Top 10 Web Design Trends for 2011
One of the most fantastic things about working in the digital space is the frequency with which it changes – and the speed with which new technologies can change the way we communicate, work, and get things done online.
Of course, quality web design is all about embracing innovation – not simply for design’s sake, but to ensure we’re utilising the very latest tools and techniques at our disposal to engage customers and help our clients achieve their objectives.
Also, these days, the very term “web design” doesn’t just relate to type and imagery. More than ever, it’s now become an overarching term that embraces functionality, navigation, usability and even SEO.
So what are our overall web design predictions for 2011?
Here are our top ten:
1. Everything will be designed for mobile
Over the last few years, we have seen an explosion of mobile devices that provide a quality and very flexible web browsing experience. Smart phones, netbooks and tablets all allow us to experience the internet on the go. And of course, this has already started to dramatically change our perception of web design. It’s no longer simply enough to create a website that’s optimised purely to suit a laptop screen or desktop monitor.
Instead, you need to create a site that’s easily viewed on a mobile device – or, create a separate version which can be.
A few great examples of websites/brands that have already embraced this trend are domain.com.au, and smh.com.au. These mobile sites are simple, pared-back, and very easy to navigate. However, it’s also important to enable your users to view the full version of your website if they want to – and not just restrict them to viewing the mobile site simply because they’re using a mobile device.
2. Social media is king
There’s no question that social media has already changed the way we use and navigate the web. This year, we predict that it will continue to be even more so – with a strong focus on the promotional opportunities offered by social media channels like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
In this article ’10 Web Trends to watch in 2011’, Patrick Stafford from Smart Company agrees that connecting disparate social media is going to be big this year. “Social media is nothing new and we all recognize that businesses without Facebook and Twitter pages risk being left behind. But now comes the next step – connecting all your social media links together and plugging them whenever possible”, he says.
3. Move away from Flash
For us web designers, this one is quite significant. This year, we’re seeing a definite swing away from Flash technology – which has been the tool of choice for web designers for almost a decade.
Now, as the web becomes more and more functional, we’re seeing a move away from websites that use (and over-use) Flash technology to present animation and slick branding. We believe this is due to a few factors. Perhaps most importantly, Flash can take a while to download – and can be quite labour-intensive, and is at odds with the more fast-paced, content-driven, blog-style web design that we’re seeing now.
Flash is also not yet compatible on iPads and iPhones – which is a major consideration for any web designer these days. And lastly, it’s also still not as easy to optimise for search as HTML and CSS – something which is becoming critically important.
Instead, we are moving more towards embracing HTML5 and CSS3 – which can create a similar result. We predict that Flash can and should still play a role in web design – but it won’t be as significant as it once was.
4. Touch-screen design
Thanks to the trend towards mobile-based design, we predict that this year, we’ll also see an increase in websites that are designed with in-built touch-screen functionality – making them accessible on a whole range of devices.
Similarly, we also predict a trend towards large, touch-screen style design – with big buttons, very clear instructions and almost over-simplified usability.
5. Bold use of colour
In keeping with a trend towards simplified interfaces, we are also predicting a trend towards big, bold, block colour – which can stand out and help you create a distinct impression.
In an article titled Web Design Trends for 2011, Jacqueline Thomas says of this trend:
“Forget black and white or shades of gray. Think of green, yellow or even red as your primary color. However, limit your palette to two or three colors. Work within the shades of each color for variety. It can be truly remarkable what a few colors can do for your message”.
6. Large background imagery
Though this trend has been around for a while, we predict that this year, the use of large, confident photographic imagery will become even more popular in web design.
Jacqueline Thomas says: “Large scale backdrops will surge in 2011. These images will be high resolution, and covering the entire site. Large photos are an instant way to grab your audience– they cannot help but to see it and have an opinion about it”.
7. Even more focus on SEO
Search Engine Optimisation is becoming more and more important all the time – and this year, we predict it will become even more so, with cleverly optimised content becoming a major consideration for any organisation looking to promote their brand online.
Since SEO includes both navigation and body copy, we predict an even stronger trend towards keyword-based navigation, linking strategies and optimised headings and body copy in any design. This of course means more copy – around 300 words per page – a trend away from websites that are light on copy and heavy on design features or animation.
8. Non-browser-safe typefaces
Thanks to technologies like Google Type and TypeKit, we’re also seeing a whole range of new fonts being used online that aren’t your traditional browser-safe fonts. This opens up a whole range of new branding and design possibilities for our customers, which is quite exciting for us web designers.
9. Move away from traditional navigation
We’ve also noticed that many websites have now started using a different form of navigation on the home page to what they are using when you click through to the rest of the site. Previously, this inconsistency was frowned upon – particularly by usability experts. However, as users have become so accustomed to the web, different approaches are certainly becoming more acceptable – particularly if they actually simplify the user experience.
10. New perception of design
As mentioned above, this year we believe we’re seeing a real shift in terms of the way in which web design is perceived. It’s no longer primarily about creating aesthetic web pages that look good. Now, it’s all about functionality, usability, navigation and content. While this makes things more complex for us web designers, it also makes things way more interesting – both for us, and for our clients.
So all up, we predict it’s going to be an exciting year online.
What do you think? What are your predictions?
