Cookie Banner Design Examples

Websites that use cookies need a cookie banner. Data privacy laws worldwide, including GDPR, LGPD, CCPA, PIPEDA, and other cookie laws, require websites to notify visitors of the use of cookies. Most rely on the user’s opt-in, which means obtaining cookie consent before using the cookies.

That’s where a pop-up cookie banner comes in handy.

What is a GDPR Consent?

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union) requires consent to use cookies. It requires you to have a legal basis for processing, but when it comes to cookies, the only applicable basis is the user’s consent.

However, not all consents are valid. To obtain valid consent to process user data, you must ask for it per the legal requirements. In the case of the GDPR (and ePrivacy Directive), it means that the consent must be:

• Freely given, which means that you must not bundle the consent to the Terms of Service of preventing access to the website to users who have not given consent, and no cookie walls,
• Specific, which means that you need specific consent for each processing purpose,
• Informed, which means that you must notify the users of what you do with their personal data,
• Unambiguous, meaning that the user must take action to consent (“By browsing this website, you agree to the use of cookies” is therefore against the law), and
• Easily withdrawn means allowing users to withdraw consent as quickly as they have given it.

When a user arrives on your website, you must ask for explicit consent that meets all these requirements. You can do that by serving them with a pop-up cookie banner.

What Is a Pop-Up Cookie Banner and What Is Its Purpose?

A cookie banner is a mechanism that allows you to:

• Request consent
• Obtain consent
• Keep records of the consent

That’s all the GDPR requires you to do. Its purpose is to help you comply with the GDPR cookie consent requirement. However, you’ll be compliant only if you configure your cookie notice to request consent lawfully and if it helps you keep consent logs. Otherwise, it is useless and exposes you to GDPR penalty risk.

What Is The Difference Between Cookie Banner, Consent Notice, and Cookie Notification?

There is no difference. The cookie banner, consent notice, and cookie notification are the same.

Cookie policy differs from both - it is the document where you lay down all the information related to the types of cookies you use. For example, you may be using functionality cookies, website analytics cookies such as Google Analytics cookies, advertising trackers such as the Facebook Pixel, and so on. It would be best if you informed users of that at the moment of personal data collected to get informed consent.

You can include this information in a separate cookie policy, or you could have it in your GDPR-compliant privacy policy. There are no constraints; you can choose what to do.

Is a Cookie Notice Mandatory?

No, cookie banners are not mandatory. They are the internet’s response to cookie consent requirements. Go for it if you can figure out another way to request and obtain consent to use cookies.

Although cookie notices are considered an annoying part of the internet user experience, it seems that no one has found a better way to meet the legal requirements yet.

What Should a Cookie Banner Say?

The EU cookie law sets clear requirements of what a cookie banner should say to the website visitors on the user’s first visit to the webpage. The cookie banner should appear when the site visitors land on the website for the first time, whether on the homepage or any other page.

In short, it should:

• Explain to visitors how you handle personal data processing
• Give them a choice to opt-in for data processing or decline cookies and use the website without being tracked
• Give them the opportunity to choose between different types of cookies (some users would accept Google Analytics cookies and refuse social media cookies, for example).

We have a comprehensive article on Cookie Banner Texts and what a cookie banner should say.

How Do You Make a Cookie Consent Banner?

You can either build your own cookie notice or get one from a consent management platform (CMP).

To build your consent notice, you must invest some resources upfront. That would include a software developer to make it and a legal advisor to provide legal advice on the legal requirements.

Once you build it, you’ll need to ensure it is always compliant. Data privacy laws evolve constantly, so you need to keep up with them and update the banner.

On the other hand, cookie consent management platforms can provide you with a readily available compliant cookie banner at an affordable monthly fee. They are provided by companies dedicated to building and maintaining the product. They care that it complies with the legal requirements at all times and ensure that the cookie banner will always be up and running.

CMPs are a more reliable and affordable choice - an absolute no-brainer. However, you have to be careful when choosing your CMP. Not all are the same.

Some CMPs are part of the IAB network and have implemented the TCF framework in their solutions. In simple terms, it means that they have taken care of the cookie notice compliance, and a third party assures you that it is true.

Moreover, their cookie banners comply with the EU cookie laws and support integrations with different types of websites, such as WordPress, Wix, Webflow, and others. Usually, they come with templates you can use or adjust to your needs. You can tweak the design in any way you want, such as moving your footer banner to the header or the left, changing the wording to your brand, playing with the colors, or anything else.

CMPs’ solutions allow your visitors to choose their cookie preferences, give or refuse consent, and will enable you to log their consent to prove GDPR compliance.

What Are Some Cookie Banner Examples?

Most cookie banners on the internet are boring. Website owners usually only care about banner compliance (which isn’t always the case), but some go above and beyond and design their cookie banners to match their branding.

Cookie banners can be beautiful. They need to meet some legal requirements, but as long as they are compliant, you can design them however you see fit.

By experimenting with color schemes, font styles, placement, and cookie banner copy, you can transform your cookie banner from a tedious compliance requirement to a funny and fantastic way to communicate privacy to your users.

Here, we’ll show you some brand-aligned cookie banner designs, increasing your chances of communicating with them and possibly accepting cookies. You can also read more about cookie consent examples.

Important note: The cookie banners presented in this article may not comply with data protection laws worldwide. We chose them solely based on their design. Use these designs to inspire your own beautifully designed cookie banner, but ensure to get advice on the legal requirements your cookie banner must fulfill.

EasyJet

This cookie banner color scheme is completely consistent with the EasyJet brand. It is placed in the center to draw users’ attention and encourage them to interact with the banner when they arrive. At the same time, it provides enough flexibility to avoid putting up a cookie wall and violating the GDPR.

Binance

Binance follows the same strategy as EasyJet. The cookie banner is more subtle than EasyJet’s, but it draws users’ attention to the bottom of the page, where the banner is placed. When the user accepts, rejects, or manages cookies, they will gain access to the website.

Burger King

The Burger King cookie banner is a good example of a well-executed design that complements the branding. The coloring is fully aligned with the rest of the page, despite the risk that users will miss the banner and accept the cookies they want to send. 

Vintageria

Vintageria sells vintage clothes. Aside from that, they serve users with a beautifully designed cookie banner that is completely consistent with their unconventional brand.

Their cookie banner is a work of art: the colors, fonts, button designs, and cookie banner copy are all unique and well-thought-out.

Moreover, the rest of the page is consistent with the cookie banner's purpose. The “Game Paused” message alerts the visitor that they must either accept cookies or manage which cookies, if any, they wish to receive.

Factory Berlin

Factory Berlin is a design studio that also contributed to the creation of the cookie banner. It takes up half the screen and uses a color that is different from the homepage but still consistent with the brand.

Borussia Dortmund 

Borussia Dortmund Football Club is known for its black and yellow colors, which can also be found in its wonderful cookie banner. The club colors are perfectly incorporated in the cookie banner design.

National Geographic

National Geographic has a similar design to Borussia Dortmund, but their banner is placed in the center at the top and requests interaction before continuing to the website.

McLaren Racing

When you visit the McLaren Racing website, the cookie banner in the middle of the screen blends in nicely with the background and the brand colors. It also follows users as they scroll down the website, asking them for a consent.

Strava

Strava, on the other hand, provides users with a sleek and minimalistic cookie banner design. When the user arrives at the home page, they have two options: interact with the cookie banner on the left, or sign up on the right side of the page and provide more personal data.

Amurabi

Amurabi is a legal design studio whose job is to make the law understandable to their clients' users. They prove their point by creating this wonderful cookie banner.

Aside from the visual appeal, it informs the user about what they have agreed to.

Lunchbox

The image speaks for itself. The Lunchbox cookie banner was designed to get the attention of the user quickly. 

Aside from placing it in the center of the screen, the designers used color that contrasts with the background while remaining consistent with the brand colors. In addition, the buttons are animated, which adds to the relaxed atmosphere created by the website.

Hilarious

Hilarious is a Belgian travel agency with a wonderful cookie banner at the top of their website. The unusual but sleek design, as well as the witty copy, invite the users to accept the cookies.

Declamatuus

The visual design of Declamatuus cookie banner is simple and sleek, but it is the text that makes you consider accepting cookies. It is funny and unique, standing out from the boring cookie banners that dominate the internet.

PichiAvo

PichiAvo is a group of artists who have decided to experiment with their cookie banner as well. The final result is an excellent balance of appealing visual design and compliance.

The Guardian

Nothing appears to have been added to The Guardian's website when you look at the cookie banner. It is very well integrated into the website, but it requires the user to interact with it before continuing to the website.

Beautiful Cookie Banners with Secure Privacy

Our Secure Privacy cookie banners are beautifully designed and incorporate the legal requirements. You can fully align the design with your brand by using custom CSS styling. Start your free trial. It is simple to get started and create a fantastic cookie banner that speaks to your brand and invites your users to interact with it.