SharePoint Design: Branded, Accessible, Engaging Sites

We are experts in SharePoint design. We work across IT, internal communications and engagement teams to design sites that combine functionality, accessibility and engaging, on-brand visuals.

We help organisations design intranets, communication sites, pages and portals that look great and are easy to use. We combine technical expertise with creative design principles to create modern experiences with SharePoint Online.

Visual Design

First impressions count. A landing page that looks great is the first step to high engagement. From homepage facelifts to full intranet overhauls, we help organisations design sites and page templates that wow.

Homepage Designs: We create engaging homepage designs that draw employees in and act as the central hub of your digital workplace

Custom Templates: Make it easy for site owners to stay on brand, ensure design consistency, and cater to different business use cases with bespoke site templates

Modern Designs: Bring other M365 apps, like Viva Engage, into your design to go beyond traditional SharePoint sites, creating a modern, integrated experience

User Experience Design

Our in-house user experience (UX) team use employee feedback, insights and data to design engaging, people-friendly solutions. From intranets to document management systems and site navigation, our UX services make SharePoint easier to use for every employee.

Card Sorting and Tree Testing: Tried and tested UX activities that help us design intuitive sites that reflect how your employees think

Navigation Design: Streamline site navigation and information architecture to ensure employees can find what they need quickly and easily

Persona Workshops: In-house workshops to understand employees’ wants, needs and challenges

Accessibility

Accessible design makes your digital workplace inclusive for every employee. Accessibility is central to every solution we build, ensuring SharePoint looks great and is easy to use for all.

Inclusive Design: Make SharePoint accessible for every employee, not just those with additional needs, so everyone can navigate and use the platform effectively

Compliance Without Compromise: We help organisations meet accessibility requirements without compromising on brand, look, and feel

Best-Practice Training: We pass on best practices to content owners, ensuring accessibility standards are maintained across your site

Beacon

Beacon is our SharePoint design tool that helps organisations create engaging, on-brand page layouts with ease. Beacon goes beyond SharePoint out-of-the-box with enhanced branding and layout options, and integrates seamlessly with new or existing intranets.

Our Clients

Elevate Your Site Design

Book a session with one of our experts to see what’s possible with SharePoint

SharePoint Design Examples

Looking for inspiration? Compare SharePoint out-of-the-box with custom SharePoint design ideas, download our lookbook, get best practice tips from our guide to intranet design, and see how we’ve helped other organisations create their dream site.

Out-Of-The-Box

Use Microsoft’s ready-made templates, or build your own with standard web parts

Option to add basic branding to your site’s theme
Build functional sites with the familiar SharePoint look and feel

Custom Design

More layout options than standard templates for engaging, dynamic content
Greater control over company branding, including fonts, colours, gradients and accents
Add extra creativity to your intranet with pages that look less like SharePoint

Resource Library

Looking for inspiration? We’ve got you covered. Check out our SharePoint design resources.

 

Client Stories

TP ICAP: 7 Day Design Transformation

TP ICAP transformed their SharePoint intranet homepage in just 7 days, using Beacon and MyTools for a fresh, branded design that improved employee engagement and usability.

TP ICAP intranet homepage - beforeTP ICAP intranet homepage - after

Before & After

Met Office: Award Winning Intranet

The Met Office created an accessible intranet for their 2,000 employees that scooped Best Intranet at the ICE Awards.

University of Leeds: Transforming Internal Communications

University of Leeds launched a new home for an internal comms, using Beacon to enhance brand and layout.

Asahi: Engaging Change Communications

Asahi launched a SharePoint-based change management site to centralise communication for their Better Future 2030 project, reaching 70% of their global employee base in 30 days.

Downloads

Design Lookbook

Get inspired for your next design with our Beacon lookbook. Full of best practice and design ideas to help you take SharePoint to the next level.

Say Goodbye to Boring SharePoint

Download our SharePoint design guide for tips on evolving your intranet, including best practices and art-of-the-possible

A preview of some of the pages from the How to Create a Killer Intranet Launch Campaign guide

Blogs

SharePoint Intranets Should Make Your Eyes Roll: See how modern SharePoint design has evolved beyond outdated perceptions, offering a sleek and customisable user experience that defies traditional expectations.

Expert Opinion: Does Good Intranet Design Really Matter?: Our in-house UX expert explains why good visual, UX and accessibility design is crucial for a successful intranet.

3 Principles for Great UX Design: An overview of the core elements of strong UX: clean designs, simple routes to information and a memorable experience.

The Power of Internal Branding & Your Intranet: Learn how a strong internal brand, communicated through your SharePoint intranet, can enhance employee engagement and align your team with your company’s values

Videos

How to Design a People-Friendly Intranet

Catch up on our webinar with Internal Comms expert Carly Murray on how to sort your SharePoint out and create a people-friendly intranet that works for your business and your employees.

Ready to See the Art-of-the-Possible?

Book a meeting with a design expert

SharePoint Design FAQs

What are the benefits of good SharePoint design for my organisation?

Great SharePoint design can transform your organisation. It makes your intranet a place where employees actually want to spend time. When the platform is visually appealing and easy to navigate, it naturally encourages more interaction and collaboration. This means better communication and a boost in productivity.

Plus, a well-designed SharePoint intranet helps everyone get their work done more efficiently. By organising content in a logical way and making navigation a breeze, employees can quickly find what they need without wasting time. This leaves them more time to focus on their main tasks.

And let’s not forget about branding. Good SharePoint design ensures that your intranet reflects your company’s brand and culture. Consistent branding across the platform reinforces your corporate identity and creates a unified experience for employees. This not only looks professional but also helps build a strong internal brand that employees can connect with.

In short, investing in good SharePoint design leads to a more engaged, productive, and cohesive workforce, which is a win for everyone.

What factors should I consider when designing SharePoint sites and pages?

When you’re designing SharePoint sites and pages, there are a few key things to keep in mind to make sure everything runs smoothly. First off, think about your audience. Knowing who will be using the site and what they need helps you create a design that’s intuitive and user-friendly.

Accessibility is really important too. You want to make sure everyone, including those with disabilities, can use your site easily. This means clear navigation, readable fonts, and adding alternative text for images.

Branding is another biggie. Your SharePoint site should look and feel like your company. Use consistent colours, logos, and styles that match your brand. This creates a cohesive and professional appearance that reinforces your corporate identity.

Organising your content well is also crucial. Structure it logically with headings, sections, and categories so users can find what they need quickly. Dynamic content layouts can make the site more engaging and interactive.

Lastly, think about integrating other Microsoft 365 tools. Bringing in apps like Viva Engage can enhance your SharePoint site’s functionality and provide a seamless experience for employees.

By keeping these factors in mind, you’ll create a SharePoint site that’s not only functional but also engaging and perfectly aligned with your company’s goals.

What is the SharePoint Brand Centre?

The SharePoint Brand Centre is a tool for managing your organisation’s branding across your SharePoint sites. It provides a centralised location where you can store and manage all your brand assets, like logos, colours, fonts, and images. This ensures that your branding is consistent and professional across all your SharePoint pages.

One of the big pros of the SharePoint Brand Centre is that it saves time and resources. By having all your brand assets in one place, you avoid duplication and confusion, making it easier for everyone to create high-quality, on-brand content. It also helps maintain a cohesive look and feel, which is great for reinforcing your corporate identity.

However, there are a few cons to consider. Setting up the Brand Centre can be a bit complex and might require some initial effort from your IT team. There are also some limitations, and organisations may find it challenging to replicate more detailed elements of their brand. Using a third-party tool, like Beacon, can help overcome this.

What's the difference between out-of-the-box and custom SharePoint designs?

When it comes to SharePoint design, you have two main options: out-of-the-box designs and custom designs. Each has its own set of advantages and considerations.

Out-of-the-box designs are the standard templates and features that come with SharePoint. These are ready to use right away and are great if you need to get your site up and running quickly. They’re also cost-effective since you don’t need to invest in additional development work. Plus, they’re designed to be user-friendly and integrate seamlessly with other Microsoft 365 tools. However, the downside is that they can be somewhat generic and might not fully reflect your company’s unique brand and needs.

On the other hand, custom SharePoint designs are tailored specifically to your organisation. This means you can create a unique look and feel that perfectly aligns with your brand. Custom designs allow for more flexibility in terms of layout, functionality, and integration with other systems. They can make your SharePoint site stand out and better meet the specific needs of your employees. The trade-off is that custom designs typically require more time and resources to develop. You’ll likely need to work with SharePoint design specialists, like Silicon Reef, to bring your vision to life.

In summary, out-of-the-box designs are quick, cost-effective, and easy to implement, but may lack uniqueness. Custom designs offer greater flexibility and a tailored experience but require more investment in time and resources. The best choice depends on your specific needs and goals for your SharePoint site.

How do you ensure SharePoint designs are accessible and inclusive for all employees?

Ensuring that SharePoint designs are accessible and inclusive is all about making sure everyone, regardless of their abilities, can use your site effectively. We start by following best practices for accessibility, which include using clear and simple navigation so employees can find what they need without any hassle. We also choose readable fonts and ensure there’s enough contrast between text and background colours to make everything easy on the eyes.

Another key aspect is providing alternative text for images. This helps people who use screen readers understand what’s on the page. We also make sure that all interactive elements, like buttons and links, are easy to identify and use, even for those who might be navigating with a keyboard instead of a mouse.

We also think about the overall user experience. This means designing layouts that are intuitive and straightforward, so employees don’t get lost or frustrated. And it’s not just about meeting the minimum requirements; we aim to create a genuinely inclusive environment where everyone feels comfortable and can work efficiently.

By incorporating these practices, we ensure that your SharePoint site is not only compliant with accessibility standards but also welcoming and usable for all employees, making your digital workplace truly inclusive.

What are some best practices for maintaining design consistency across SharePoint sites?

Maintaining design consistency across SharePoint sites is key to creating a professional and cohesive user experience. One of the best practices is to use standardised templates. These templates ensure that every page follows the same layout and design principles, making it easier for users to navigate and find information.

Another important practice is to adhere to branding guidelines. This means using consistent colours, fonts, and logos that align with your company’s brand. It helps reinforce your corporate identity and makes your SharePoint sites look polished and unified.

Regularly reviewing and updating content is also crucial. Over time, content can become outdated or inconsistent, so it’s important to have a process in place for regular audits and updates. This keeps your SharePoint sites fresh and relevant.

Training content owners on these best practices is essential too. When everyone involved in creating and managing content understands the importance of consistency and knows how to achieve it, it’s much easier to maintain a cohesive look and feel across all sites.

By following these best practices, you can ensure that your SharePoint sites are not only visually appealing but also easy to use and aligned with your company’s brand.

How can dynamic content layouts enhance the user experience on SharePoint?

Dynamic content layouts can significantly enhance the user experience on SharePoint by making the site more engaging and interactive. Unlike static layouts, dynamic content layouts allow for content to be updated and displayed in real-time, which keeps the site fresh and relevant.

One of the main benefits is that they can capture employees’ attention more effectively. For example, you can use dynamic layouts to highlight the latest news, updates, or important announcements right on the homepage. This ensures that employees are always aware of the most current information.

Dynamic content layouts also allow for more personalised experiences. You can tailor content to different user groups based on their roles, departments, or interests. This makes the site more relevant to each employee, which can increase engagement and satisfaction.

Additionally, dynamic layouts can improve navigation by organising content in a way that’s easy to browse and interact with. Features like carousels, tabs, and accordions can help break up large amounts of information and make it more digestible.

Overall, dynamic content layouts make your SharePoint site more lively and user-friendly, enhancing the overall experience for your employees.

Download the Design Lookbook

Ready to talk?

So are we. Get in touch today to discuss your SharePoint design needs.