Web design is a field that is always evolving and one can never be sure what the next big thing will be. If we’re lucky and attentive we are often able to figure out emerging trends on at least a six month to six month basis. 2013 has naturally been a very important year as far as these trends are concerned as we have seen all kinds of new ones make an appearance that were previously not present. This year sort of marks a beginning of communication being easier than it has ever been.
We see use being made of social media like never before. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are just part of the whole hype that has effectively claimed our free time and our lives. Entire small businesses and marketing campaigns are now dependent and benefitting from the proper exploitation of social media elements. This is also where web designing comes in and now much thought and planning goes into making websites that will really appeal to and capture the target audience.
As far as trends go with regard to websites, we have firstly responsive layouts to discuss. This concept revolves around a few elements in order to really work for the users and viewers:-
- Users need to get the most out of a minimal design and they need to have a good viewing experience that does not leave them disoriented or confused. Naturally some effort goes into making this happen.
- Navigation is easier and more widely possible and users are generally able to access their desired information and content quicker and with greater ease.
- There is no longer a need to resize any pages or scroll here and there in order to view any page.
- There is no end to the sorts of different devices that can be used for net browsing. The layout will fit the device whether it is a tablet, a PC or a phone.
- Since there is a trend towards people browsing from the comfort of their Smartphones, most website owners now design their web layout keeping this in mind.
The next essential component that is now becoming very important for web designers is support for retina display. This was never given much focus before but it is definitely in for this year and here to stay. The considerations for web designers with regard to this are:-
- Apple came up with this kind of display and it basically means that to the naked human eye, there is next to absolutely no element of visible pixilation. This just means greater clarity and ease of use.
- This was first seen in the iPhone 4 and has been used since. Most devices now try to imitate the bar that the earlier iPhones set for the Smartphone industry.
- The brilliance and beauty of the Smartphone screen has greatly increased now in general and resolution is also better than what it used to be.
The last thing that is really making waves in the web design industry is fixed headers. They sound simple enough but now they are becoming a component that users just cannot do without. They aid navigation mostly and they make it easier to get to certain types of content. Basically they contribute a great deal to user accessibility and comfort. There are some other benefits to fixed headers such as:-
- They can be used by all kinds of blogs and personal websites as well as networking sites.
- They can sometimes be the difference between an organized website and an unruly one that no one wants to visit.
There are many other benefits but this should give you an idea as to why a fixed header is so important for your website.
