Style Matters: How Fonts, Colours and Layout Shape Your Website’s Impact

Once you've figured out what your website needs to do—whether it's selling products, showcasing your work, or simply building trust—the next big question is:

“What should it feel like?”

That’s where style comes in. From fonts and colours to layout and tone, your website’s style says a lot about your business before a single word is read. It sets the mood, attracts the right audience, and can even affect how long people stay on your site.

Let’s break down why style matters—and how to get it right.

Style Depends on What You're Offering (and Who You're Offering It To) but believe this: Style Matters

A website for an accountant should feel very different to one for a tattoo studio. Likewise, a charity raising money for a local cause shouldn’t look like a site selling high-end watches.

That’s why your style choices—fonts, colours, tone of writing, layout—should always start with two questions:

1. What is my business offering?

2. Who is my target audience?

   
   

Here are some examples:

• Tradesperson or local service? Clear layout, no-frills fonts, blue/grey/white colour schemes. Professional, not flashy.

• Therapist or coach? Soft colours, calm fonts, warm language, and lots of white space.

• Gaming or youth-focused brand? Bright colours, smaller or stylised fonts, more videos and dynamic content.

• Charity or community group? Accessible fonts, strong contrast, and easy-to-read layout across devices.

  
  

Accessibility Isn’t Optional—It’s Smart Design

If your target audience includes older users or people with limited tech familiarity, design choices can make or break their experience.

Good practice includes:

• Large, clear fonts - no fancy scripts for body text;

• High contrast between the background and the text;

• Simple navigation — buttons and menus that are easy to see and use;

• Avoiding clutter — less is more when clarity matters;

  
  

These aren’t just “nice extras”—they can affect how much people trust your brand.

Don’t Design Just for Your Own Eyes

It’s easy to build a website on a big monitor and assume it looks good everywhere. But most users these days view websites on phones.

Over 60% of global web traffic comes from mobile devices [Source: StatCounter, 2025]

That means your style needs to scale:

• Buttons need to be tappable;

• Text must be readable without zooming;

• Layouts should adapt for smaller screens.

  
  

A site that looks great on a laptop but breaks on a phone will turn visitors away fast.

Style Is More Than Looks — It’s Strategy

At WebSmiths, we don’t just ask “What colours do you like?” — we ask:

• “Who are you trying to reach?”

• “How do you want people to feel?”

• “Where will they be browsing from?”

• “What’s the tone of your business?”

  
  

Then we build a visual style that fits your goals and your audience, not just trends.

We Help You Choose Wisely

Whether you need something bright and bold or clean and calm, we’ll show you:

• A range of templates and layouts;

• Font pairings that suit your brand;

• Colour palettes that communicate the right message;

• Mobile and desktop previews.

Get in touch today to discuss what your website should feel like—and how we can craft a style that works.

This is actually a sub-menu - the client wanted a Victorian spatial theme