Web Imagery by Eliza McKerrow

Web Imagery: Aesthetics

What is an Aesthetic?

Before finding images for the site you are building it is important to discuss aesthetics with a client or in your own notes. An aesthetic is a style that is adhered to. Aesthetics communicate to the user visually as to what a website will offer experience wise or in the sense of an online store, what the product will bring into your life. Ultimately a website is the product of the web designer and finding an aesthetic or style niche helps one stand out from all the other options on the web. There are currently three trends that big tech are using for their websites, analyzing these trends can help us as new designers break into the design world.

Corporate Memphis/Algeria

Corporate Memphis is the butt of many jokes right now but there are legitimately some very pleasing aspects of this aesthetic that should be appreciated. I’m sure that every college student is absolutely sick of seeing flyers made in Canva (a free graphic design software) that feature very flat figures with spaghetti arms in a very set color palette. What this style does effectively is use color in an engaging manner, as well as relate to the viewer of the website. The abstraction of the human form that this style presents is universal. It doesn’t display a hyper specific person so anyone can attach their identity to that image.

Minimalism/B&W

Apple is the first company that comes to mind when the words minimalism are used. Anyone who has been in a mall with an Apple store can attest to the striking and almost jarring minimalist style next to other storefronts. The same can be said about their website. It’s so minimalist it’s striking and can read to many as elegant and stoic. This aesthetic is achieved by using only black and white as their main colors. The simplicity of this design also can be seen in their choice product images. All of the product images are displayed against a plain white background, similar to photographing sculptural pieces for a portfolio.

Dreamy/Airy Minimalism

While Apple has taken an elegant minimalism approach, companies such as Microsoft and Google have a dreamier take on their website design, incorporating pastel colors and photos of people in a colorful environment using their products. The product photos incorporate these pastel colors to add a dreamy and creative vibe to their products. Although these two companies have quite different websites despite being in the same aesthetic family they still achieve the vibe of being in touch with their audience, especially targeting creatives with product photos.