What is the “Look and Feel” of a website

In its most basic terms, the “look and feel” of a website is how the site looks to the user and how it feels when he or she is interacting with it.

The “look” is defined by the following components of your website:

• Color palette
• Images
• Layout
• Font choices
• Overall styling

The “feel” is determined by these characteristics:

• The movement and response of dynamic components like dropdown menus, buttons, forms, and galleries
• Sound effects
• The speed by which pages and images load

Why is the Look and Feel of a website so important?

Your website’s overall look and feel is important because it instantly conveys an attitude to your clients before they even start reading the content on the site.
Though there is some leeway within general industry categories, users can get confused or turned off by websites that look or feel too far outside of their expectations for a business or industry. Before you begin a website redesign, check your goals against industry standards by looking at your competitors’ websites. A fitness website should look fresh, powerful and well organized. A website for a band or fashion designer can be more creative with colors, texture and image choices.

The look and feel of a website can also be described as the website’s “personality.” Your website’s personality should match the attitude of your business and your business objectives while still fitting in with your client’s expectations of the business and industry you’re in.

How to use a Look and Feel to enhance your website

Look and feel can be described using adjectives just like you would describe a friend or business associate. By using accurate adjectives, you can assist the team at your chosen web design company in their layout and design choices before they present their work to you.

Here are some examples of the types of adjectives you might use to describe your website:

• Friendly
• Approachable
• Professional
• Experienced
• Upscale
• Exclusive
• Cutting edge
• Stylish
• High-tech
• Powerful

On the other hand, websites with poorly considered overall design and usability schemes can inadvertently fall into less flattering categories, such as:

• Boring
• Uptight
• Stodgy
• Outdated
• Tacky
• Cluttered
• Confusing
• Childish

Instead of focusing on just positive adjectives, you can help your web design team triangulate your expectations by providing them with a description scale such as, “The website should look fun and exciting but not childish” or “Our website should be professional but never stodgy or old-fashioned.”

When working with a web design company, take some time to clearly define your business objectives and key adjectives regarding the look and feel of your website to ensure that everyone is on the same page before web design work begins.