For our inaugural Sandbox post, I’m playing around with multi-layer parallax, a sort of three-dimensional effect that can be a lot of fun to incorporate into your website. Since the Sandbox is my testing grounds, let me know if something isn’t working for you in the comments below!
Engaging and unique pages keep visitors on your website. Lots of studies have shown this. If they’re enjoying what they’re looking at, people will stick around a bit longer to see more. The longer they’re on your site, the more likely it is that they’ll buy something, or engage your services, or whatever your CTA is. Multi-layer parallax is one fun way to keep your users engaged in your site, and maybe get them talking about it too.
What is Parallax?
Parallax is a website design element that creates a feeling of visual depth. It’s the idea that things in the distance don’t appear to move as quickly as things that are closer to us. Scroll back up to the top of the page, and then play around a bit – the mountains and forest in the foreground move up and down a lot faster than the sun and the sky. It’s something we see in the real world every day. When we incorporate it into a 2D representation of the world, parallax can be used to tell a story, taking your viewers through the history of your brand, or it can show off how your product or services can be used. It can create an atmosphere that helps to sell your products (think Pottermore), and can lead users to your Calls-To-Action (cta’s).
Your Brand Name
The Benefit
Incorporating different layers of parallax can be a fun and immersive way to keep your website visitors engaged, and when used effectively and creatively, it can make your website stand out from your competitors. It encourages users to scroll, meaning that they’ll be more amenable to taking in all the information that your site has to offer. It can break up large amounts of text, making your content easier to digest. Most importantly, it’s memorable, and we all our our brands to be top of mind.
Did you find something that doesn’t work? Do you have some suggestions for our next Sandbox post? Let us know!