It’s November, which means the holiday season is officially in full swing. Turkeys are becoming more scarce, Christmas music is on an infinite loop in your head, and the list of new year’s resolutions is too long to actually be feasible. But with all the hustle and bustle that accompanies this time of year, it’s nice to sit back and enjoy some of the finer things in life…like beautiful, user-friendly websites.
For a web design company based in Iowa, “trendy” isn’t usually a word to describe our geographic location. The latest fads always hit the coasts before we can scramble to hop on the trendy train, right? While that may be true for fashion, it’s just not the case for web design. We at Webspec Design have the privilege of working in a global, immediate industry where we can adapt to the latest trends instantly and even set a few design trends of our own. We may be located in Iowa (the best place for corn, bacon, and insurance), but we know how to design a beautiful website that will attract and retain customers, clients, and users in any target location. Here are some of the latest and greatest web design trends you can expect to see on sites we design in 2015.
Responsive Design
Okay, so responsive web design is nothing new. But responsive design is something that began as a trend and is now basically standard. For those who may be a little late to the game, responsive web design, or RWD, is a way to provide an optimal viewing experience for users, making content and navigation easy to read and access across multiple devices. With Internet TVs and everyone carrying the World Wide Web in their pockets, nowadays there really is no reason not to make your site responsive. RWD is something you can expect to see in 2015 and beyond.
Flat Design
Flat design is a trend that really began to take off in 2013, but you’ll be seeing it in some form or another next year, too. With a minimalist approach, flat design focuses on simple elements, colors, and typography to present information to users in a streamlined manner that is still aesthetically pleasing. Flat design, as the name suggests, removes any attempt to replicate the 3D world, such as drop shadows, textures, and gradients. Proponents of flat design argue that people who use electronic devices have grown more savvy and therefore do not need to rely on real-world replication to navigate and engage with the device. While not all websites need to incorporate a flat design user interface to improve usability and visual aesthetics, it is becoming the go-to style for newly launched and redesigned sites.
Appropriate Typography
Typography is probably one of the most undervalued design elements, but it is so important. If text on a screen speaks to the user, then typography is the tone of voice in which the words are spoken. Web type-kits that offer great-looking fonts have typically been pretty darn expensive. But luckily these kits are becoming more affordable, and even free in some cases (thank you, Google Fonts), which gives the designer more freedom to incorporate an appropriate voice for your site and brand. Remember that typography sets the mood for your site and helps establish your credibility. And while no designer in her right mind would ever choose this horrendous font for your website, it must be said: Stay away from Comic Sans—unless you don’t want your audience to take you seriously.
BBIs
BBI stands for Big Background Images, and just because I invented the acronym doesn’t mean it’s not trending in web design. Large background images and videos have become a recent popular style in our industry and doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. BBIs are effective because they are a simple way to make your content—and the site overall—stand out. The beautiful, striking image immediately captivates and engages the user, inviting them to spend more time on your site to learn about you and your products or services. It’s no secret that our society has become increasingly more visual, so if done well, big background images can have a powerful effect on your site.
Microinteractions
Speaking of ways to capture your audience’s attention, microinteractions are being used more and more to directly engage with the user. A microinteraction is similar to a pop-up, but it has more relevance to the individual user. For example, you’ve encountered a microinteraction whenever you’ve visited a website and a box appeared asking you to sign up for the site’s email newsletter. You either signed up for the newsletter or clicked out of the box to continue to the rest of the site. Microinteractions are a useful, noninvasive method of promoting users’ involvement without hindering their overall experience.
To sum everything up, you can trust this Iowa web design company to deliver a beautiful, accessible, engaging website for you and your users. By staying on top of the latest trends and implementing them into your site, the designers at Webspec know how to create a unique web presence that is consistent with and loyal to your brand identity. To see how we’ve been innovating, view our latest projects here.
