When it comes to navigation bars, menus and buttons, square or rectangular is the usual design shape to choose. By using rectangles, these can align to form a navigation bar that can be horizontal or vertical, and displayed statically. Or, used as buttons for a hamburger menu. And there are a lot of advantages to this tried and tested web design method, including being useful for mobile web design, and being familiar. But what if you were to throw the rule book out of the window, and instead use circular navigation buttons in web design? Well, to do this effectively, there are some considerations you would need to bear in mind. Here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester, we are Manchester’s leading web design experts. We work with companies and businesses across Manchester, and the surrounding area, including Wigan and Southport, to provide web design solutions that can help businesses grow. As a result, we have produced this guide to everything you should know about circular navigation options.
Considerations for effective circular navigation buttons in web design
So how can you shake up your website with a completely different, circular navigation style, but keep the practicality and functionality? Well, there are several things to consider, including:
- The size of the circles
- The design of your overall website
- The user experience
The size of the circles
Using circular buttons for navigation can be a great option for some websites. But you will need to seriously consider the size of these buttons. Circular buttons that are too large can be distracting for the rest of the website page, and look out of place. On the other hand, buttons that are too small can be difficult to use, especially on a mobile device. If you will be including the page heading inside the circle. you also need to make sure that there is enough space for the text to be readable.
In addition, it’s important that all of your buttons are a similar size, for a uniform, consistent approach. This can create a more stylish and professional finished product.
The design of the overall website
Circular buttons will not be appropriate for every website. It will depend on the overall design scheme, and your company branding. For example, a website using a modular grid design is not a good option for circular navigation options, as the twp shapes will clash, ruining the overall visual effect. But for a split screen screen, or a minimalist website, circular navigation options can work effectively.
The user experience
The overall purpose of any website is to provide a positive user experience. Circular navigation buttons can attract attention and help users find the page they need, but they need to be well designed to do so. To improve the user experience, you should ensure:
- your circular buttons look great and work effectively on all screen sizes and devices
- all links are fully functional
- any text is easy to read
- any icons are easy to understand
- clicking a circular button provides visual user feedback, including a colour change or subtle animation.
For more information, or professional web design support, get in touch with the experts today, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester.