Broken Grid or Asymmetrical Layouts

When you look at most websites, you can see that the content usually lines up to an imaginary grid of horizontal and vertical lines. Titles and paragraphs, images and text all seem to fall under some measure of constraint.

Not so with Broken Grid or Asymmetrical Layouts, where typically, you won’t see much conformity from content lining up with each other, creating a much more free and unconstrained approach.

Organic Designs and Layouts

More and more frequently, you can see that the fluid or organic layout is becoming more popular. Background blocks of colour that were once square or rectangles are now being replaced with splashes of irregularly shaped colour as designers step away from more traditional layouts used previously. In the same way that nature creates a relaxed feeling by not following straight lines and corners, this type of layout creates that same feeling of openness and creativity, encouraging your eye to wander.

Monochrome

As long as it’s not over-used, black and white photography can have a surprisingly striking effect on an image. In the same way if used well, using one or few colours in a design can create an eye-catching layout that makes a website really stand out, great for websites with heavy graphics content.

Design Elements That Overlap

Borrowing from the Asymmetrical layout ideology once again, Page elements that overlap each other can create an intriguing and relaxing first response. No more conformity here! People have become fed up with everything falling into line, and a rogue or rebel alignment can become a most welcome refreshing change when used correctly. It’s all about striking a balance and using common sense not to make text fields unfunctional while still retaining that ‘Devil-May-Care’ feel. It also goes without saying that this approach doesn’t necessarily work well with mobiles.

Re-invented Hero area or Headers

You might not be surprised to hear that the header area – usually the first part of a webpage you’ll see – is the probably most important, yet most misused or underused section of the page. This is a real shame because it’s a huge opportunity to lay on a thick sales-pitch to a prospective customer. You simply can’t underestimate how it can increase your conversion rate if used well. It’s a great chance to use quality photography or video to great effect in those first few seconds that decide whether the viewer stays or moves on. When used in conjunction with text, this can create a bold statement – a mini introduction ad to the site if you will. Even text used on its own without any imagery can work really well with the right typeface.