Web design is a naturally dynamic process, and as a result it is often in flux. When looking at trends for web design and development, there are some interesting developments that spring out this year.
Hero Images
A large and striking visual on the homepage can really grab the user’s attention and increase the call to action. Faster bandwidth and response times also means that the slow loading problems of old no longer act as a barrier to beautiful design, although images may need to be optimized to avoid slow load times.
Responsive Templates
The rise in templates means that it is easier and more affordable than ever to build a basic website. The use of material design coding language is a new development, which takes the craze for flat design one step further by using light and shadow to give more structure and depth. Responsive inclusion of animation and the familiar grid layout are also key themes. Websites follow fashions just like any other social pattern!
Typography
Anyone involved in web design and development in the Peninsula will tell you that typography is having a moment again – and the trend now is for beautiful art-driven and calligraphy inspired styles, which are set off beautifully with the simpler, grid based templates that are so common at the moment. Increasingly web design is starting to look like the most beautiful print design examples of old, with great attractiveness and functionality combined.
Background Videos
Expect to see more of these used to help draw in user attention. When used well, they add depth and interest to a page, plus vital context. Used badly however, they can be distracting, so careful incorporation is key.
Scrolling Pages
Remember when a website’s homepage could be viewed entirely in the device screen and the user had to click through on complex journeys to find the information that they need? Today’s template favours the single scrolling page as far as possible, with often just the one page or click through from the homepage. This is being facilitated by bigger screens, responsive design, finger track pads and increasing use of mobile and tablets.
From a designer’s perspective, they also allow storytelling to take place in a far more compelling and uninterrupted way than the complex site structures of old – incorporating beautiful imagery, sequential copy, rich media and strong call to actions in just the one long scroll page.
Hover Animations
Users no longer expect to click through to find the information that they need, and there has been a rise in the use of hover animations as a result. Hover a mouse or finger over a linked image and more detail appears – something that users expect to see more intuitively as they begin to engage with more responsive, intelligent websites.
These are some of the main fashions and trends you can expect to spot more often in the world of digital. Which other website design trends do you expect to see more of this year?