Web Design Trends for 2013
Web design trends move fast. Melbourne website owners who want to stand out from the competition need to be aware of the most exciting trends this year.
Long pages with almost endless scrolling
When viewing content, many Web users seem to prefer the vertical scrolling done with the mouse wheel or the Up and Down buttons of the keyboard to clicking on a menu item to access a separate page. Hence the increasing usage of long pages that require a lot of scrolling.
Squarespace and Apple both use long scrolling, as do many WordPress powered blogs. Note, however, that although convenient, this type of design doesn’t work for websites who feature content in many categories that need to be kept separate.
Oversized visual elements
The web design world seems to have embraced oversized imagery. Homepages or landing pages built around one big, tantalising image suit perfectly food, drink, event, or travel websites. Application websites also favour this design trend.
For branding and advertising purposes, oversized imagery is highly effective – it excites and encourages visitors to click buy. But your images need to be first class to be effective.
Mobile web design
Mobile users are taking over the Internet. With so many smartphones and tablets around these days, it’s wise to consider optimising your website for on-the-go Web users. It’s probably not as important for B2B who do most of there research behind a PC however we still strongly suggest at least considering it.
Intuitive designs optimised for mobile devices, featuring only a handful of pages and almost long scrolling, and having bold typography and large images.
Minimalism
There’s something pleasant and also timeless about a simple website. It never really gets out of fashion. One column layouts with a simple menu at the top below the logo, and the sidebar moved to the footer, are increasingly used across the Web, especially for sites whose focus is the content.
Prune away unnecessary graphic elements and sections that nobody bothers with anyway. It will make your site lighter and prettier.
Remember to keep an eye on your competitors’ sites to discover the latest design trends in your niche.
