The Latest Trends in Web Design

Web design has gone from a simple page presentation of certain information on the Internet to fancy design, with intricate details and complicated applications; hence it is an industry walking hand in hand with the increasing needs of the fast developing technology and trends.

Trends come and go, some of the old trends are hidden in a box, while other old trends come back to life and in some cases some totally new revolutionary trends appear that beat up all the rest. This is why web designers all over the world have to keep up with the latest trends in web design, because the client would always ask for this.

For example, you cannot ignore social network buttons. These popped up not so long ago as a trend, because social networks are very popular on the net nowadays and ignoring them would mean that you are practically not part of the crowd. Or else, you simply cannot forget about having a compatible design of your website for mobile phones and tablets. This is definitely one of the newest trends that cannot be ignored. The prediction is that soon the Internet will go mobile and if the future asks for it, a designer will have to keep up with that.

So this is why we have decided to let you know about the latest web design trends in 2011 and the upcoming trends of a new year. If you think you can add something to this list, we’d be glad to read it! There is no particular order of the presented trends. Each trend is important and it all depends on the type of website a designer is aiming for.

 

Big typography, small typography

Using typography in web design has been pretty “trendy” lately and it doesn’t fade away yet. The alternation of big typography and small typography can create pretty impressive effect, without even using fancy graphics. The minimal effort of creating the typography you need for your website will save you some precious time, surprisingly creating a perfect design.
Of course this doesn’t work for all the types of websites, but you might still use some impressive typography in the headers, logos or footers. You never know how you end up liking this trend and including it in more designs, coming up with new ideas at the same time. Using extra-large fonts and mixing bold and scrolling letters has become a trend and it can easily grab the users’ attention.

 

Go For Images and Photo Backgrounds

Just like big and noticeable headers and footers, images and photos are used on backgrounds in order to attract the visitors’ attention. We have already written some posts about photograph backgrounds that you can check out for more information, and this is more or less a pretty popular trend taking up the web lately. Remember the most important rules: use only high quality photos and don’t let the background mix with your content.

 

Social network buttons not to be ignored

As I have mentioned before, social media networks have conquered the web. People share and socialize and this is pretty much what life on the Big Web is. Hence don’t even try to forget about including social media icons and not just the most popular ones. People are different and there are so many social networks out there and it won’t hurt to include all of them so that people can share the information they like on their favorite websites.
Another thing to consider is the design of the social network icons. It all depends on the designer how cool and original they will look.
Don’t forget about creating personal pages on social networks. There is a greater chance that people will find your business there than your own website. This comes as a tip rather than a trend but it’s worth mentioning.

 

Draw your own design

This is a trend that I have found on one website and I simply loved it. It looked so original and funky. This is, of course if you would be able to create a “hand-drawn” design. I read somewhere that this is an upcoming trend in web design and I would agree with that from an aesthetic point of view.
It is simply original to see a hand drawn web design, and I am sure people will be impressed to see it and remember it. Even though this is not a new trend, but many web designers avoid it. I think this is a great way to get closer to your design, considering the fact that it doesn’t have to be perfect but you will definitely add a personal touch to your website.

 

One Page Layout

This trend is more suitable for personal profile websites. This will be like digital business cards, where one can present their most important information and contacts without creating some super website that in the end is kind of useless in this case. It’s all about going minimalist and present the information clearly but still in an elegant way. Go for one page layout if you are thinking of setting a personal profile on the web.

 

Compatible for touchscreen devices

Besides the already “old” mobile format for websites, you don’t have to forget the compatibility with touchscreen devices. With the increasing popularity of tablets and smartphones, you cannot but just go mobile and have a version of your website for smaller screens. Overall the design has to be striking as well, but as seen on a small screen, hence having a smaller resolution but preserving the details that you would like people to focus on.

 

HTML 5 and CSS3

Although there are plenty designers who simply adore Flash, it is slowly giving way to the upcoming HTML5. Flash is not that compatible with mobile versions of websites and as Internet users migrate to smartphones and tablets, web designers need to find how to fix that and the answer to that is – HTML5. It gives web designers and developers a chance to deliver their designs faster, at the same time ensuring flexibility and connecting data.
CSS3 is another upcoming trend for web design and developers are glad to meet it. You can build content-rich web sites with lightweight code requirements and you will have clean and fast-loading pages – what else would you want? Mastering CSS3 is another must for further designs on the web.

 

Animation and 3D

To add more depth perception to your websites a 3D design is probably the best option. Yes, it is difficult to master animation and 3D, but once you do that, you can be sure your website will be special and unique in its own way. Users will appreciate websites that ”think out of the box” and that have that something that no other websites have.