Here are some super simple techniques you can use to design a peaceful website and a warm space. It will also help you convert, rank higher in Google search and connect with your visitors because you’re delivering your message in a clear and legible way.
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I’ve been thinking a lot lately about trends and pressure. Especially in web design.
More than once, I’ve felt an immense amount of pressure to do what everyone believes is working. This is particularly true when it comes to our online presence. We see everyone doing something and we’re inclined to think it must be working. Then that changes and we’re all scrambling.
It’s exhausting, isn’t it?
Instead, we believe that we have a responsibility to be extremely tailored and intentional because we don’t want to add to an already over stimulating place. We also believe that your website is one of the greatest assets you have in your business and it should be built as such, but it can also be a place where you can rest your eyes and learn real things. A peaceful website feels like stepping into a beautifully curated home—a safe, welcoming place where everything has a purpose and nothing feels overwhelming. Whether you’re running an online store, building your brand, or sharing your voice with the world, calm and clean design offers the opportunity for your visitors to connect with you and your business.
From colour palettes to copywriting, here’s how we believe you can create a really functional and optimized website that is clean, uncluttered and speaks to your target audience, fosters calm, and connects on a deeper level.
1. Animations and Speed: Movement with Meaning
The subtlest of things can go a long way.
Little sidebar… When I was studying architecture in University, I had to take a digital communication class. Before we did anything in that class our professor asked us to find digital billboards, signs or anything illuminated around the city and study it. So I went off walking around campus trying to find something, anything! Finally, I walked by a very popular digital telecommunications office building. In front, they had a giant single light LED screen that was nothing but a stick-figure man, walking across the screen. Think the intersection signal dude telling you when it’s safe to cross. Except in this case, he was walking across the screen.
The following week I reported back and my professor started to ask questions. How did this walking man feel? Was he happy? Was he rushing? Strolling?
Are you kidding? I don’t know. He’s a stick man. But then I started to think back; remembering he actually walked rather calmly.
And my professor asked me, but how do you know that?
So I thought about it. Then answered, the only digital indicator was the speed at which the lights turned on and off. That’s all, really. Everything else remained constant. If the lights moved faster, so would the man. But the softness with which the lights turned on and off across the big screen gave this stick man actual characteristics.
This stuck with me so much that I’m now sharing it with you. We have the ability to adjust the way in which we reveal and guide the eye through information. That adjustment has the power to convey emotion. Too fast and we feel rushed, anxious, scared even. Too slow and we lose focus, curiosity and momentum.
Animations are like whispers in design—they should guide, not shout. The best way to use animation is with purpose and restraint. Slow fades, gentle scroll effects, and soft transitions create the digital equivalent of a meditation corner. Think of it as the sound of rain: present enough to notice, but subtle enough to soothe.
And you’ll come across websites that are filled with animations and effects and you’ll know instantly when it’s too much because you’ll feel it.
Some of our favourites are fade ins and slide ins, set on slow or slower so they gently enter the screen. Adding a delay can give you a bit more control as to when they occur and if you’re waiting for your visitor as they move through your page.
2. Font Types and Sizes: A Bit Of Quiet Confidence
This is a big one. Fonts do more than communicate; they set a mood. A sans-serif font paired with enough white space can transform a cluttered site into a peaceful place.
White text on a dark background is a popular choice, but balance it with the right colours—creating a background overlay to create more contrast but not straining the eye is a really nice visual effect.
One thing to take into account when adding various typography and sizing is that visitors will read the things that are largest first. Be mindful of how much oversized text you’re using as too much can be overstimulating. Follow the path that a visitor would take when previewing your draft pages, and objectively decide whether you’ve struck a nice balance between how much information you’re giving and how much they’re going to be able to absorb. If you have too much big text, it’s going to feel a bit like yelling, and potentially disrupting the flow of your story.
There seems to be a viral trend right now with websites that scroll through endless animated text, marquees and image pops – which I personally find very overwhelming. I think the risk in all of this is that taken too far, it can feel chaotic, so if you’re aiming to share information in a calm and kind way, this might not be the best approach.
Let your typeface breathe, and your message will feel less like a shout and more like a conversation.
3. Ads and Pop-ups: Cut the Clutter
Here’s an important point: nothing disrupts a serene experience like an unexpected pop-up or loud ad.
Having said that, pop-ups aren’t bad when they’re introduced carefully. If you do have a pop-up on your website (which I hope you do!) be sure to adjust the settings so that the pop-up appears slowly and after a delay of either 10 seconds or when a visitor has scrolled down 30% of your site. This way, you’ve given them a chance to absorb your vibe and settle on your site, also increasing the likelihood that they will want to sign up to your newsletter. If it pops up too quickly, it could distract from your content before you’ve had a chance to connect.
So I’ll be the first to say that I don’t hate ads. I currently have them on my site, significantly reduced from what they were before for the exact reason I’m going to discuss here. While ads are a great way to add revenue to your business, they’re not for everyone. If your objective is to bring curious visitors to your site, engage with your content and sell a service or product, ads can distract from that if not done carefully. On the other hand, there are business models where the objective is just to bring traffic to your site and that’s the conversion, in which case ads make a lot more sense. Even still though, we’ve all been on sites that just have way too many ads. Not my jam!
A lot of people think they need everything—every ad, every offer, every CTA—on the home page. But a good website, like a peaceful home, thrives on less stuff. Choose intentional placements that align with your target market’s journey, blending them seamlessly into your web pages. If you’re going to place ads on your site, make sure you have control over where they go and how often they appear. Most ad agencies will give you the option to control ad density, so work with them to find a nice balance if your business model allows it.
4. Copywriting: Words That Land Gently
Great copywriting is like a trained listener—it understands what your audience needs and speaks to them with clarity and intention. No yelling, no repeating.
A website feels like home for a visitor when they can relate to the content, the wording, the message. Great copywriting understands that flow of information and discovery though layers, keeping your visitor intrigued as they scroll through your site.
Instead of stuffing product pages with technical jargon, focus on your value proposition. Use copy to sell the solution. Show social proof with subtlety. A single thoughtful testimonial paired with high-quality images can say more than a thousand lines of loud, salesy text.
5. Color Palettes: Painting Calm with Purpose
Colours are emotional. They’re powerful tools in shaping how a website feels. For a peaceful vibe, lean into these types of palettes:
- Monochromatic: Shades of the same colour create harmony without trying too hard.
- Analogous: Colours sitting next to each other on the wheel are an easy way to evoke balance. Keep in mind that each colour has a cool or warm shade.
- Complementary: Use complementary colours sparingly to add depth without chaos. Remember than when you do this, you’ll create contrast and the eye will catch it.
Think soft murmur over bold colour. And when bold colour is your brand, use it carefully and well balanced with it’s analogous partner. Neutral base colours, warm lighting tones, or the kind of muted blues and greens you’d find in a calm interior can help transform a website into a place someone wants to spend time in.
6. Space and Structure: Let It Breathe
Negative space, or as some call it, “breathing room,” is the digital equivalent of a quiet pause—creating space for clarity, balance, and transition. In design, negative space isn’t just the empty area around your content; it’s a key ingredient that allows each element to stand out and breathe. Without it, everything can start to feel crowded, rushed, and overwhelming, like trying to navigate a crowded room. Not very comforting.
When you intentionally incorporate enough white space, you’re not just making your website look “clean” – you’re giving it purpose and structure. Every visual element, from your landing page to product pages, should feel like it has a clear place to rest. Nothing should feel forced, crammed, or out of place. This balance allows users to navigate the site with ease, absorb content without feeling bombarded, and move through your site at a comfortable pace.
Creating a peaceful website isn’t about stripping everything away – it’s about curating with intention. You need density, copy, keywords and engaging visuals to build on, and so it’s more about knowing what to adjust to get that balance just right.
Your website can be more than a tool for traffic – and while we love traffic, we also need to keep that traffic coming back and engaging with us. A reflection of the good you’re putting into the world, your visitor should arrive to your site and think, “Ah, I’m so cozy here”.
Watch Our Video Tutorial On How-To Add Simple and Peaceful Effects Here
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ABOUT THIS POST
This post is written by Donata Delano – A Professional Artist, Graphic Designer and Architect based in Canada and Mexico. She specializing in visual communication and web design, creating branding solutions and websites that are thoughtful, unique and aesthetically pleasing.
