6 Options for an Alluring Button Design for Website Design

Making a custom button design for website design is extremely useful for marketing and branding since 73% of companies invest in a custom design to make their brand stand out from the competition.

Buttons help website and app designers guide users from page to page, leading them through the site. Buttons can be designed a number of ways, but are usually a different color than the background and circle or oval shape. Buttons can be personalized further to give them a unique feel to make the website design more personalized for the brand. There are 6 options for a button design for website design:

• Default/basic,
• Call to Action,
• Image,
• Shapes,
• Icons,
• Animation.

Buttons vs. Links

First, let’s go over the difference between buttons and links, the latter not discussed in this article. Buttons are designed elements that stand out from the rest of the content and bring users to a different page than the one the button is on. Links are text that are linked to a URL, and users click the underlined portion to get to a different page, usually one that goes into more depth to a topic mentioned in the text content.

Options for a Button Design for Website Design

Default/Basic

If you just want a button on a page without making a custom button design for website design, go with the default or basic button design for website design. Buttons are usually a different color than the background and circle or oval shape. You should at least add a more unique, appealing color to your button. The best colors for design of a website depend on what the website is for, who will be using it, and what the tone of the site and the owners want and like.

Choose a font that is easy to read but not something used too often like Ariel or Helvetica. A font is the design or a consistent way that letters in words are written. The critical effects of the type of font that content is written in are: the readability of it, the tone and character of it, the mood or emotion of it, the personality, and the branding.  Picking specific fonts will build certain expectations, so pick one that matches your tone and your (or your businesses) personality. As long as it is readable, anything can go. Find a font that matches the color and character of the content and the products while matching your own unique personality. 

Call to Action

For the next part of button design for website design, write the text for the buttons as a call to action to direct users and forecast where the button goes in relation to the rest of the content.

A call to action (CTA) is a marketing term that refers to the written prompt that leads to an immediate response or sale a business/brand wants its audience to take. In marketing, calls to action phrases are used to generate leads (grabbing the attention of potential customers that are a part of your target audience who may be interested in your tool, product, or service), turn browsing visitors into paying clients, and guide customers through sales tunnels easily, quickly, and with good user experience.

Making calls to action is simple. Starting a call to action with an action verb, makes the clause a command, and thus a complete sentence: ‘you’ (the implied subject) do something (action verb). But verbs don’t do much without a direction or supporting phrase or clause. Keeping in mind that calls to action phrases should be around 2-6 words (minimal is better) long, finish calls to action phrases with a noun, adverb, or prepositional phrase. 

Image

The first part of making a custom button design for website design is, instead of a simple color as a background, you could put an image as the background for the button. Most people are visual learners so they like to have visual cues that indicate what to look at or where to go. Do this by reinforcing your call to action with images and logos. This includes cartoons, graphics, and photographs (yes, stock images too). Since most people are visual learners, use beautiful yet relevant images to reinforce your call to action.

Shapes

The next part of button design for website design is the shape of the button. While most buttons are in an oval shape, there are other options. Start with using a design software like:

• Canva
• MS Paint (there’s a 3D version as well, but I recommend keeping logos flat; it makes them easier to scale up and down)
• Sketchpad
• GIMP (GNU/Linux Image Manipulation Program) (works on Mac and Windows, too)
• Vectr
• Paper and a pen or pencil (a classic that is simple to use and doesn’t need power or internet connection to work, which can be a issue in some places)

Draw out a shape for the button, filling in the background with the color or image you desire and the text over it. Upload the image (using a scanner or photo from a phone for paper designs) to the site and place the image in the place you would like a button. Link the page you want users to go through to the image (on WordPress this button looks like a chain link), and you’ve made your own designed button.

Icons

Look at symbolic shapes and objects that represent what you do and what you want to be known for. When choosing the object and what it symbolizes, you should keep in mind both your values and your customer’s wants and/or needs as well. Add the icon to the button similarly to how to make a custom shape above. Keep in mind a few questions when adding the icon: 

• Which parts of the object are highlighted?
• How will the object be oriented? 
• What color will the object be in contrast to the background? 
• Is there a shadow behind the object?

Animation

The other optional part of button design for website design is adding animation effects. These should be used sparingly, with only one effect per button. Too much of a good thing is no longer a good thing. These animation effects can be:

• Sinking in when clicked,
• Rippling when scrolled over,
• Changing color when hovered over,
• Moving when clicked or when the page loads,
• Fun movement when hovered over.

Users like seeing their inputs affect things visually on their screen. It can take some delicate coding, but animating buttons is a way to add fun to your user experience by delighting users. Check out 1stWebDesigner’s page on css animated buttons for how to do these.

Summary

Buttons help website and app designers guide users from page to page, leading them through the site. Buttons can be designed a number of ways, but are usually a different color than the background and circle or oval shape. However you decide to design your button, make sure that the button is large, bold, and does not overlap with any other elements so that users see, read, and use it easily. There are 6 options for a button design for website design:

• Default/basic,
• Call to Action,
• Image,
• Shapes,
• Icons,
• Animation.