Local websites should look local...ie, NO grunge, gray, Brooklyn/seattle in florida LOL

I posted about this on the offline forum too

I notice a lot of new website design is geared to a hipster, gray, grungy look

My guess is the designers are in ? New York, Seattle, maybe San Francisco, Silicon Valley?

or else want to be there haha

Gray buildings, brick, rainy days, rain on a window, huge old buildings, dirty streets,
blurred lights in the rain, brick walls, cozy coffee, people with sweaters and scarves around their necks

and some biz owners here in South Florida are now getting stuck with this design LOL

it just looks wrong....IMHO most "stock" photos look wrong for here....men and women wearing long sleeves, high button collars, ties, dark suits wrong

My case in point was a cafe that I saw their site and was like ...what? we are not in Brooklyn....no gray days here, no cozy brick walls....it did not surprise me when I saw it closed

I "fixed" a site for a local landscaper who had stock photos that don't "look iike here"...
we don't really have big hills....split level homes....seasonal plants and pine trees LOL
I put in sliders with palm trees,our flowers, stucco homes etc

My guess is that many other areas should be looking for local "looks"...

even midwest they don't "look" like that

and yes, I have been to NYC and Brooklyn...and to Seattle for 3 days before an Alaska cruise...very enjoyable but yeah...they just look different to someone who has spent most of life in Florida....it would also look odd for a biz there to have a site in coral and turquoise unless it is a South Beach themed club or a "tropical smoothie " shop

This is something IMHO to think about if you are designing for biz out of your area...
and something for those who focus on their local market to use as a selling point


Think Global....act local