Mashable's new video series, Behind the Launch, follows Vungle on its startup journey toward a launch later this month. Each week on Mashable, the Vungle team offers our readers some tips and lessons learned from their own startup experience. This week, we saw Vungle meet with design partners from Google Ventures, one the startups investors. Below, Jordan Batch, co-founder of the San Francisco-based design studio Takifugu, shares web design tips for startups. And he should know — he designed Vungle's site. Watch the episode above, and be sure to tune in to Behind the Launch every Monday and Wednesday.
1. Consider Responsive Web Design
More people are getting away from their desk computers and going outside with their mobile phones. Responsive web design is the effort of making a website display properly on any device. The beauty of this is that responsive design does not need to be code-specific to every device out there. It intelligently changes the content based on browser width. If it's designed correctly, your user will no longer need to zoom in to find content.
Illy did a great job with its website. In the picture above, you can see how the desktop version transitions into mobile. Now the user does not need to ask questions or zoom in to read text — the website is presented exactly as it should be, no matter where or how it's accessed. Customers have a clear understanding of who and what Illy is, and defined call-outs especially designed for mobile make it a breeze for on-the-go users.
Responsive web design is becoming exceedingly important every day as the number of mobile and tablet users increase. It has become an natural evolution of our industry and very much a standard to adhere to.
2. Bring on a Design Co-Founder
Startups like Pinterest, Airbnb and Square all started with design co-founders. Having the business and development sides of a company were always givens. Now entrepreneurs are beginning to wake up and realize the benefits of design. It is an all-natural scaling resource that helps startup companies evolve and cultivate their brand identity with high expertise of the current industry.
3. Collaborate
If you don't want a design co-founder, consider working with designers outside your network — it is a key to success. There are vast networks and communities of designers that are just as passionate as you to create unique and innovative ideas. The team behind the Path understood this and worked with photographer John Carey to enhance their app with unique cover photos. The more you collaborate with designers, the more it will help you realize how important it is to your audience and your brand.
4. Stand Out
With an ocean of companies popping up, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd. Utilizing design will not only give your company a distinct style and personality, it will also help build your brand value. Companies like Coca Cola and Nike have put effort into making sure that when you hear their name, you immediately think of the color red or the Swoosh logo. Good design should be able to be understood by anyone in its demographics whether in or outside your perspective country — you'll see Coca Cola and Nike ads around the world, as they transcend language and cultural barriers.
Design is no longer just a luxury but a necessity, and it has become a global standard that companies should always keep up with.
How does your startup go about design? Do you have someone in-house, or do you collaborate with independent designers and agencies? Let us know in the comments.
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