It may be time for you to follow the example of the trees and let go of the old to create room for the new as autumn approaches. With the rise of the mobile web, a focus on usability, and an increase in the usage of multimedia on websites, this year has been a major one for web design. Here are some web design trends for this fall, whether you’re just making a few adjustments or giving your website a complete makeover.
Simpleness of the Design
Over the years, a lot of money has been spent on building appealing websites. The current fashion is for simple design that provides the best user experience. Not only are minimalist websites simpler to use, but they also load faster and accommodate embedded multimedia content better. It is now easier than ever to build designs that are both aesthetically pleasing and useful thanks to advancements in HTML5 and CSS3.
Adaptive Design
2013 has been termed the “year of responsive design” by Mashable, and this trend will continue throughout the second half of the year. Utilizing HTML characteristics, responsive web design enables websites to be “flexible” and adapt to different devices. The rise in popularity of flexible design can be attributed to a significant change in how people use the web. By 2014, according to analyst Mary Meeker, a partner at the investment firm KCPB, mobile internet would surpass desktop internet usage. Smart site designers are using responsive design more than ever in this mobile web era.
UIs that resemble apps
Given the explosive growth of the mobile web, it makes sense that desktop versions of websites will start to resemble app interfaces. By doing this, the user experience on desktop and mobile devices is made consistent. Expect to see more of this trend in the coming months as desktop interfaces that resemble mobile apps naturally lend themselves well to responsive design initiatives.
transparent pages
The ability to change the opacity of page elements is one of CSS3’s new features, and it creates a really nice effect. When you wish to apply transparency without combining pieces into one image, this capability is helpful.
Javascript
Web designers are increasingly choosing to employ HTML and Javascript/JQuery instead of Flash, which is less versatile, in their effort to make websites even more device independent. Javascript has a ton of clever tricks at your disposal. This year’s trends include the following:
Parallax Scrolling: In 2013, parallax scrolling is fairly popular. It occurs when an object or objects on the page are positioned in relation to where the page is scrolling. The word “parallax” is derived from the Greek for “change.” The WordPress Balloons theme or the website of the purse manufacturer Bagigia serve as excellent examples. In addition to creating the appearance of depth, parallax scrolling may make websites that tell stories glide smoothly.
When you reach the bottom of the page, the page’s contents load automatically. This is known as infinite scrolling. There is no need for the user to click anything or to reload the website. On your Facebook page or Pinterest boards, you might have noticed instances of infinite scrolling.
Sliding Panels: A sliding panel animation is a means for web pages to transition, which is a very cool change from the norm. Sliding panels can also be used to highlight a feature on a website.
There are other applications for Javascript besides these. It has gained popularity as a viable alternative to Flash for creating website animations because it addresses the issues that Flash has with accessibility and SEO.
Typography
The days of having only a very limited selection of fonts that display effectively on a screen are long gone. Today, large font libraries that display well on any screen have been produced by graphic artists and businesses like Adobe. Expect them to grow in size and become more expressive as screen resolutions have significantly improved. Additionally, you should anticipate seeing more inventive font applications, such as various typeface combos.
Display Support
Nowadays, it seems impossible to discuss screen resolutions without bringing up the retina display. With the release of the iPhone 4, Apple initially made this feature widely known. Since then, more of their products have incorporated it. The current trend is toward displays with plenty of pixels. This can be accommodated by web designers by using responsive images: There are two sets: one for standard screens and one with double the resolution for retina displays. See Lee Munroe’s post 5 Things I Learned Designing for High-Resolution Retina Displays for a better understanding of how to do this.
Sites with only one page
This is still a common trend in 2013 for straightforward websites like landing pages and mobile apps. A website with only one page can speed up loading. Be warned that if you have a lot of content, this style won’t work well for you. One Page Love and One Page Mania are two excellent sources of single-page inspiration.
Backgrounds with large photos
Now more than ever, this style is not just for photographic portfolios. Large background graphics have become a common choice among web designers who want to make a great impression (which is pretty much all of them), thanks to better screen resolution on desktops and devices.
Permanent Header Bars
Fixed headers are quite useful and improve user experience. A fixed header will stay at the top of the page no matter how far down you navigate, much like a frozen row in a spreadsheet. It is also simple to develop this page component. Simply include the CSS code “header position: fixed” and presto!
As you can see, the primary trends in web design for 2013 are all geared around improving, not necessarily enhancing, the user experience. Since bells and whistles are less likely to draw users to a website than usability and helpfulness, To keep your website current in fall, think about implementing a few of these trends.
