The 5 Latest Web Design Trends

Web Design is an important element of any website. A website can have large amounts of highly useful information, but a poor web design can make it difficult for a user to access or find that information. In many cases, your website will also be the first contact a user has with your company, and it is therefore important that the website’s design leaves a good impression on the user. A modern website design that embraces current trends will help you gain an important edge at an early stage with your potential customer. Here are five current trends that should be embraced by any modern website.
No.1 – Responsive Design By 2014, more people will be viewing your website on a handheld device such as a Smartphone or tablet, than using a traditional PC. If your website is difficult to navigate around on a small Smartphone screen, potential customers may be put off and seek a competitor’s website which is easier to work with. Responsive web design is all about making sure your website adapts itself to the size of the screen it is displayed on. With small, portrait Smartphone screens, it may prefer vertical lists and hide unimportant sections of the page so that the user is instantly presented with the important content.                                           
No.2 – Minimalist Design “Less is more” is a trend common to many modern interfaces. Leaving white space on a page can help reduce the impression of clutter and chaos, and promote a sense of order and professionalism instead. A minimalist design also encourages a focus on content and reduces unintended distractions that may divert the user away from key sections of your page.
No.3 – Social Media Social Media has been a rising trend for a number of years now, but it has only begun to make its impact felt in web design more recently. Modern websites encourage user interaction through deeper integration with social networks, encouraging them to “like” products or services that they use or recommend, and share links and summaries of important content from your website. This will help your website reach new users.
No.4 – Video Embedding video on your website is an easy way to keep a user engaged and on your website. Often, a company may have a corporate YouTube channel, but fail to make use of that content on their website by only having an out-of-the-way link to the channel page. Instead, embedding the videos on the page detailing the product or service showcased in the video can be a powerful way to provide a quick summary with key points that then draws the user in to reading the longer, more detailed text on the page.  
 
No.5 – Animations Animation is a useful tool for a website designer. It can be used to capture a user’s attention and direct it to specific parts of the page. This particularly useful in conjunction with other trends mentioned here – For example, responsive design can use animation to allow a simple design to expand if a user requires further information without having to present all of that information to the user on a tiny screen.