7 Website Design Trends to Keep Your Business Website Relevant
Website design trends aren’t going to change that. While technology moves with great speed, we humans will continue to focus on the one thing that matters most when we’re online: what’s in it for me?
As a Fort Collins website designer, we’ve come to the conclusion that the trick is simple – give the people what they want. Focus on the user experience and provide value whenever you can. However, what is changing (and not all that slowly) is HOW we give the people what they want. Here are seven website design trends to improve the user experience, and thereby improve your business’ bottom line.
Variable Fonts
In the latest website design trends, when it comes to fonts, the old-school model of playing it safe is exiting stage left. What we’re beginning to see in its place is a mixing of font families, experimenting with different weights and unusual font spacing.
There is one caveat to mixing your fonts: not all families play nice together. So make sure they pair well, like a glass of wine and slices of quality cheese. Don’t experiment too much to the point where readability is compromised.
Fonts are tone-setters for websites. While they’re meant to convey information, they’re also powerful visual tools that can create emotion and inject an otherwise bland site with a bit more personality.
Adventurous Colors
Don’t worry, pastels aren’t going anywhere. But they’re likely to feel a little more insecure when surrounded by ultraviolet – reportedly the next big thing in internet colors.
If you love gradients, congratulations. They’re about to make a big comeback. Black and white will still be very popular, along with monochromatic palettes, but bold colors are really going to be in style this year.
Take this bit of caution: use colors sensibly. Functionality will always be trending upward, as will the user experience. If your use of ultraviolet is hindering either of those or inducing migraines, you might want to err on the side of neutral.
Custom Illustrations
People love graphics, and as our collective attention spans continue to dwindle, the trend of using illustrations to spread your message will continue to grow.
Decorative details help your brand stand out. They can add a playfulness and dynamism that engages your audience in ways that words alone cannot.
The online marketplace is ultra-competitive. Adding elements of creativity can improve the user experience and position you ahead of the competition. However, it’s best to use these illustrations in moderation. You don’t want to hamper functionality. Also, you definitely don’t want to distract visitors from what’s important, like your call to action.
More Creative Layouts
Most websites are more or less the same as far as navigation goes. People visit a site and know just where to look for navigation bars, menus, and other pertinent areas or information. So don’t get too cute with your layout. Remember, you only have a second or two to convince that visitor to stay.
Laying out content in unique and unusual ways is all the rage right now: asymmetrical layouts, broken grids, floating navigation bars…anything that can add a distinctive touch and style.
While incorporating these cool website design trends is generally advantageous, one size never fits all. A creatively-unique, outside-the-box layout might work great for a music label. But will it have the same impact if your business is life insurance?
More Animation
If people love graphics, they are head over heels for animation. And while you may be tempted to think of animation as a dynamic addition, like a condiment – what’s a burger without ketchup? – animation can also add value by making complex ideas easier to understand.
Let’s remember that people are scanning more now than ever before. Reading actual words is becoming too much work for some web visitors. Animation may be your only way of communicating with those folks.
The one sneaky advantage animation can provide is that it’ll keep visitors on your site longer. And as you probably know, Google loves and rewards such activity with higher search positions.
Mobile, Mobile, Mobile
Do you remember when car phones were a luxury item and the size of a Christmas ham? It wasn’t that long ago. And just for the record, mobile isn’t a trend. It’s a way of life.
This may seem like old news: however, mobile just overtook desktop browsing as the number one way people consume online content. With the maturation of mobile designs, along with clever ways to organize and present content, the entire mobile experience is about to get a facelift.
Your business simply cannot ignore this audience any longer, if you have been. Optimizing for mobile is no longer just a best practice. It’s a critical part of doing business in 2018, and it’s still gaining steam.
Story-Telling
We humans love stories. They’re hardwired into our brains. Stories engage, resonate, and create emotion, which is the main driver for inspiring action.
Your written content should always strive to use stories. But your visual content can as well. Using animation, graphics, AR, and VR to tell your company’s stories is impactful and engaging.
Turning data into visuals to tell your stories is here to stay for a while, as are many of the other web design trends for 2018.
The Lasting Trend
Again, remember that among all website design trends, what is always trending is providing value to your site visitors. Concentrate on improving the user experience above all else and your company’s website will be able to evolve regardless of how fast technology moves.