Why flashy may not equal fantastic on your website
Recently I was on Granville Island, Vancouver, enjoying some people-watching and ice cream when two luxury sports cars revved up in front of us. One was a gold -plated Ferrari, the other was a bright purple Lamborghini.
The gold Ferrari was a convertible, and the driver was having so much fun – it made me smile too. However, things got dark for me quickly. As he turned slowly on the round-about, I spotted a pretty big chip in the paint, which revealed a dull black underneath. It was like a spell had been broken! I watch F1, I know how special Ferrari is as a brand, and as a machine. But once I saw that chip my mind went straight from holy smokes to Hot Wheels.
Of course, I can’t help it, I immediately thought about the “gold-plate” equivalent on websites, there are lots; movement, shine, gloss, 3-D effects, and fancy typography all add razzle dazzle to a website, but often, they don’t add any value. And worse, they can sometimes make your website look less valuable, or… tacky.
Coco Chanel, arbiter of style, wearer of pearls and excellent smoker is quoted as saying: “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory”. This applies to so many things – we could go really far down the rabbit hole with this topic. For now, let’s apply this to gold in website design.
Gold is beautiful, it emits light and lustre and evokes luxury – when it’s real. Gold effects CAN look awesome, and do when they’re handled with intent. By intent I mean thoughtfully and purposefully. Do you sell incredible chocolates? A product shot with gold liquid dripping out of a piece of chocolate? That’s a yes! Gold headings, gold menu, gold clip art? No.
Ways to use gold, and gold effects on my website?
- When you are selling gold products, gold teeth or anything made of gold
- If you’ve won a gold medal, or an Oscar
- Buttons
- Divider strokes or lines
- Your logo is gold (this can be a separate conversation)
- Product photography and imagery
The takeaway (I hope?). Use gold sparingly, use it when you NEED to.
Just because we can doesn’t mean we should.
Yours in glamour,
Sarah xo
