Navigation bars are a key design feature for any website. From hamburger menus, to slide out menus, and static bars, there are a number of ways to create navigation bars that fit with the style of your website. One of the options that is gaining popularity currently is the use of a white navigation bar over the top of a colourful background. But is this effective? And if so, why? Well, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester, we are Manchester’s leading web design professionals. From Wigan to Southport, we work with companies across Manchester and the surrounding region to deliver high quality web design solutions that really get results. As a result, we have produced this guide to using white navigation bars with colour backgrounds.
Why choose white navigation bars?
With the rise in popularity for backgrounds that provide full, or block colours, it was only a matter of time before designers had to use another colour option for navigation bars and text. And while way back at the start of the year, black and dark backgrounds were popular, as we move towards the summer, the colour schemes are becoming lighter and brighter. This combination means that white has become a valuable and effective choice, when paired with the right colours, and designed with usability and practicality in mind.
White navigation options can also have a range of advantages, including:
- the reverse effect- potential customers are used to seeing websites with pale backgrounds and darker text. Reversing this draws attention and helps your website stand out
- light and bright- light websites with light coloured text can feel more cheerful and relaxed, which can be brilliant if this matches your company branding.
Using white navigation bars with colour backgrounds
So, to make sure your navigation bar looks stunning, and works effectively, there are several things you should bear in mind. These include:
- The size of the text- when using white font, on a colourful background, you might want to increase the size of the text just a little. This is because, depending on the colour of the background, there will be a little bit less contrast. So, the individual letters can be more difficult to see, unless you increase the size of the font. However, if you make it too big, it will have a negative effect on the overall visual design, which is something you want to avoid.
- Let the background do all the work- the background colours can be arranged in a way that draws the potential customers eye towards the block of colour, and upwards towards the navigation bar. This is a really helpful way for users to know what kind of content they can find on your page, and to help them decide whether or not they should stick around.
For more information or advice, get in touch with the experts today, here at Pumpkin We Design Manchester.