Material Design
We have all seen Material Design being used, mostly on every Google product and app. Up until recently, I have not really bought in to Material Design. That was until I decided to design with it.
With most of my work being based on simplicity, Material Design actually fit perfectly for some of my work. So as any designer would do, I experimented on my own website!
First was my Hero or Header Image!
What I do love about this is the simplicity. When arriving on my site and seeing the header, it is just a clear and elegant image. Straight to the point on where the visitor is, and what I do.
Then was incorporating the correct colors that compliment the Primary. My nav bar and icons were all the Secondary color, while the different sections on my site were mostly white with another very light version in the blue palette.I did use an Orange from the palette as an accent color for my buttons and an icon section, just to throw in another splash of color.
But enough about my site.
The final product showed me a very clean website.
As I tested it as compared to my previous version, which had a lot going on visually with parallax etc…, many took to it more. The main reason was that it was more visually appealing as well as an easier read. Both very important in the UX department.
Many also thought that they found it easier to find information due to the simple, clear way that the content was displayed. This was important in the UI department.
I have since begun “practicing” using Material Design by building one page website templates, that I am offering at lower prices to potential clients. This has been successful for me as startups, with low budgets, have been getting really nice sites for affordable prices. And I have been getting clients who I have been able to keep on retainer. Win Win!
If you haven’t considered a re-design of your site using Material Design, I would definitely suggest it. When done correctly, these are beautiful looking sites that display your content in an uninhibited way.
