Huge Background Images

A year later, this trend has proven staying power. In 2015, we can expect to see even more use of large background images on websites for all sorts of businesses and brands. An eye-catching way to set-up your home or inner pages, it works well alongside dynamic typography. See it in action over at Google Nexus.

Mobile

As discussed here, Google is making big changes this month. Beginning April 21st, websites that aren’t mobile-optimized will be penalized in the search rankings. This is a big deal and, as such, 2015 is the year that mobile design will truly expand. Key to getting found online, a great mobile website benefits both businesses and their consumers, increasing conversions and ROI.

Increased Privacy

Websites today are more frequently being designed and developed with security in mind. Especially key for eCommerce, users are much more likely to visit and make purchases from sites that offer safe and secure forms and check-out processes. This is important to take into consideration if you’re planning on selling your services or products online.

Ghost Buttons

A trend that began in 2014, ghost buttons are more popular than ever. Clickable buttons, they are basic, flat and feature no fill – hence the name. Transparent aside from the outline and the inner text, they are typically large in size and placed prominently on the page. They are often paired with full-screen backgrounds, mobile applications and one-page sites. See it in action here.

Constantly evolving, 2015 is going to be a big year for web design. From ghost buttons to large background images, increased privacy and a focus on mobile, many of today’s trends are worth discussing. If you’re looking to start the year out with a great new design, our talented team of designers can help.

Flat Design

Flat design has taken the Web by storm. It’s replaced skeuomorphism, yesterday’s “it” trend that emphasizes a three-dimensional approach to design that touts real-life resemblance and effects like textures and shadows. Initially popularized by previous versions of Apple’s iOS, flat design has taken over with the emergence of Microsoft’s “Metro” interface and, most recently, Apple’s radically-redesigned iOS7. Flat design emphasizes a simple approach, highlighting usability while doing away with added effects.

Content First

The “content first” technique came about in response to the growing emphasis on content in the digital world. In recent years, it was often considered standard for designers and developers to build a website before adding the content. However, this can create issues down the line and we’ve seen a shift to collecting all of the necessary collateral, such as a copydeck and images, prior to development. This allows the content, the bread and butter of the website, to take centre stage.

Sliding Panels

Dynamic websites are often associated with Flash, an outdated platform commonly used for games, graphics and animations. Fortunately for us, today’s efforts are primarily powered by JavaScript and jQuery, which, considerably more advanced, allow for greater creativity. Sliding panels are a great way to add uniqueness and movement to web pages, which load from left to right (or vice versa). Effects like these can be difficult to display on mobile devices, so tread carefully.

Bold Colours

Bold colours are a powerful way to stand out on the Web, and we’ve noticed a lot of them in 2013. The range of acceptable hues has expanded from basic primaries, with an emphasis on blue in many cases, to include much stronger variations like pastels, purples, peach and salmon. This trend looks great when used sparingly – such as a pop of colour on an otherwise muted background, which the company Manos did a great job of.

Moving Images

It’s easier than ever to add effects and animations to web designs and this trend is certainly on the rise. Moving images are a more creative take on traditional static. Movement is a simple way to catch and hold the attention of users and there are many different ways to creatively incorporate it into websites.

These trends and techniques are fascinating examples of just how dynamic web design is today. Flat design, bold colours, sliding webpage panels, content first and moving images are just 5 examples of web design’s continual evolution. At Yabsta Digital, we can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2014.

Image Credits: Enfuzed & Manos 

White/Negative Space

An offshoot of the minimalism trend, web designers have been utilizing white, or negative, space more and more in 2013. Based on the principle that the entire canvas (or web page, in this case) does not need to be filled with images or text, this technique lends itself very well to a clean, easy-to-navigate design and layout.

Retina Display Support

In 2012 Apple introduced its wildly successful Retina Display. These liquid crystal displays have a much higher-than-average pixel density and thus provide a better viewing experience on products such as iPhones, iPads and MacBooks. In order to accommodate this shift, web designers have begun using higher-resolution imagery and CSS responsive design, which allow sites to display accurately on devices with Retina Displays.

Single Page Sites

An evolution in navigation, much like infinite and parallax scrolling, single page websites are becoming more and more popular. Just as the name suggests, these sites consist entirely of one page. This trend enables designers to reach beyond the “above the fold” principle, which dictates that the bulk of content and text on a webpage should be visible without scrolling down. On single page sites, visitors simply click on a topic of interest in the header, such as “About Us,” and they’re taken directly to that section of the page. Like chocolate? Kit Kat created a great example.

Circular Elements

While many recent websites feature the square grid layout popularized by Microsoft’s Metro theme, circular design elements are cropping up more and more frequently. A softer, more organic take on squares and rectangles, circles fit well into many design grids and also as icons. The lack of right angles is certainly a nice change of pace.

CSS3

If you’ve never heard of it, CSS3 is the latest version of Cascading Style Sheets, a scripting language that communicates webpage appearance and formatting to browsers. Commonly used in HTML, more and more browsers are supporting CSS3, which offers a broader variety of effects. These effects include transparency, shadows and animations that are a far cry from the Flash of the 1990s.

App-Style Interfaces

Everyone has a favourite mobile app these days, and it’s only logical that app-style interface design is making its way into our websites. Many designers today are creating desktop sites that mimic the style of mobile applications – simple in content and layout, these designs offer intuitive navigation and a recognizable appearance when being viewed on mobile phones.

The techniques and trends prominent today demonstrate how far web design has come in the 21st century, and one can only imagine the places we’ll go in coming years. White/negative space, retina support, single page sites, circular elements, CSS3 and app-style interfaces are six more innovative, engaging concepts that have been popping up on our screens in recent months. Part 3 of this blog series will list the remaining best of 2013’s trends and techniques.

Image Credits: Cygnis Media & Doublemesh

Responsive

Responsive web design first came on the scene in 2012 and shows no signs of disappearing. It emerged as a result of the growing number of people using smart phones, tablets and other devices outside of traditional desktop and laptop computers to access the internet. Responsive design allows a single website to respond to and display properly across a variety of screen sizes.

Infinite and Parallax Scrolling

Yesterday’s basic scrolling has been replaced by more dynamic options in 2013. Infinite scrolling, initially popularized by Pinterest, involves the website automatically loading more content when the user reaches the bottom of the page. This improves the user’s experience significantly, as there is no need to reload the page. Parallax scrolling involves separate, parallel website elements scrolling at different speeds. This adds depth to websites, increasing interactivity and user engagement.

Fixed Headers

Fixed headers are just that – they stay put while users scroll down the page. Having a fixed header that displays your main menu allows visitors to navigate websites quickly and easily, without having to scroll back to the top to check out a different area. Done right, this technique is clever, visually appealing and functional.

Minimalism

Clutter is distracting, and can even cause users to leave your site. This year we’ve seen a distinct focus on minimalism in web design – foregoing flashy images and unnecessary content in favour of what’s really important. A great example of this is Metro, the Microsoft-developed theme for Windows 8. Many of today’s designers are putting their own spin on this concept, which spotlights important content and features a grid layout.

Photo/Video Backgrounds

A design trend that caters to everyone’s inner photographer, large photo backgrounds command attention and, for businesses and individuals in creative fields, can demonstrate talent and expertise. A related concept that’s currently on the rise takes the concept of an oversized background image to another level – full video backgrounds. Bold, dynamic and confident, this trend capitalizes on the growing popularity of video marketing.

Fullscreen and Mixed Typography

Many web professionals cite typography as a design favourite. Typically seen in print design, the Web has recently embraced and adapted these strategies, such as mixing and matching fonts that shouldn’t go together but somehow do. Best used in moderation, blocks of text should be kept to a font that’s easily readable. Another typography trend that’s made a shift to the Web is fullscreen text. Similar to large photo backgrounds, these designs involve the text filling all of the page. It’s a unique, engaging way to attract attention.

Web design, like the technology it serves, grows more sophisticated each year. In 2013, responsiveness, photo backgrounds, creative scrolling, fixed headers, minimalism and typography twists emerged as design techniques and trends that better enable businesses to stand out on the Web. Stay tuned for Part 2, which will discuss six more of the year’s most fascinating web design evolutions and trends.

Image Credits: Abduzeedo & Beacon Technologies & Eric D. Fields