There are a lot of things that can go wrong when you’re starting a business, and some of these mistakes can (and frequently do) happen when the website is being designed. In fact, just one graphic design error can cost your company and other people’s perception of it, dearly.

Here are some common graphic design mistakes that you should avoid making at all costs:

Compressed design

Often times businesses want to cram as much information as possible on the home page and on the website itself.  Having too many visual elements or text in a design can be highly distracting.

Instead, try focusing on a clean and simple, yet sophisticated design that’s easy on the eyes.  Remember, you don’t have to “seal the deal” on the website.  You just need to provide enough information to let them know what you do and how you can solve a problem they may be having.  Once they contact you, you can provide additional details and selling points. 

Complicated iconography

Through the use of illustrations and small symbols, graphic designers can help convey a business’s core message, but inappropriate or unidentifiable icons can make the core message much harder for users to consume.

Choose simple but effective icons – an experienced graphic designer can help you select the right ones.

Overuse of differing fonts

Fonts come in all shapes, sizes and styles, but essentially, they need to be able to convey information without being too distracting for the user. While this doesn’t mean that you can’t use more than one different font, you must choose them wisely so that they don’t discourage users from reading what you want them to read. Ideally you should have one font for the headlines and an alternative font for the subtext. 

Choose fonts that are both practical and visually appealing, and don’t forget about typography, too.

Overthinking designs or objects

It’s one thing to be a perfectionist, but when it comes to graphic design, it’s important not to lose sight of your target audience and their needs.

Try to look at the visual design of the website as a whole and ask yourself whether it’s appealing to your target audience, instead of concentrating on single design elements and trying to perfect them.

Using stock images

Stock images, even those that aren’t mainstream or that you pay for, will never make as good an impression on your target audience as custom images.

If you plan to use a few stock images, that’s okay, but each one needs to look as if it fits in with your brand and the message you’re trying to promote. If you need help getting original images, a graphic designer will be able to help you find images that align with your brand to make it look organic. 

Spacing and padding errors

With the use of appropriate spacing and padding, you can keep the layout of your website clean and enable readers to consume the information simply, and effectively. Smaller padding, on the other hand, will make it tough for readers to break the information down into readable chunks. 

Always ensure that the same-size content spaces make logical sense on both the left and right sides, paying attention to every section and ensuring visual hierarchy. This means that padding between separate blocks of content should be larger than the padding between the text and headings of each visual block.

Incompatible design

Many brands fail to make their websites responsive and suitable cross-platforms, which makes it hard for users to see the website properly on a variety of devices, such as tablets, laptops and mobiles.

If you need help ensuring that you website is compatible with different devices, and avoids all the pitfalls listed above, seek help from a graphic design company.

Graphic design mistakes are simple to make but can be devastating for your business. Avoid them at all costs, and to help you do so, work with an experienced graphic design company like Towers Marketing Group.