As 2017 approaches its end, it’s time to turn an eye toward the next year and its up-and-coming web design trends. Website designs can progress in many ways as trends are always changing. With no further ado, below are some of the hottest web design trends for 2018.
Mobile-Responsive Design
While mobile-first design isn’t a new thing, it’s more important than it’s ever been in the past. Google and the other major search engines have said that they’ll give SEO preference to mobile-responsive websites. As more users access the Internet via smartphones and tablets, it’s important to give them the best UX (user experience) possible.
Interesting Color Combinations
Duotones have come to the forefront in web design. As designers focus on flat, minimalist designs, bright colors are increasingly being used in duotone color schemes for hero backgrounds and images. With duotones, designers can use relevant, impactful images without making text unreadable or distracting users with color overload.
Long-Form Scrolling and Page Design
Recent trends in conversion rate optimization and design, have focused on grabbing users’ attention with above-the-fold designs. This means that users don’t have to scroll past the part of the page that appears on the screen to learn what they should expect from the remainder of the page. Recent research shows that user engagement is being held over longer pages, and that users are less willing to navigate to more than one page to find the information they want. Therefore, developers and designers are adapting by including a significant amount of content on one page.
Visuals Over Text
While most people think that pictures are worth a thousand words, they’re less valuable in the web design world. Every user resonates differently with various communication methods, which means that if a designer relies too heavily on words or images at the expense of other content types, they’re doing it wrong. While solid copy is great, when it’s reinforced with visual elements, it’s much more effective.
Telling a Story
Consumers are increasingly finding businesses by connecting with and understanding their provenance. It’s all about companies connecting with customers and clients on a personal level, and designers are starting to focus on this narrative approach by using text and graphics to take the user on an interactive brand journey.
Rich Animations
Last but not least, rich animations are another new and popular way for designers to engage with potential and current customers. In the early days of web design, animations were greatly overused, but thankfully the design world has come to its senses. In 2018, designers will use animations to communicate with visitors while pages are loading, or to create a compelling hover state. This design element can attract the user’s attention, but it should be used sparingly to avoid detracting from the site’s overall effect.
It’s A New Year!
With each New Year comes new ideas and modifications to online marketing strategies and techniques; and even more so, these strategies are constantly changing by the week! However, marketing firms like Convergent1 of Houston, and our web designers, are great at taking on new challenges. 2018’s trends are sure to have lasting effects on how we design and build sites for clients.
To connect with Convergent1 for your Houston business web design, call us at 713-690-0707, or browse our services online now.
