2013 Web Design Trends and Tips

Posted March 2nd 2013 Blog - 0 Comments

In the past few years, we have seen some major changes in how web designers are approaching new website builds. There are now new browser web standards, many new unique design ideas and new thresholds in design.  It can seem like a lot to keep up with but honestly, as a web designer, just keeping up with the latest news and trends is part of your job.

So let’s take a look at some 2013 web design trends and tips that are probably going to stick around for awhile:

Open Source Projects- There are many open source projects out there that give new user interfaces and CMS options to users. Designers are now learning to work within the parameters of these to give the best user experience to their clients. It’s a win-win all around as technology grows.

Mobile Designs- Nearly everyone who uses the Internet has a mobile device these days so it’s no surprise that mobile designs are growing more and more popular. Responsive designs are nearly a necessity these days and designers need to learn how to build them and how to edit existing sites to an upgraded responsive and mobile design.

Whitespace and Minimalism-  These trends are not new to website design but we do see them making something of a comeback in a new way. You can now use whitespace in more creative ways within the design and keep in mind that “whitespace” doesn’t actually have to be white. You can use other solid colors to give that space.

Infinite Scrolling- Something that would have been gawked at in the past, infinite scrolling is now growing in popularity. Sites like Twitter and Tumblr make the most of this feature and now many other sites are following suit. It only works with certain types of sites, however. The best sites for this technique are those where the content on the home page is often changing and updating. No one wants to have to scroll down to page 20 or so to find what they are looking for on a traditional website.

Large Photographs- Big photo backgrounds are growing in popularity for website design today. They are also used within the design in other ways and while it’s not for everybody and every site, when done properly, it can be very creative and help to create a specific set of emotions within the visitor.

Social Media Integration- People like social media. Search engines like social media. Making it easier for visitors to link with your site on social media and to share your content to their networks is very important now and for the future of websites. When you can integrate social media to the web design, you’re already a step ahead. So give your website (or your client’s website) those social share buttons and other integration.

Clean Code- While it’s true that cleaner code has been a goal for some time among coders, it’s now even more important within the web design community. Clean code means less room for mistakes, better search engine optimization, quicker loading times and shorter coding time. Everything will be smaller