What should the design of a specific website look like? Complex, animated, technically advanced and full of features? Or, on the contrary, simple, with few images, lots of white space, subtle fonts, and so on? Web design is a creative process that allows a person to express their artistic vision. But people tend to prefer and trust stereotypical websites. Why is that? What do they find in similar-looking projects that inspires trust and draws them in?
In fact, website visuals and web design contain many layers, and even when creating a typical, stereotypical site, it's possible to find and use special ideas or elements that give the design, if not full uniqueness, then at least elegance and charm. How this is possible is discussed below — we’ll explore where to find inspiration and creative ideas even for standard websites.
A Look into History
With the development of the internet, the number of websites has skyrocketed — but not all of them find their niche or target audience. According to numerous studies, especially Google (pdf), a person forms an impression of a website within the first 15–30 seconds of visiting — based purely on what they see immediately. Here lies the issue: some webmasters create seemingly beautiful and functional websites or pages, but in those first seconds, visitors are confused and wonder: “What is this, and where do I click? The link said online store, but where are the product categories? It’s a services website... hmm... but what exactly do they do?”
As a result, the visitor leaves the site. No matter how beautiful the landing page or homepage is, if it’s not understood — it fails. On the other hand, even if there’s little information, but there are clear links and short explanations — everything becomes obvious and easy to use. For example, on this site, you may not immediately realize that the images in the side columns are actually links to the main portal. Some links even open PDFs directly rather than pages as expected.
So Similar, Yet So Different
Our perception is built around prototypes. For instance, if we see a newborn wrapped in a blue ribbon — it’s a boy; pink — it’s a girl. We see this everywhere. These are stereotypes that help the brain classify everything it encounters — furniture, clothes, people, websites, images, texts. Our brain compares what we see to its stored templates and tells us how it should work, smell, taste, or mean. In other words: “Oh, they had a boy — and so did they, and them too — because they all used a blue ribbon.”
The internet works the same way. We already know what online stores, social networks, and blogs should look like. Subconsciously, this is what we expect to see when clicking a link.
A clothing e-commerce site from a German brand. The design is modest and minimalistic but includes small, convenient features. For example, you can see clothes from the front and back on the main product grid, card sizes are large enough that there’s no need to open individual pages, and all available color options are also visible up front. The fonts are readable and non-intrusive.
Lamoda
Another e-commerce store looks very similar — almost identical — except that product cards don’t show how items look from the back (e.g., how many pockets are on the shorts), so you must open individual pages. Still, the design is just as minimalist and stereotypical.
Egeriya
Another store that may appear a bit content-heavy but remains user-friendly. Categories are prominent, product cards have large images, and even a small feature like size availability (Russian sizing) appears when you hover over items.
So, most online stores share a common, typical, stereotypical web design, color scheme, and layout. The same applies to websites for media, construction companies, real estate services, domestic services, or logistics. Yet despite the shared structure, each still has something that sets it apart.
Let’s look further...
Why This Way and Not Another?
Sooner or later, the question arises: “Why do most websites in the same category look so similar?” The answer: because these prototypes have proven effective, and users have grown accustomed to them. Scientifically speaking, it's about cognitive fluency — the ease or difficulty of processing information. This cognitive fluency affects which sites we trust visually, which projects we’re inclined to support (via donations, for instance), and even which people we perceive as reliable.
In other words: the easier it is to understand, the easier it is to trust and absorb. Blogs typically have a right sidebar with sections like latest posts, ads, comments, calendars, and tags. Online stores usually feature a horizontal top menu, a large banner below the logo, and product filters to the left or center.
For example, when designing a landing page for a fitness center, one must assume the visitor has seen similar websites before. If they don’t find familiar elements, they may view the site as confusing and not bother scrolling or exploring further.
That’s stereotype-based perception — habit, cognitive fluency.
Expressing Concepts
Stereotypical design also reflects in the visual embodiment of a website’s theme. Take automotive topics: what do people associate with cars? Beauty, power, speed, reliability, functionality. Visiting sites like Ford, Nissan, Ram, or GMC, you’ll see photography, categories, and sections centered around those values. But it's the photos themselves — camera angles, lighting, backgrounds — that convey the theme. They replicate the feeling of seeing or touching the car in real life.
Visitors expect this from any resource. If they see something unfamiliar, it might confuse them. Simple and visually clear design is easier to understand and accept — even trust.
Unique Ideas in a Sea of Similarity
It may seem that if all sites are so similar, unique web design is impossible. But the challenge lies in making innovation and originality coexist with stereotypes. If a user doesn’t immediately understand a site, they won’t think, “Oh, this is too cutting-edge for me.” Instead, they’ll think, “What is this mess?”
Gucci
Gucci’s fashion and accessories store is, on one hand, a typical online shop with product cards, menus, photos, and descriptions. On the other, its web design is creative and innovative. The product tiles vary in size, there’s extra info, animation, and more. The designer's unique approach didn't break the expected user experience but added something fresh and unusual.
Defrae
A custom furniture store for restaurants, bars, and cafes — designed with originality. When selecting a category like “Chairs” or “Tables,” you're taken to a general listing of all items. From there, you can view details about any specific product. The homepage offers not only product videos but also brand descriptions, company information, and more. While the idea isn’t new, the implementation is simple, elegant, and functional.
Maria Gubina
Personal website and blog of interior designer Maria Gubina. The design is modest and minimalist, but filled with vivid photos, rich text, detailed service descriptions, and prices. Even the blog, which might seem standard at first glance, feels different: a small category menu, a single sidebar block, and large article tiles. Add to that the unique pastel color palette — familiar design elements are there, but presented with unique size, spacing, and color choices.
Boosted Boards
Say you want to buy an electric skateboard. How much do you really know about it beyond the fact that you can ride it? The Boosted Boards project doesn’t just sell the board — it tells you everything about it. In this case, the landing page thoroughly showcases the benefits, battery power, features, and more. Yes, it’s a typical landing page, but it doesn’t push or pressure the buyer. Instead, it educates and displays the product from all angles.
Media
Let’s look at a group of media websites: Lenta.ru, Izvestia, and Mediazona. They all report news and current events. All are built on the same principles — and when visiting these sites, users expect something familiar. However, each project has its own personality: different font styles, layout structures, even the homepages are styled differently. Still, the concept remains consistent.
Our Krasnoyarsk Krai
The design of this regional newspaper’s website also resembles many others at first glance, but the designers have altered the grid layout, chosen different font sizes, and packed the site with navigation panels, icons, and extra features (explore the site!). The result is a website that may seem stereotypical but actually stands apart.
In Conclusion
Stereotypes in web design are here to stay. Even if a project is fully original — with an unusual approach and even a full-page vertical menu — core ideas, common patterns, and industry standards will always be present. Without them, a site is doomed.
But being typical doesn’t mean every design is a copy. Each project we've reviewed above brings something unique. Online stores follow the same basic structure — there’s no way around that — but product cards and storefronts can vary widely in layout, features, and style. That’s web design as a whole. Visitors want what they're used to, and if they find a little extra delight — credit to the web designer for winning over a potential client without lengthy landing pages or overwhelming content.
So, stereotypes in the web and design world are not a bad thing — on the contrary, they’re in demand. Take a look at the-challenger.ru . It’s clearly a media site — full of articles, news, posts — and the design feels instantly familiar. Yet each page, each element holds something unique that you won’t find anywhere else in that exact combination.