Contemporary Web Design Trends

In the last three years, the number of Americans with Internet access has grown exponentially.  New websites are launching daily that allow us to keep in touch with friends, share pictures and other media, read the news, shop, and conduct business.  As a result, we are seeing more creativity and innovation when it comes to website design.  Marketing specialists are constantly monitoring web design trends to get an idea of what techniques are most effective for drawing in and maintaining website traffic.  Here are a few of the highlights in recent web design trends that you may find useful when updating your own website.

1.  Intuitive interface design is the single most valuable tool a website can use, so it is no surprise that web design trends are shifting towards faster, more responsive user cues with a simple and clutter-free aesthetic.  Visual cues are often used to reinforce user actions like clicking a button, checking a box, or navigating through a website hierarchy.  The more stream-lined your website experience, the more likely visitors are to keep coming back.

2.  Analysts have found that visitors find bold or brightly colored website backgrounds to be distracting.  The web design trends show more and more transparent backgrounds with simple or subtle images that enhance the website appearance rather than distracting from the web content.  This shift is thanks in part to image editing tools that now allow us to change the transparency of an image without sacrificing resolution or overall picture quality.

3.  Gone are the days of traditional fonts like Times, Veranda, and Arial.  Web designers are finding that with enough white space and sufficient text size, some of the more unique fonts can make a significant visual impact.  New fonts add a bit of flexibility to web design trends, brining some personality to an otherwise flat webpage.  There are playful fonts ideal for sites targeted at younger audiences, and more formal fonts for fun website themes.

4.  Web design trends are replacing flash intros with oversized banners or website headers.  Flash videos take too long to load for many visitors, they require certain codecs, and are more of an obstacle for the returning visitor than a pleasant welcome to your site.  Instead, a website or company logo is sufficient to give your website the visual recognition it needs.  Visitors don’t have to click through a banner, and can simple scroll down to see the information on the rest of your page.  Similarly, large images or pictures placed strategically around your site and create and exciting experience for your visitors.

5.  Today’s consumers are attracted to entertainment news and short, informative news clips.  For this reason, the magazine layout is starting to dominate web design trends.  Deliver information on your website in a format that readers are drawn to – keep articles short, use pictures rather than text whenever possible, and add a touch of glamour with a glossy magazine-style layout.  This approach to web design is arguably the most contemporary, and is sure to catch the attention of your primary website demographic.