The world today is a digital one and as such your brand’s website is all important. A website is the welcome mat, that first introduction to what your company has to offer. It’s not just about user-friendliness this decade (though that is mightily important too), but about design. A website today must quite literally attract potential customers, seeming in its graphics, speed of service, and usability to come across as highly professional and competent. Gone are the days of lifeless list menus and static, word-dense descriptions. A creatively designed website is an accordingly creatively marketed brand which will increase traffic and, by extension, profits.
Web Design Now
A considerable portion of creative design is delivering a snapshot of a brand’s personality. Of course, creative web design and the planning for such is best undertaken by those who know what they’re doing, tech specialists, like White Mountain IT Services, rather than Joe Bloggs at the small desk in the corner, even though he works for the company. Tech designers are artists of the modern age.
As with much in modernism, “minimal” is a buzzword which applies across the board in marketing. However, minimal design and complexion reduction have been the way to go when it comes to web design recently, incorporating color extraction and bolder headlines, as well as simple universal icons. This is a trend that has transferred to mobile app design well, also.
The end goal in using minimalism is clear visual communication with potential customers. Indeed, the word “design” immediately brings to mind the concept of image. That imagery and by extension video are key points in formulating the right website, but again 2017 was no time to stick with the static: video brought in the dynamic.
Following on from the dynamism of video, long scrolling is now found on more and more websites too, designers reinventing navigation for users so content is engaging and potential customers don’t have to trawl through page by individual page, collating key information in a more accessible format instead. Adding a 3D effect to this has been the increase in parallax, also. Meanwhile, cards have remained popular on swipe mobile platforms.
Tomorrow from Today
On the topic of artistry, subtlety of expression hasn’t disappeared into history, rather the opposite, illustration rising in popularity in the face of the big and the bold in graphics and photography. For illustration is a visual language that speaks firmly, but never shouts, a brand’s particular qualities and many company’s feel this type of design suits better.
As in 2016, this year also saw the continued development of microinteractions, singular small tasks, now employing subtle animation via UX design, to further ameliorate both traditional web and mobile app sites (for instance, the “like” button). From focus on the small, conversely color palettes and typeface became louder and larger, and duotones and tweaking typography utilizing UIs are marked to continue being a big thing in 2018. However, new prototypes will be all about interaction, rather than simple layout.
