Slack official website employs a minimalist illustration style to explain team collaboration workflows, avoiding lengthy textual explanations.

3). Fashion-Style Illustrations

• Characteristics: Emphasize trendy design, often incorporating gradients and flowing lines.

• Use Cases: Beauty and fashion brand websites.

• Example: Glossier official website features illustrations that are stylish and light, conveying a youthful brand personality.

4). Edgy and Trendy Illustrations

• Characteristics: Bold colors and exaggerated compositions, suitable for emphasizing personality and creativity.

• Use Cases: Sports brands and trendy e-commerce websites.

• Example: Nike uses edgy illustrations on campaign landing pages, combined with animations to strengthen emotional resonance with younger audiences.

3D Model

In web design, the use of 3D models is becoming an important trend. Compared to traditional flat presentations, 3D models not only provide a more immersive visual experience but also offer users a greater sense of engagement and exploration through interactive controls. Outstanding web design often skillfully incorporates 3D models, making product displays more dimensional, realistic, and intuitive.

1 Enhancing the Intuitiveness of Product Displays

3D models allow users to rotate, zoom, disassemble, and assemble products, providing an on-page experience that closely resembles real-world observation. For example, technology product websites often feature rotatable 3D appliance models, enabling users to examine design details from different angles and even understand internal structures through exploded animations. This approach helps users grasp product features far more effectively than static images.

2 Enhancing User Engagement and Memorability

Interactive 3D models inherently possess gamified qualities. By scrolling the mouse or clicking to trigger animations, users can control the model’s movement or transformation, making the browsing experience more engaging. For example, on automotive brand pages, users can select different colors and interior configurations of a 3D car model and view the results in real time. This interactivity not only increases user dwell time but also leaves a stronger impression of the brand in users’ minds.

3 Enhancing Brand’s Technological and Professional Image

The use of 3D models often conveys a visual impression of high technology, innovation, and professionalism. For instance, high-end electronics companies employ finely modeled and real-time rendered interactive 3D displays on their websites. This not only highlights the product’s superior craftsmanship but also subtly communicates the brand’s professional value. Such applications are particularly common in industries like medical equipment, industrial manufacturing, and smart hardware.

By effectively utilizing 3D models, websites can break beyond traditional flat representations while enhancing user experience and reinforcing brand identity. The inclusion of this visual element is gradually becoming an indispensable component of outstanding web design.

Appropriate Lines and Textural Decorations

In web design, lines and textural decorations are often considered auxiliary elements, yet they can effectively enhance hierarchy and the overall mood of a page. If color and typography are the foundation of web design, then lines and textures serve as the finishing touches that refine and harmonize the visual experience. When used appropriately, they give a website a more tactile, narrative-rich quality.

1 Enhancing Hierarchy and Structure

Thin lines are commonly used in web layouts as dividers or grid guides, helping create a clear structural hierarchy on the page. For example, on an informational website, light gray thin lines separating different sections can make the content appear more organized without looking cluttered. Additionally, variations in line thickness and opacity can be used to emphasize important content or de-emphasize secondary elements.

2 Enhancing Visual Richness

Textural decorations play a significant role in adding depth and richness to a page. For example, industrial-style websites often use brushed metal or matte textures in the background, reflecting industry characteristics while avoiding the monotony of large blank areas. On art or fashion websites, designers may choose hand-drawn strokes, paper textures, or gradient grid patterns to create a stronger sense of brand personality.

3 Creating Atmosphere and Context

On websites for virtual services or abstract technology industries, textures and line decorations are often used to build a sense of atmosphere. For example, blockchain or AI platform homepages may incorporate grid lines or particle textures on dark backgrounds to convey technological logic and a futuristic feel. These decorations do not directly represent product functionality but visually create an immersive experience environment for users.

4 Key Considerations

• Less Is More: Avoid overusing textures and decorations, as excessive elements can distract attention and reduce the clarity of information.

• Style Consistency: The color, thickness, and style of lines and textures must align with the overall design; otherwise, they may appear jarring.

• Performance Awareness: Large-area texture images can increase page load times, so they should be properly compressed or replaced with CSS/vector alternatives.

For example, an industrial equipment company’s website uses light gray diagonal line textures in the background of product specification sections. This approach reinforces a professional and robust visual impression while adding hierarchy to the content blocks. Conversely, overusing textured backgrounds in the product display area of an e-commerce homepage can distract from the products themselves.

Therefore, appropriately applied lines and textures serve as a “finishing touch”—enhancing visual depth while subtly conveying the brand’s character.

Conclusion

An outstanding web design is far more than a mere stacking of individual elements; it is a systematic expression composed of color, typography, images, icons, 3D models, textures, and more. It must capture users’ attention visually, enhance their experience through interaction, and accurately convey the brand’s values and personality. Every meticulously crafted detail plays a key role in building user trust and memorability.

In today’s highly competitive digital landscape, a website is no longer just a vessel for information—it serves as an emotional bridge between the brand and its users. The quality of design often determines whether users are willing to stay, explore, and even convert.

If you are looking for a Framer design team that can deliver both aesthetic appeal and functional excellence, contact Jane Framer Studio—where design truly gives voice to your brand.