If you've been around for a while, you might remember the good ol' days of flashing welcome messages and auto-playing MIDI files as you browse the latest personal diary-style websites on GeoCities.
…actually, maybe it’s a good thing we've evolved from there.
Web design, just like fashion, is always in a state of flux. What’s hot one year will be considered old hat the next. Keeping up with what's appealing to your visitors is just as important as any functional, developmental changes you might make to comply with the latest Google algorithm changes.
Redesigns can be powerful ways to invigorate a stale site with new life and renew user interest in your brand. If a website redesign is on the docket for your business, we suggest keeping the following web design trends in minds to stay current as 2017 enters full swing.
Going Minimalist
Minimalism is a hot trend right now in web design. Businesses (and the designers behind them) are seeing the value of saying more with less. Minimalist layouts have several key benefits over their cluttered counterparts, including a simplified style that tends to make navigation more intuitive as well as full avoidance of the cluttered, text-dense pages that are reminiscent of the GeoCities-era of the internet.
Minimalist layouts are functional, stylish, and elegant. You can’t go wrong by going with less.
Be Bold
If minimalism isn’t your thing, don’t be shy about taking it all the way in the other direction with confident, in-your-face styles. Minimalism might be in, but so are bold graphics that stamp a clear brand identity in the minds of your users. Go big. Use bright colors that stand out, block fonts that highlight your content, and funky material design textures that users will want to reach out and grab.
Overlaying Style
The days of static, 2D page layouts are dying out. In search of depth in design and creating a unique visual flair, consider overlaying text blocks and images to give your layout a punch. While there’s nothing wrong with old-fashioned 2D layouts, brands looking for a cutting-edge style can push their layouts into the third dimension and create more impact through overlapping layers.
Home Page Video
In our video-obsessed world, users are prone to engage with short video snippets that pop up and catch the eye. We see it all the time, from YouTube to autoplay ads to the popularity of social sites like Instagram. If your site has a product that can be shown off with video, consider framing your home page as an engaging cinematic experience that will stick with your user base.
Evolving Web Design
While a website redesign might not be the answer to all of your website woes, there’s no denying that every style will eventually fall out of fashion. It’s just the way it goes. If it’s been a few years since you last pumped up your website with cutting-edge style, you might want to reach out to a qualified design team that can help bring your page into the modern era.