As companies and brands update websites and blogs to match the trends and needs of users, it is important to consider what’s here for good and what trends are fleeting. What do you need to know when designing your next web page? Following are 9 of the top trends in website design for 2014.
We’ve looked at the top trends, from the simplistic to the obscure, and bring you the top trends as a result of studying Business to Community author John Hind’s article “Top Web Design Trends in 2014” and 99 Designs “Top 10 Web Design Trends for 2014.”
Parallax Design: Here to Stay?
This website variant is undoubtedly popular with all sets of user demographics and it has definitely made a very big impact in its own right. Parallax design achieves that successfully with fluid scrolling, powerful imagery, and strong and creative typography. You will see more and more of this in 2014 especially from big brands.
Pure and Simple Content
Another trend that looks to be welcomed across the board is the text based approach that does away with meaningless gimmicks. The content has always been king as far as we are concerned and the search engine crawlers are certainly going to have their work cut out for them in 2014.
For Instance, The New York Times newly redesigned website speaks volumes about this up and coming trend through its simpler, cleaner approach which offers a far better user experience. Stripping away all the bells and whistles allows the actual content to shine and makes the design perform its actual role, instead of it trying to steal the spotlight.
Responsive Web Design
If your business does not yet have a responsive website up and running, you could soon be counting the cost of this folly, and it will not make for pleasant reading. Since smartphones and tablets are selling like hotcakes there is huge marketing potential for responsive web design.
Just look at the millions of potential customers who wouldn’t dream of doing business with a company who can only offer a scaled down version of their website for smartphone and tablet users. Not only will these be nigh impossible to navigate around comfortably, you’ll be sending a big message to these tech-savvy individuals and they’ll be muttering ‘loser’ under their collective breathe as they scroll onto your rival companies who actually made the effort.
Flat Design
Although you may be of the mindset that a minimalist approach is pretty one dimensional, maybe you need to think again. Flat design is minimalist design on steroids. It’s about keeping it simple, clean and modern which are words you often hear out of most clients’ mouths. The reason why everybody is using flat design is because it makes sense. We have less clutter, more use of white space and overall a better user experience.
Listen to your clients and really concentrate on the words that keep cropping up again and again. You’ll hear ‘simple’ and ‘modern’ as well as ‘clean’. There is a reason for these phrases and when you see the flat design websites in action, you’ll be able to connect the dots. Offering a better user experience without going around the houses really cuts to the chase and they can get on with doing business far quicker than previously. You’ll get more transactions and your client base will have more time on their hands to see exactly what it is that you are selling.
Fixed Navigations
When websites first hit our shores and designers pretty much had free rein to do what they wished, over-design was probably the name of that particular game. And although the results did impress us, the lack of usability was a bigger deal altogether. The essential requirements for a website are fairly basic, and you simply need to be able to navigate your way around without getting a migraine. The fixed navigation toolbar has become a must have feature for 2014 and for that we are truly thankful.
Newsletters, When Well-Designed, Are Here to Stay
This design is vital for the email marketing strategy that is still doing rather well out in promotion-ville, so it’s refreshingly cool to see that this area of design has been tweaked into a very usable piece of interface display. You can get so much information onto a single page and the real juicy stuff is always just a click away from your potential audience.
Email Marketing is still an effective medium that keeps your users interested in your content. In 2014, newsletters will stay afloat by being more creative and more exciting. Smart business owners are recognizing the shift that’s happening and properly using well-designed newsletters.
Presentation Videos Are Back
Vine has a lot to answer for and most of the questions are pretty complimentary. A short movie clip is certainly the way to go when you have a point to make in a very short time window. They are real simple to make and we’ve yet to hear a bad word said about them. Apparently 2014 will see a rather heftier 30 second clip in presentation video, and we can’t wait!
Typography
The old tried and tested fonts such as Times New Roman and Calibri are destined for obscurity as the gazillion smartphone apps have redefined the possibilities available for our website design requirements. The affordability of the right type is here to stay, and the benefits of this mean that you have the opportunity to provide more class for less money.
Infographics
When it comes to the most eye-catching way to represent some not so interesting data, you have to doff your cap to infographics. You can get a whole lot of statistical juice onto a single page and make it stand out to anyone who should chance upon the web page. Not only does this provide a valuable educational tool but it also makes the creation of this once boring aspect of data analysis a whole lotta fun!
Creatives who take them seriously always create a story atmosphere around their facts and numbers. Fact is, we’re absorbing loads of information and we love it. Because infographics are such an effective way of communicating large pieces of data, it will definitely be used more and more in 2014.
Are these here to stay? We love to hear your opinions on the latest trends that are driving the world of web design. Please Comment, Bookmark, and Share your opinions using the tools below. Or, learn more about our website design services.
