Gyles SewardWeb design is a fast-paced world, new trends come, blazing bright, and then are quickly left behind in the space of one or two years. Companies want to keep up to date with what’s happening and not get left behind by their competitors.
So what do you need to know about trends in web design in the coming year? Here’s the first post examining some key design trends – what’s in – and what is definitely out.
- Longer scrolling sites
With the rise of mobile, site are more likely to have long, scrolling pages instead of linking to further content as a way to display information.
This is because it is easier for users to have all the information on one continuous page than it is for them to click through to another page for the relevant information.
One example of this is the recent trend for simple one page websites. These deceptively simple sites actually contain all of the relevant info that people may be looking for all on one page, making it easy to use and fast to navigate.
- Storytelling
Content marketers have been telling us for years that great content is in the story that it is telling, and this has proven itself to be true. This means that web design will be focusing on storytelling as a way to communicate with consumers in 2015.
Story telling isn’t just about writing and words. It’s about using all of the design and copy elements to help people navigate through the story that a company is telling. The story can be about the company itself, but at the heart of it, it is about how a business can help the user to get what they want.
- Large header backgrounds are here to stay!
Large header images have become increasingly popular in recent months. Lots of hip websites have use these large images to create a sense of personality and warmth. However, as is the way with these things, it can be overdone. That said we don’t see there being any push back on it this year.
One potential issues is that large images don’t help site loading times and this could be another reason for people to move away from this. Site loading times must be quicker with the continuing consumer move to mobile.
- Simplicity
Along with the love of white space, another key element to 2015 web design is that there should be no superfluous details. Every part of the page must be doing something: if it isn’t, let it go. No busy background colours, no unnecessary images. Instead there is a move to clean, smooth, flat design with lots of white space, where the information is centre stage.
- Fixed width layouts
Many sites use 100% width layouts which are responsive and adjust the content to the size of the screen. However, fixed width layouts are coming back, albeit with a more responsive twist where sites have a maximum width that they are displayed at, allowing designers to create elements which look good, knowing where they will be on a viewer’s screen.
There’s our first predictions for design trends for 2015. Come back soon for the second part!
Post originally appeared on Elementary Digital
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