Website designs are constantly evolving. Now, this doesn’t mean you need to redesign your website every single year in order to keep up. But, it’s a good idea to be aware of these trends, so you can ensure that your website isn’t falling too far out of date.
The best design trends are those that help to create a better website experience for users. Sure, some designs might look cool, but do they really help your bottom line? This is a question you need to keep in mind if you’re ever thinking about redesigning your site.
If you’re looking for more website inspiration, then this post is for you. Below we highlight the most popular website design trends this year.
1. Large and Stunning Background Images
The photos you use on your site still play a huge role in the overall design of your website. It’s always a great idea to utilize images to help further the message you’re trying to send.
The proliferation of high quality images is in large part thanks to the growing number of high quality stock photo sites. These genuine images come a long way from the stock photos of the past.
High quality photos that show real people are incredibly engaging. For that reason a lot of companies are choosing to feature large home page images that truly capture the essence of their brands.
2. Video Backgrounds on Homepage
We’ve seen a steady number of business (us included) start to add either moving, or video backgrounds, to their home pages. Users prefer to consume visual content, so you can capitalize on this by adding video elements to your site.
One of the downsides of this is the increased loading time it takes to load videos on your site. But, if you can get passed this hurdle, it’s a great way to draw users in and captive them with a story truly unique to your company.
3. Scrolling One-Page Sites
Today’s web users prefer to scroll rather than click. This change in browsing patterns has caused a new style of web design to emerge: sites that users can scroll and find all the information they require.
Especially with the explosion of internet users accessing sites on the mobile web, where scrolling is encouraged and much easier to do.
This style of design has been combined with one-page websites, where users can obtain all the information they require without having to click away from the page.
4. Flat and Minimalist Site Design
Flat design came onto the scene a few years ago. This style of design is very clean and simple and place more of an emphasis on the site’s content and messaging, rather than any flashy or design elements.
This style of clean design will be around for a long-time, because it’s relatively timeless. Plus, this style of design is very easy on your users and creates a relaxing and distraction-free environment.
5. Mobile First Design
The mobile web is here to stay. The way people use the web is changing, there’s no denying it. If you want your website to succeed, then you’re going to have to think about how you can better cater to the mobile audience.
One way to do this is to adopt a mobile-first design philosophy. This means that when you do a redesign you start with the mobile platform first and build out other version of your website from that point.
Sites like The Verge have a stunning mobile website that encourages users to stay and read.
If you’re looking to take your existing website to the next level, or build something from scratch, then get in touch with our team today.
Photo via: Stephanie Krist
