A static website or even a website that is once created and left alone, will no longer fulfil the needs of your readers. Your website needs to be updated on a regular basis in order to remain current, engaging and in line with your target audience’s expectations. Here we discuss some of the current website trends that are growing in popularity:
Illustrations
Even if you have room in your budget for a professional photographer, many images still give a sense of repetition so a growing trend is that of hand-drawn illustrations. Once crafted, there hand-drawn illustrations can be customised and modified to suit your brand, style and tone. Using illustrations eliminates the issue of duplication and adds another element of personality to your brand.
Moving imagery
The recent trend of large background images appears here to stay but not they are moving up to a whole new level by literally moving. Moving images provides the necessary effect (and additional emotional connection) but still uses less bandwidth and therefore less load times than videos. The movement doesn’t even need to be that dramatic, subtle works too; a gentle zoom in or out, a swaying of a tree – the slight movement engages the eye in that critical first few seconds to entice a readers to staying and connecting with the website rather than clicking away.
Scrolling
With the uptake of mobile devices and consumers using these devices for browsing, shopping and connecting, scrolling has become much more comfortable for users; they are used to it now and even expect it. Gone is the expectation of placing all the information above the traditional fold; readers are quite happy to scroll to find what they are looking for. Scrolling is popular amongst website designers as it allows them to control the information the reader will see and in which order.
Flat Design
While flat design is nothing new, it is gaining still in popularity. Working with simple shapes, bold colours and simplistic typography, flat design creates a sense of balance on your website.
Full screen videos
Even with a slightly slower load time, full screen videos are not reducing in popularity but increasing. Advancements in HTML5 are allowing brands to use video in such a way that was just not possible a few years ago. Full screen videos are ensuring that websites are connecting with reads in ways that still images just can’t achieve.
To find out more the website trends that are gaining in popularity and how you can implement some of these trends into your own website, contact the team at Website Design Centre today.
