An animated website uses motion to guide attention, explain an idea or make a brand feel alive. Done well it makes a site clearer and more memorable. Done badly it makes it slow, tiring and hard to use. The difference is whether each animation has a job.
We build custom, animated websites and interactive pages by hand in code. Here is how we decide what moves, how we keep it fast and accessible, and what to ask for in a brief.
give every animation a job
Good motion does one of four things: it shows where to look next, it explains how something works, it confirms that an action happened, or it carries the personality of the brand. If an animation does none of these, it is decoration, and decoration is the first thing to cut when a page gets slow.
custom code or a page builder
Page builders offer ready-made effects, which is fine for a simple brochure site. Custom code gives you motion designed for your content, timed to your brand and loaded only when it is needed. If the animation is central to how your site feels, build it custom. Our guide on custom websites versus page builders covers the trade-offs.
keep it fast
Speed is part of the design. Animate with the browser’s own tools (CSS transforms and opacity) rather than heavy libraries where you can, compress video loops and give them a still image to show first, and only start motion when it scrolls into view. A fast animated site ranks better in search and keeps more visitors.
respect people who want less motion
Some people feel unwell around movement, and many simply prefer less of it. Every animated site should honour the reduced motion setting on a visitor’s device, offer a pause for anything that loops, and never rely on animation alone to carry meaning. This is part of building a site that works for everyone.
mind the carbon
Video and large effects use more energy to deliver. Short silent loops, sensible file sizes and animation that runs on the visitor’s device rather than being streamed keep a site light. Our accessibility and sustainability audit guide explains how to check this.
animated and interactive: where it goes further
Beyond scroll effects and transitions, a website can respond directly to the visitor: a game, a visualiser, a product explorer or a map. This is where websites meet our interactive art work, and the same care about play and access applies.
what an animated website costs
Cost follows the amount of bespoke motion, the number of unique page designs, and how much testing across devices it needs. A site with a few considered moments costs far less than one that moves everywhere, and usually works better. For the wider picture, see how much a custom website costs.
“Working with Ace is a total joy. He has a unique creative eye and takes a collaborative and flexible approach. He has enabled our organisation to achieve more than we thought possible in the timeframes we’ve had to work within. We love working with Ace and can’t recommend him highly enough!”
animated website design in plymouth
We are a creative studio in Plymouth designing and building animated, custom websites for clients in Devon, Cornwall and across the UK. If you have a site in mind, send us your project details and we’ll get back to you within a few days.