Web Design Trends for 2013
3/7/2013
Unknown
In
today’s high tech world, one of the most important pieces of any companies
marketing portfolio is their website. It is imperative that a website portrays
a company in a professional and modern way. This is becoming more and more
important each year and regular website updates should be a part of any
marketing plan.
So what can you do to ensure that your site is portraying your company as a modern and successful company. Aside from security updates and improving functionality as user expectations warrant, updates to the design will show that your company keeps up on the latest trends in technology and style.
So here is a short list of the why’s and how’s to ensure that your companies web site is portraying your company in the best way possible.
The Why's
Mobile Devices: 2012 saw a dramatic increase in mobile devices use. Unprecedented use of mobile devices means websites must adapt to ensure the user experience is consistent regardless of device.
Big Screen Resolution: New devices include new technology. Retina display is included in many new devices. It is necessary to provide images of varying resolution to take full advantage of the new technology.
HTML and CSS improvements: Improvements to html and css combined with java script are replacing Flash. HTML, CSS, and javascript are more widely supported across browsers and platforms.
User Expectations: User expectations are ever changing based on a variety of reasons; technology, fashion, social climate etc. It is important that websites keep up with user expectations to keep the user engaged. If your website doesn't respond as expected, visitors will not likely complete a conversion or return to your site.
The How's
Content First: Content is king! It doesn't matter how well designed the site is if it does not communicate the goal to the visitor, human or bot, in an efficient, searchable, accessible, multi-platform manner, then the site is not achieving it's goal.
Responsive Design: Responsive design is a must have for 2013. Responsive design ensures the user experience is a positive experience, regardless of device. Responsive design will adapt to all the current viewport sizes as well as any new technologies that may emerge.
Simplified Design: Simplified design is becoming more popular in part to mobile devices and in part due to current style trends. Recent studies show visitors prefer simplicity, minimalism, clear layouts, app-style interfaces, design focusing on typography, less decoration, flat style, flat colors. Gone is the day of flashy, ease of use takes the lead for 2013.
Stacked Footer: Stacked footer on a desktop display is a great way to maintain simplicity while providing visitors and bots easy access to the entire site. A stacked footer is a great compliment to the desktop display of a minimalist design.
Transparencies: Improvements to CSS have made transparencies more widely supported and we are likely to see more use of transparencies in design in 2013.
Social Media Badges: Social media is still going strong. No site is complete without a full suite of social icons.
Info-graphics: Big graphics to explain complex concepts are trending on the internet and are a great way to convey data in a user friendly way on a website as well.
Vertical Navigation: I was never a huge fan of these in the past, but with the advent of responsive, simpler design, vertical navigation flows more naturally.
Circular design elements: Use of rounded corners and circular shapes is much easier with advances in css. Rounded corners provide softer edges and circular elements make design more interesting without cluttering the simplicity.
So what can you do to ensure that your site is portraying your company as a modern and successful company. Aside from security updates and improving functionality as user expectations warrant, updates to the design will show that your company keeps up on the latest trends in technology and style.
So here is a short list of the why’s and how’s to ensure that your companies web site is portraying your company in the best way possible.
The Why's
Mobile Devices: 2012 saw a dramatic increase in mobile devices use. Unprecedented use of mobile devices means websites must adapt to ensure the user experience is consistent regardless of device.
Big Screen Resolution: New devices include new technology. Retina display is included in many new devices. It is necessary to provide images of varying resolution to take full advantage of the new technology.
HTML and CSS improvements: Improvements to html and css combined with java script are replacing Flash. HTML, CSS, and javascript are more widely supported across browsers and platforms.
User Expectations: User expectations are ever changing based on a variety of reasons; technology, fashion, social climate etc. It is important that websites keep up with user expectations to keep the user engaged. If your website doesn't respond as expected, visitors will not likely complete a conversion or return to your site.
The How's
Content First: Content is king! It doesn't matter how well designed the site is if it does not communicate the goal to the visitor, human or bot, in an efficient, searchable, accessible, multi-platform manner, then the site is not achieving it's goal.
Responsive Design: Responsive design is a must have for 2013. Responsive design ensures the user experience is a positive experience, regardless of device. Responsive design will adapt to all the current viewport sizes as well as any new technologies that may emerge.
Simplified Design: Simplified design is becoming more popular in part to mobile devices and in part due to current style trends. Recent studies show visitors prefer simplicity, minimalism, clear layouts, app-style interfaces, design focusing on typography, less decoration, flat style, flat colors. Gone is the day of flashy, ease of use takes the lead for 2013.
Stacked Footer: Stacked footer on a desktop display is a great way to maintain simplicity while providing visitors and bots easy access to the entire site. A stacked footer is a great compliment to the desktop display of a minimalist design.
Transparencies: Improvements to CSS have made transparencies more widely supported and we are likely to see more use of transparencies in design in 2013.
Social Media Badges: Social media is still going strong. No site is complete without a full suite of social icons.
Info-graphics: Big graphics to explain complex concepts are trending on the internet and are a great way to convey data in a user friendly way on a website as well.
Vertical Navigation: I was never a huge fan of these in the past, but with the advent of responsive, simpler design, vertical navigation flows more naturally.
Circular design elements: Use of rounded corners and circular shapes is much easier with advances in css. Rounded corners provide softer edges and circular elements make design more interesting without cluttering the simplicity.
Krista
Trovato
Peerless
design inc.