According to Inventta, innovation is a successful exploitation of new ideas. In reality, innovation is targeting and solving problems through creativity. The different types of innovation can be classified in many ways, but our focus for the time being is Creative Technological Innovation and more importantly the part it plays in web design.According to Inventta, innovation is a successful exploitation of new ideas. In reality, innovation is targeting and solving problems through creativity. The different types of innovation can be classified in many ways, but our focus for the time being is Creative Technological Innovation and more importantly the part it plays in web design.

The importance of innovation

 

There are plenty of professional opinions on innovation out there and they all support the need for innovation is in the heart of a company’s identity.  

 

Firstly, innovation brings value to products and instantly differentiates them from the competition. This carries even more importance in certain business niches, where products from the competing sides bear great resemblance and every little detail that differentiates the product, can carry it forward.

 

Regardless of the innovations being partial or radical, it is hard for people to argue against it not working.

 

Companies remain relevant through experimentation and examples of that are everywhere around us.  

 

In sports teams experiment with new techniques and tactics, in the automotive industry, there are conceptual automobiles. The whole pharmaceutical industry is based on trials and experiments, where in sales there are new marketing strategies all the time, trying to reach larger groups of consumers.

 

 Are web designers actually innovative?

 

To answer that question all you need to do is compare the web and UX design of websites 6-7 years ago and put them against their modernised versions. Progress is evident in visual presentation as well as their construction.

 

But also evident is the sameness of all those websites, regardless of how well polished they are.  

 

This is mainly a result of the pre-established standards of what a good web site should look like, and what is user friendly. And as we all are well aware, the best quality in a web site is its functionality and purposefulness.  

 

 The other serious reason for similarity is the popularity of free or low priced site generators, which promote that anyone can create their desired site without much effort.

 

They come with templates that implement tested and working functionalities.

 

Those do-it-yourself sites work with high quality images and icons. There are dozens of accessible and easy to use tools, that won’t cause you to break the piggy bank. There is also a huge amount of free high quality images for you to choose from. All you need to do is, fill in the gaps.

 

However, if you choose this path there is nothing that sets you apart from the tens of thousands other competitors, that choose the same method, and to your clients there is no real difference.

 

Sadly there are also large numbers of professional web designers that are now throwing away their creativity and going for the safe route of well-functioning but basic designs. That leaves a few brave designers to be different and stay away from what is already out there and break the ice of sameness.
 

How do we eliminate sameness?

 

 In this day and age, the majority of online content looks very similar, but a new standard should be established.

The truth is, web design is not aesthetics alone.

 

A design represents the overall presence of a brand and in no case should it be neglected. It carries the brand’s message, marketing and content strategies, design and social presence.

 

This is why design innovation can be classified in different levels of efficiency, speed, accessibility, strategy, coding and visualisation.
 

Create your own images and content

 

The easy access to high quality images doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to use them.

If you managed to find and get a hold of those images, means that a lot of other people will too. This means, that you’re better off creating your own content.

 

A great way to stand out with individuality in front of your clients is illustrations.

Personalised illustrations are created by professionals and are bespoke; they will set your brand aside from the competition.

 

Another good method is custom photography.

The assets that come out of a specialised photography session can be adapted in a lot of different ways and used long after the sites creation.

Retouching those photos can help with the overall application and message of the brand.

Users have a nose for these things and can determine whether there is a creative idea behind a photo, or it’s just another stock quality image.

 

In the last 5 years a well shot promotional video, 3D animation and other production methods have become very popular and do attract the right attention from viewers.

 

Why not use a mobile phone or camera, to capture a high quality video of yourself, and send a message to your clients personally.  

 

The key to all the content described is that it has to be original.

 

Regardless of the fact that the written information within a web site is often disregarded, by being meaningless to the company’s operations, it doesn’t mean you should make the same mistake.

 

A well-written, concise and informative message carries the brand’s identity and presence on the web.

 

 A regularly updated blog with relevant articles is a great way to attract the right audience that will then become a potential long-term client.

 

The importance of social media is something that everyone knows, interesting posts, together with the original content, can be a highly effective tool to reach people and to tickle their fancy.

 

The short but highly informative posts can set you apart vividly.

 

The content posted or used also natively improves the SEO optimisation of a web site.

 

Creativity brought through words and right content never goes unnoticed in Google, especially as the search engine needs to know how authoritative your web site is and to bring it forward in the search hits through key words.

 

The important “call to action” is introduced amidst this interesting content you already created. This is the way to make your audience interact with you and ultimately become a long term client.

 

 The price of innovation

 

After establishing how beneficial innovation is, why doesn’t everyone do it you may ask? It’s easier said than done.

 

People like to copy success. Seeing a working formula, it’s not hard to follow it and then reap the benefits of a job well done. But this is not the road to progress.

 

Innovative design takes up a lot more time to create and resources with it. You also need a dose of courage, to take the risk and showcase your creativity.

Innovation is essentially an investment of your time, efforts and resources.

 

 It is hard labour, but it is worth it in the long run.

 

Don’t forget that every great web site that acts as inspiration to others was a risk taken by the team that created it.

 

To be honest not every project needs to be revolutionary and reinvent everything.

Often enough stepping just s step aside of the beaten path and upgrading the existing mechanics is enough to create a functioning, influential and visually presentable site.

 

But it is our mission to always find time for innovation. It can entail small but visible changes in some areas, or drastic and bold changes in others to put a brand on the map.

 

Small steps and attention to detail are crucial and they help set the leading designers aside, from those that just follow the trend established by someone else.