There are times when first impressions of companies or people are going to come directly from an Internet user’s website experience. Someone interested in your company or what you do is going to Google your name, there is going to be a link that points to a webpage, they are going to click it and – wham! They will immediately start judging you and your business. More and more, there is a correlation between online presence and overall perception, which means that more and more attention should be paid to making sure the website graphic design is exactly what you want it to be. For the purpose of examining the idea of professionalism, think of doctors, lawyers, and educators.
Doctors
Doctors have the responsibility of saving lives! They make sick people well. They handle emergencies. They are responsible for health and safety on a cosmic philosophical level. Their personal and professional websites should indicate that cleanly and clearly. By hiring a web designer and graphic designer that is familiar with medical practice and terminology, you’ll also be allowing them to show how to creatively bring together elements that suggest the nuances of the medical field.
Lawyers
Lawyers also need to have website design that indicates their professional character. Depending on the type of lawyer you are or the type of law firm you are a part of, basic elements like color, shape, and texture are going to create very different first impressions on potential clients. Look for examples of websites that convey the type of image you are looking to establish yourself, and find out how that emotional presence is being conveyed. At that point, reverse engineer and restructure the elements, and then creatively combine your own personality into the mix. Voila! The perfect representation of your form and function.
Educators
Educators need to have websites that communicate safety and progressivism to parents. There are classic schoolroom themes like chalkboards, apples for the teacher, bookworms, etc., and then there are clean lines, clear font choices, and focused writing boxes that give necessary information quickly to parents who don’t have a lot of time to figure out what is important on a page. Depending on whether the website is primarily administrative, or if it is a place where parents and students can log in to do things like homework, or turn in assignments, will also change some of the layout and framework of the site.
Regardless of your profession, a good website presence can be immensely helpful in terms of making communication and contact easier, presenting a more controlled first impression to new connections, and highlighting your professional character with a representation of the right kinds of graphics and colors.