If you are a web designer you understand the immense importance of remaining ahead of the trend curve. Web design is driven by the needs and desires of the customer, and these desires tend to move along the line of creative trends that define the latest in web design.
The ability of a web designer to be acquainted with the latest design trends is a vital asset which allows them to be at the top of their game while remaining relevant in the web design industry. Web designers must not only be able to satisfy the customer’s desires concerning their website, but the web designer must understand the industry and its evolution in order to provide the customer with a website that addresses their specific needs.
This article will introduce the top ten trends in web design at current. As you will see, these trends developed to meet a need. In viewing these trends not only will you be aware of all of the top trends right now, it will give you insight that may serve as motivation to create trends of your own.
Responsive Web Design
As technology has advanced, it has totally changed the way people access and surf the internet. There are multiple platforms, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, eReaders, cameras, gaming systems and more. Each of these platforms have a different way of engaging information and websites on the internet. Traditionally sites have been designed to cater to those that surf the web on laptops and desktop computers. Most recently, sites were given dual capabilities in which users were allowed to choose whether they wanted to view full sites or switch to the mobile mode, which limited what you could access on the site. Now there is a new type of website design. Now sites are being designed in a manner than can recognize the device that is accessing the site and format itself to be viewed in its entirety by that particular site.
Mobile Friendly Sites
Much in the same way that Responsive Website function, mobile friendly sites are designed with smartphones and other smaller network capable devices in mind. Any good web designer will know that smart devices are the number one way that the internet is being accessed now. The web designer should look to design a site that is capable of facilitating browsing activity by smartphones.
Infinite Scrolling
Infinite scrolling is self-explanatory. For instance, if you are viewing images on Google, you can scroll infinitely as long as there are images to view. You can do this without having to navigate to new pages.
Flash-less Design
The traditional and older flash design for websites has virtually become a thing of the past. Design platforms such as HTML5, JavaScript and CSS have created greater flexibility for the designer and a more enjoyable user experience one the site has been created.
Minimalistic Approach
There was a time when you visited a website and the site would be cluttered borderline useless content. The approach was the more the better. That is a thing of the past. Less is best is now the standard. Websites have been streamlined to present only relevant and useful content.
Photo Rage
Again, there is less clutter. Instead of a large number of banner ads, website designers are incorporating large background images to make a clean statement.
Header Design
Another trend is a fixed header designed in which the CSS header is fixed, creating a frozen header pane which provides more functionality and it is also more aesthetically pleasing.
Transparent Design
Another booming trend for web design in 2013 is transparent web design. By primarily using CSS3, the need for complex coding and photo shopping that has transparency has been removed, but rather there are different areas of the site that can be tweaked by setting the specific transparency or opacity.
QR Codes
Mobile platforms are now capable of supporting QR codes. It is important for web designers to understand this and implement it into their design concepts.
Social Media Buttons,
Social Media Buttons have become a major trends for sites. This allows website owners to use existing traffic to provides additional exposure for their company when visitors use the Social Media Buttons on their page to share what they experience there.