5 Design Choices That Instantly Make Your Brand Feel Premium

Creating a premium brand experience online isn't just about high-quality products or services—it's about thoughtful design choices that signal luxury and exclusivity to your visitors.

1. Strategic White Space

Luxury brands understand the power of negative space. Generous margins and spacing create a sense of breathing room that feels inherently high-end. Compare economy brands (which pack elements tightly to maximize information density) with luxury brands (which embrace minimalism and give each element room to shine).

Implementation Tip: Increase padding between elements by at least 50% from your current design, and watch how the perceived value of your content increases.

2. Typography Hierarchy with Refined Fonts

Premium brands often pair a distinctive serif font for headings with a clean sans-serif for body text. This contrast creates visual interest while maintaining readability.

Implementation Tip: Invest in quality fonts—consider Freight Text or Playfair Display for headings paired with Proxima Nova or Avenir for body text.

3. Subdued Color Palette with Strategic Accents

Luxury brands typically employ restrained color palettes—think neutrals (blacks, whites, grays) with perhaps one signature accent color used sparingly. This restraint signals confidence and sophistication.

Implementation Tip: Limit your palette to 2-3 core colors plus one accent color that appears only on key elements like CTAs or important highlights.

4. High-Quality, Curated Imagery

Premium brands never use stock photography that feels generic. Instead, they invest in custom photography or carefully selected images that tell a cohesive story.

Implementation Tip: If custom photography isn't in your budget, look for stock images that feel authentic and consistent in style, then edit them to match your brand's color palette.

5. Subtle Animation and Micro-Interactions

Thoughtful motion design can elevate a brand experience from good to exceptional. Premium sites incorporate subtle animations that guide the user's attention without feeling flashy or distracting.

Implementation Tip: Add gentle hover states to interactive elements and consider subtle page transition effects that make navigation feel seamless.