Web Designers had a good year in 2013, a lot of new ideas took off and due to the increasing numbers of mobile users the industry has pushed forward. The industry has changed and it’s vital for all designers to keep up to date with the latest trends. This article discusses what trends will be taking off in 2014.
So what trends are going to be the biggest in 2014? We have put together a list of the top 5 trends for this year – Let’s get started!
Flat Design
Flat design has been an increasingly used feature for new websites over the last few years and its here to stay. This trend has almost become a standard due to its ability to fulfil the users needs – it’s clean, simple and modern.
When flat design is incorporated correctly, it gives the user a better experience as it makes web pages less cluttered.
The Ideal Response design below shows an example of Flat Design.
Endless Scrolling
This trend started way back in 2011 when we first saw Parralax Scrolling. However, as parallax scrolling has begun to fade the main feature of this trend, endless scrolling, has managed to maintain a place in a lot of modern web designs.
Endless scrolling works for two reasons;
1. Usability; its easy for the viewer to see all of the websites content on one long page rather than clicking through endless navigation links
2. Its works well with Responsive design. We like to scroll on our smart phones. When all of the content is on one long page it’s easy to view the info you need when you use a mobile device.
The Lapa Security design below shows an example of Fixed Navigation and Endless Scrolling.
Responsive Design
This is probably the biggest trend of this year and needs to be adhered to by all web designers.
Previously, websites would have two separate CSS files. One would load when the viewer visits the website on a desktop machine, the other would load when the viewer visits the website on a mobile device. This worked for a short time but making two websites can be a lengthy process. Responsive design has become a standard due to one thing: Demand. Clients want one website that fits all devices and gives their target audience the same experience every time.
The Ski Line design below shows an example of Responsive Design.
Fixed Navigation
This trend has snuck under the radar a little, but has almost become a standard without anyone noticing. Two of the biggest social networks, Facebook and Twitter, now incorporate fixed navigation at the top of the screen.
Why has this become a standard? Well as Endless Scrolling has become more and more popular it is now essential that the user can still navigate to other sections of a website easily. A fixed navigation bar that followers the user down the website as they scroll is the answer to this problem. Fixed Navigation will continue to be used in 2014 and in the future.
Less Text, More Visual Content
The user is increasingly rushed for time and requires information as quickly as possible. Videos, Images and Infographics will continue to take center stage this year for website content.
The user will continue to view websites more often on Mobile devices, than Desktop. Long pages of copy can be difficult to read on a smart phone and so Infographics and video streaming will continue to take the lead for website content.
At Polaris we aim to be a leading agency in web design and so we use as many of the current trends as possible in our design work. Below are some examples of our work.
Sources
http://webdesignledger.com/trends-2/web-design-trends-for-2014
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/web-design-trends-2014/
http://econsultancy.com/blog/64096-18-pivotal-web-design-trends-for-2014
http://99designs.com/designer-blog/2014/01/22/top-10-web-design-trends-for-2014/
