Web design seems to go through just as many trends as the fashion industry. Whilst some of these trends are nothing more than quick flashes in the pan, others stick around for the long haul. The main purpose of each new trend is to give internet users a more polished user experience. But since this is an ever-changing medium, keeping tabs on the best trends can prove to be quite a challenge.
To help you decipher the “best from the rest”, we have combined a list of five of this year’s most influential web design trends of 2016:
1. Hover Animations
Animations of all kinds have been “bang on trend” this year, but perhaps none more so than the classic “hover animation”. Have you ever moved your cursor over a certain element on a site only to have it jump to life right before your eyes? This innovative and lively trend provides immediate feedback. It’s also a great way to stir up interest in your brand and reach out to potential customers using simple but effective graphic and animated techniques.
2. Artistic Typography
Who doesn’t love mixing up their typography patterns every once in a while? Web designers can’t seem to get enough of artistic fonts. Branching off from traditional styles gives sites a creative boost and helps to set them apart from their competition. Eye-catching typography will grab user’s attention and make your site more memorable.
3. Long Scroll Navigation
Internet users desire FULL CONTROL of scroll navigation. They tend to get fed up with websites that don’t allow them to control the scrolling option at their own pace. Enter long scroll navigation, a simple scrolling option that enables users to navigate as they please in a smooth, easy and uninterrupted format.
4. Hero Styled Imagery
A hero image is an eye-catching photograph or piece of content that will instantly capture the user’s attention and urge them to find out more. This trend is particularly popular with visual based sites such as photography pages or even hotel booking pages etc. Use HD quality images to get the best results and don’t forget to include a relevant call to action!
5. Background Videos
YouTube is currently the second largest search engine online. It is owned by Google, which is conveniently the first largest search engine. It makes sense then, that video would make it onto this list. Recently, there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of background videos and animations included on web pages. It’s important to get this done right. You don’t want to irritate or distract the viewer. Instead, your videos should drive engagement and interaction. It’s a great way to increase your site’s visibility on SERP’s as well, since Google tends to favour sites that include video!
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