Storytelling in Web Design

Today, Internet users are constantly being blasted with content, making the digital space competitive and crowded. Attention spans are short and the user has control over who and what they engage with, which is why it isn’t effective to have an uninteresting site. Your brand has to create an emotionally and intellectually stimulating experience to entice the user to purchase your product. This can be done by applying the core principles of storytelling in web design to craft a journey for your user.

1. It’s all about your audience.

In order to create an effective website, you have to know who you’re talking to. Who is your target audience and how do they think? Creating personas can help you empathize with your target audience, figure out their interests and pain points and determine the best way to communicate your message. Keep your audience in mind when crafting content, picking imagery and determining the structure of your site.

2. Deliver an experience that is both meaningful and intentional.

Think of a book cover. Within seconds, there’s a good chance you have glanced at the cover, determined the genre and have already made up your mind if this book looks interesting to you. This same principle applies to your website. The verbiage, imagery, colors, shapes and other visual elements build an experience that will convey a message to the visitor, so it’s up to the designer to ensure that it’s the right one.

3. Your site should be emotionally and intellectually stimulating.

Apple’s current site is a great example of this. Visitors are immediately greeted with “Start something new” and are shown examples of work other people have created with the iPad. The visitor is likely to think of what they might be capable of creating, and immediately they have made an emotional and intellectual connection and have started thinking about their own story. These emotional and intellectual thoughts, no matter how short they may be, are what make lasting impressions on your audience.

4. There’s no story without characters, stages and plots.

This doesn’t mean that your website should be some over-the-top charade, but your brand’s personality should be present in the tone of your site’s design and content. Pages that show employees or customers or your company culture can help visitors empathize with and humanize the brand. Your site content should be easy to follow and organized.

5. Your website should be sequential.

Users have the power to navigate however they want, but if you take the insights gained from studying your audience and apply it to the layout of your site, you can craft a journey that is similar to the way your audience would naturally use it. This helps you guide your user though the site, creates a good user experience and helps users better understand your message.

Stand out amongst the crowd with beautiful, engaging website design. Interested in learning more? Download our on-demand webinar about website design tips that pair with inbound marketing. Do you need a new website designed for your organization? Give us a call – we’d love to help!

Image credit: Apple

Updated: Apr 13, 2022