We see many trends emerging and disappearing (sometimes only to re-appear a few years later) every year in the web and graphic design industries. This has enabled experts (like the tech-heads at Web Design Ledger) to make a few predictions of what the future could hold for modern web design – we have shared 5 of these more likely predictions with you here:
1. Flat Design
Long gone are the days when websites were filled with logos or icons popping up and down in order to garner attention. This evolution can be attributed to the rise of handheld devices being adapted – web designers are instead focusing on elements that will perform well on flat screens, which has made flat design the most sought-after trend.
2. Responsive, Not Mobile
It is predicted that 2015 is the year mobile internet usage will overtake that of conventional laptops and desktops. Whilst many people have tried to counter this trend by creating mobile dedicated websites, they have quickly realised that this means two separate online campaigns. We are likely to see the death of the mobile website in favour of responsive.
3. More Scrolling
Did you know that websites with dozens of pages related to products and services are no longer popular? This is why, in the future, scrolling will be more popular than clicking – many users want to view all that you have on a single page. It will still be true, however, that multi-page websites are better suited to search engine optimisation – this is unlikely to change.
4. HTML5 Videos
When we talk video we aren’t talking about promotional advertisements – we’re talking HTML5 video, which can run in the background of your web pages. Our brains process visual images faster than other forms of information (like text), so this prediction will actually help to highlight your strengths and services in a matter of seconds instead of minutes.
5. Less is More
This is not a new trend – creating a web design that is minimal and to the point is always the main goal of a designer. Unfortunately, some designers and clients are only just beginning to catch up. Soon, we will only see nicely sized images with chunks of content instead of an overload of images and information. A website should not be a collage of elements.
Whilst we are by no means claiming to see the future, the current web design trends and developments have allowed experts to make some predictions that are pretty likely to occur. These predictions may not occur overnight, either – they may take months or even years to finally become the norm, but the way that the industry is going certainly suggests that they will come to fruition.