2012 has brought with it a wave of web design trends. Keeping up with these constant developments is essential, but it’s important to keep in mind that effective web design is more than just a coat of paint; it always needs to support your business goals. Good web design is a necessary part of your larger web marketing and user experience picture.
In keeping with this holistic approach, we selected the following as the top web design trends to implement this year:
1. HTML5, CSS3 and jQuery
In the last couple of years, HTML5 has gained quite a bit of traction, and now all major browsers support it. The capabilities of HTML5 are phenomenal; with it, you can create truly interactive experiences vs. simple animations. With CSS3 and Javascript thrown into the mix, the result is a rich playing field of possibilities for web design. HTML5 is now widely recognized and used by big brands like Apple and Google.
Che Photography – Website Created by Medianovak
2. Custom Font Faces
The free online font library FontSquirrel provides a free fonts for any interested web designers. With this tool you embed a bit of JavaScript which allows you to write any custom font into CSS styles. In 2011 this trend has shot up in popularity, especially among designers trying to keep their blogs unique from the rest.
Spotlight Sexy Photography – Website Created by Medianovak
3. Large Background Images
In many ways, this trend is becoming a best practice. Large background images are a great way to maximize a smaller marketing/advertising budget to engage a wide audience. Large images work to draw a visitor in, creating more of an immersive user experience.
4. Flash
For entertainment sites, Flash is – and will remain – the predominant tool of choice to create engaging experiences. And that’s because those sites act as an extension of a movie’s universe, not only existing to serve cold information.
Art Studio Photography – Website Created by Medianovak
5. Mobile Compatibility and Responsive Layouts
Designers can no longer ignore the exponential growth in mobile usage, and always have to consider how a website will perform on mobile. When designing a site, for example, one has to determine whether a native app, web app or one website that auto-scales to mobile screen sizes will be optimal.
Marc LaBrie Photography – Website Created by Medianovak
Responsive layout refers to how well a layout responds to the size of a screen. It organizes the content to make it just as visually pleasing on a small screen as a large one. Responsive layouts can be great for those organizations that may have a smaller budget and/or resources.
Recent Comments