Deciding whether/how to include a header

[micmalti]

My primary concern with having a header with visible links is that it provides users with options before they even have the chance to scroll through the page on their own. This can be mitigated by hiding them inside a hamburger menu, but then the goal of having a CTA button for the Contact section would be undermined. Also, having to design one is tedious.

As features like multi-language support, search, and light/dark theme switching are introduced, adopting a hamburger menu is likely the best option to accommodate them. Without such features, a centre-aligned logo (home button) header will suffice.

[micmalti]

Likewise, an announcement banner also acts as a navigation tool, but also as a call-to-action. With the present layout, having it at the top won't work. If it had to be included, it would have to be positioned somewhere elsewhere, perhaps like so.

[micmalti]

A horizontal header was considered for the Splash section. However, by opting for a shrink-on-scroll animation for the title, this meant that, absent of a hamburger menu, the section elements which composed it had to then be excluded as soon as users start scrolling down, to make way for the logo.

With regards to the centre-aligned logo header, a fixed, transparent header was envisioned with content passing underneath it blurred (later revised to a mix-blend-mode effect), and a bottom line animation to demarcate separation.

For pages other than the landing page, a different header is required, one that still has the logo, but is set to one side in order not to interfere with the text on the page, or in the middle but sticky, provided feature options like search and theme switching aren't supported.

Setting the music control within the header would make it readily accessible but the hint would need to be reworked.