One of the core goals when making a web design is to build the brand and raise brand awareness. As more businesses are going online, having a business website is a necessity. It becomes the face of the brand in the online world. As a result, it also leads to the other goals of web design, such as increasing sales and becoming an authoritative site.
New developments in the field, particularly the integration of 3D elements in the overall web design, are yielding significant results. It boasts yet another goal of web design, which is improving the connection and interaction with existing and potential clients.
3D animations and designs are eye-catching and attention-worthy. Even clients who aren’t looking for your website will be drawn in because the site is presenting something new. It may be a captivating 3D logo or an interactive landing page, carefully crafted 3D elements in your website will boost its effectiveness.
Why Use 3D Elements in the First Place?
Even before integrating 3D elements in web design, this type of design grabs attention. 3D art pieces, for example, elicit awe and wonder from onlookers. It encourages the onlookers to stay and interact with it.
This is also the aim of using 3D elements in web design. Web designers need to integrate an edge in their business website to make it stand out from its competitors. This is an especially smart move when there is a link between the brand and the 3D component.
Say, for example, the website is for an art gallery that focuses on homing art installation pieces. Using a 3D logo for the site is an exceptionally smart move because it is reminiscent of a real-life art installation. It ticks off one of the goals of web design, which is to build the brand.
Aside from creating a connection, 3D components also approximate a realistic feeling or experience for the viewer. Instead of just appealing to the visual senses, business websites can somehow appeal to the haptic senses of the viewer because of these elaborate designs.
Brilliant Uses of 3D Elements in Web Design
Web design companies are investing time and resources in learning how to incorporate different 3D elements in websites effectively. Designers are learning new techniques and strategies to maintain their competitive advantage over other firms.
Here are a few smart and effective uses of 3D elements in web design.
Earth 2050
First off, let’s look into Earth 2050.
This site is from Kaspersky, a notable cybersecurity firm. The goal of Earth 2050 is simple. It shows the users the developments that the Earth will have in 2050, as well as imminent threats.
This project is a collaboration among several designers. They can pitch in their ideas on what will happen within the timeframe and a web design studio based in Moscow consolidates the idea. Casual enjoyers can also comment and vote on which prediction is most likely to happen.
The site’s landing page is an image of a rotating earth. On the sideline, a timeline from present to 2050 is available. A toggle and switching of time periods will trigger changes in the image and content of the 3D earth image.
The image can be divided and zoomed into different geographical areas too. Each area has its own prediction for what life can be in 2050.
What makes the use of 3D elements brilliant for this site?
The use of the rotating globe provides both realistic and futuristic appeal to the site. This also adds to the goal of the project, which is to provide a preview of what the world will be like a few decades from now. It makes the future world more tangible through high-end technology.
Aside from that, it makes the entire process interactive. It appeals to all demographics, not just limited to the usual client market of Kaspersky.
Campo Alle Comete
Campo Alle Comete provides a new and innovative way of presenting their line of wines. It starts with a story and a floating city, fully rendered in three-dimensional animation.
The execution and presentation of the website fulfill the tagline of the winery, an area “where dreams and magic can finally meet”. The floating city can be rotated and inspected from all angles. There are also other floating elements that are clickable.
Once clicked, these elements will load the product page of each wine. The transition from the landing page to the individual product pages is undeniably smooth. It comes as no surprise that this web design already has several accolades under its belt.
What makes the use of 3D elements brilliant for this site?
The approach is certainly new, especially for business sites in the winery industry. The use of 3D elements in this website made dreams and magic tangible because of the designs and elements used in the overall concept of the website.
It attracts more customers too. The idea of using a 3D animation as the main menu of a website is an attractive factor for users. Even if they have an idea of the brand or not, there is still a high possibility that they will check out the site for this reason. This simple interest might lead to them checking out the products too.
Aside from that, it also ties together with the bottle branding of Campo Alle Comete. From the narrative that serves as the welcome message, down to the overall design of the site, it stays true to its concept of magical realism. Even the accompanying audio and packaging logos give off the same vibe.
Acko.net
Lastly, we have acko.net. This is Steven Witten’s personal website, and it has gained traction for the website’s header.
The header runs when you pull up the site. It first comes off as a bundle of lines in different colors. The lines or ribbons are animated to form the brand’s logo. The overall concept of the design is said to mimic the effects of street art.
To top it all up, the ribbons are not haphazardly derived, the components and measurements that run it are based on mathematical calculations. And because it relies on mathematical truths, the actions are as natural as they can be. The turns and curves are not dictated before running it, it goes along with the mathematical cycle.
What makes the use of 3D elements brilliant for this site?
The brilliance of using this design for a personal website is that it showcases Witten’s skills as a web designer. Once prospective clients look up his site, they don’t have to look into Steve’s portfolio of past works. What they are seeing on the website serves as proof of Steve’s skills.
The conceptualization and execution also present Steve’s individuality. Granted that this is the goal of most personal websites, Witten and his team just went above and beyond in presenting this to their clientele.
Conclusion
The use of three-dimensional animation in web design boosts the effectiveness of creating one. The elements in a website work together to achieve its goals, which focus primarily on brand recognition and client interaction. Both of which are also heightened by efficiently using these types of design. As more brands are creating their names online, having an edge is a must. Integrating 3D elements, such as animated menu options and headers, will definitely leave a significant impact on the users.