When B2B firms come to Bop Design for a new web design, it’s often because they don’t think their current website accurately positions their brand. If you are starting to wonder whether your firm’s website fits with your brand, it’s time for a serious evaluation.
In this blog, we provide a six-point evaluation process for determining if your web design truly represents your brand.
The Big Picture
For many people, it’s easier to discover what you want by figuring out what you don’t want first. Before drilling down into what you DO want to see reflected in your web design, you should determine what it is currently saying and whether you like it or not. Check What Your Web Design Says About Your Brand to do a quick “big picture” check on what your website is saying about your company.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Is the design outdated? Is it saying that your brand is old, tired, and behind the times?
- Is the website responsive and adaptable? If your web design isn’t compatible with all the devices people are using to access your website, it might be saying that your brand is inflexible or rigid.
- Does your brand thrive on making it easy for clients to work with you? Is your web design conveying that same message of ease? Or is it difficult to navigate?
- Is the information, even basic contact information, on your website accurate? If your website content hasn’t been updated since 2011, it’s time for a review.
Now, let’s dive a little deeper into the design elements that are associated with your B2B brand.
Logos
Logos tend to evolve over time – sharpening, morphing, adapting. This is completely normal. Even Apple has had various iterations of its logo over time. However, with the evolution of a logo, it can be difficult to track where the different versions are appearing and making sure they are all up to date. All the logos that appear on your website should be approved versions that you are using for your brand.
Additionally, logos should all be:
- Crisp + clear
- Appropriately sized (not too large)
- Correctly placed (typically towards the top of the website)
Typefaces
There are many different fonts and typefaces out there, so it can be difficult to choose just a few to work with. It can be even more difficult to choose fonts that work well together. A firm’s brand guidelines should clearly state which fonts and typefaces are acceptable to use in all brand designs. These brand guidelines should ALWAYS be followed on your B2B website. It might seem like a subtle aspect, but users will pick up on the inconsistency in the typefaces or fonts and it will reflect on their experience with your brand.
Need a primer on typography? Check out What Is Typography.
Colors
We mentioned brand guidelines above, which is also relevant to your brand colors. Even if you don’t have a formal document that lists your exact brand colors, you likely have a general knowledge of what they are. For example, Cisco has a very specific blue color palette that they work with that is listed in their Color Guidelines. Now, you would not expect to go to their website and see hot pink, lime green, or yellow. Why? Because that wouldn’t match what you are familiar seeing with their brand.
When you look at your firm’s website, what colors are represented on it? Are they consistent with the brand colors for your company?
Imagery
Imagery covers a lot more than just pictures on a website. It also includes icons, animations, videos, banners, and infographics. In the B2B marketing world, a lot of service-based businesses can’t use product-based imagery. As such, they tend to use photos of people performing tasks or using the services to complete tasks. Whatever imagery best represents your brand should be evident in your web design. It should also be consistent. A web design that uses a hodge-podge of different types of images can be confusing.
As an example, the Bop Design brand isn’t associated with stock photos. If you look at our blog images, you’ll see they are all illustrations. We’ve found the best way to create a consistent brand is through the use of icons and illustrations, both of which work well to portray a variety of complicated concepts.
Messaging
Last but not least in our six-step evaluation is examining the overall messaging on the website. Do the benefits statements, language and calls to action all work together to uphold the same brand message? It’s often not as simple as a singular slogan. All of the textual elements on a B2B website should be somewhat uniform and tell a cohesive story. If your brand’s main value is streamlined processes, your calls to action shouldn’t be focused on cost savings.
For many firms, the first hurdle is to define a brand’s main value proposition. Once that is defined, it’s possible to carry that proposition through all of the messaging on the website. If your website isn’t clearly upholding your brand, it’s time for an overhaul.
When you start the web design process, it’s important to maintain consistent branding. Follow 4 Tips for a Consistent B2B Brand to ensure cohesive branding across all your marketing channels.
Have more questions about branding and web design? Check out our content pieces below to get the resources you need.
