With a new year on the horizon, this is the time where we as a society turn to change. How can we make ourselves or our businesses better and more impactful? In the design world, this is the time where corporations can take to their advertising platforms to promote themselves in bigger and better ways. And the best way to do that in our day and age… the web.
Looking back at 2014, we saw some great design trends emerge. From code-free design platforms, parallax effects and more. As the range of electronic devices on which one can view websites continues to grow more rapidly, designers/developers must continue to adapt their creative thinking to meet the changes that are progressing in web design.
Here are some trends that are on the rise for web design in 2015:
A new level of relevancy
With online creative testing suites like Optimizely and Monetate, running A/B split tests with your actual users as the focus group has become super easy. Not only will you get great feedback about how your new web creative performs, you’ll also get valuable insight on how your specific user-set spends their time on your site. Gone are the days of throwing your proverbial design darts against the digital canvas hoping to come up with one design to please the masses. Now you can design, test and iterate based on what your website’s targeted demographic wants to see, read and interact with.
Big, bold typography
In the past, dynamic and decorative fonts for use in web design have been pricey. But times are changing—and the need for bigger budgets to accommodate for these fonts is on the way out, thanks to packages called “type kits.” These kits are on the rise and becoming more affordable (even free in some cases). As a result, there will now be more flexibility for designers working on a smaller budget to get creative with their typography and let their skills shine. This also allows WordPress theme designers to be able to include more typographic elements in their themes, making them modernly styled and type-driven.
“Mobile-first” responsive design and formatting
With everyone glued to their smartphones/tablets these days, making your website a responsive one is going to be key this upcoming year. Over the past few years, responsive designs have been dubbed the new standard for web design and WordPress themes. Responsive designs present a clean version of a website to be viewed on your smartphone/tablet that is easily navigated and highlights important sections/information for the end user.
Clean, flat design and layout
3D effects, shadows, reflections and gradients are about to be tossed out the door. “Flat designs” are on the rise and gearing up to be a new trend in web design in 2015. This approach provides clean and readable designs for the end user, focusing on iconic elements, layering, color and typography. One great example is Fitbit’s website, which brought the world one of the first looks at a flat web design. Flat designs are very clean and minimal, which results in sites that are not cluttered, quickly readable and content-driven. It’s a very attractive approach and also a very practical one. Using a flat design allows users to engage with the site and appreciate it without any other elements taking away from their experience. Taking a site in this direction could be beneficial—using bright colors and design elements to make a statement could leave the site more memorable to a visitor. And at the end of the day, who isn’t attracted to bright and inviting colors?
Large, captivating imagery
Bold, stand-alone images can really make your website impactful. Including large imagery is said to become a major trend in the upcoming year. Color filters and blur effects along with overlays will allow text to “float on top” of a background image without compromising any usability. In 2015, images will pop up in web designs in many new and unique ways. Responsive designs will play off of dominant colors for backgrounds and optimize images for minimum server loading time. As web designers start looking at this powerful and elegant approach, one can expect to see large imagery in their daily web browsing more and more!
So, whether it is simplifying your site with bright pops of color or taking things to a whole new level to focus on some great typographic treatments, there are many ways that you can push the envelope with your company’s web designs and really make a statement. It’s a brand-new year full of brand-new opportunities! Take a look at what you can do to improve your company’s website and how you can stand out from the rest.
But remember, content is king…still!
Web design is only as good as the content it presents. Having a beautifully designed website with awful copy won’t win you many followers. Spend the time with a professional interactive copywriter who understands how to write compelling content, blended with SEO best practices, to make sure your site’s message is not only properly communicated, but also easily found by the search engines. Sorry guys, but beautiful imagery and clever layouts still won’t get you into position one on Google!
Want to learn more about trends for the upcoming year and how to implement them in your campaigns? Dana can help! Reach out to Lynn Kaniper at 609.466.9187 ext. 117 or lkaniper@danacommunications.com.
