- Web Design Trends for 2015
Are you a web designer by trade? Are you involved in international business, like Ehsanollah Bayat, and you need to talk to your team about getting a website up and running? Do you have to figure out how to build a website for your startup, despite not having any experience? For whatever reason you’re turning your attention to your website, it’s important to keep up with website design trends. Here’s what you need to know about designing a website in 2015.
Hidden Menus
Menu bars have always been a part of websites. Now, though, the trend is shifting. Instead of including a regular menu at the top of the website, many new sites have the menus hidden. You can only access the menu when you hover over a link or click a button. For websites that include storytelling aspects, this type of design can be very effective.
Apple is responsible for starting this trend, naturally. Long-scrolling web pages make it easy to get a bunch of information on one page while keeping it sleek. Thanks to mobile devices and new website trends, it’s easier to continue scrolling rather than click various links to get to different information. The key is to encourage scrolling by having each piece of information lead to the next.
Parallax Scrolling
Truth be told, you may have to be a bit of a coding whiz to figure this one out. When done correctly, and for the right type of business, parallax scrolling can create a really cool effect. The background of the website moves slower than the foreground. Visitors get an interesting 3D effect, adding depth to the web page. Plus, it looks pretty sharp.
Responsiveness
People are no longer accessing the Internet from just their computer. They’re online via their smartphones, televisions, and tablets, too. Responsive websites will alter the size of the screen, without affecting content or quality, wherever the page is being accessed. The good news is that you don’t have to be a designer to create a responsive website. A lot of platforms, like Weebly and Shopify, have this feature built in. You build your website and then it will automatically adjust to fit various devices.
Split Screens
If you have two different components of your business, a great way to showcase each side is by using a split screen. The vertical break divides the page into two, three, or more parts. You can give hierarchy to more than one product or service. For example, a freelance graphic designer could list their services on the left side and portfolio samples or links on the right side.
Storytelling
Brands today are getting more and more into storytelling, and your website is a great tool for telling a story. Everything from content to website layout can help with storytelling. Ideally, your site should let your visitors interact with it to help move the story along.
Visual Headers
Okay, so including a big header on a web page isn’t a novel idea, but the type of content that’s going up there is new. A lot of companies are creating moving headers, either with quick slideshows or video content. When using video content, it’s important to keep it muted.
When setting up a new website, make sure it will be easy to update it as necessary. As trends change, you’ll want your website to continue looking current. You don’t want to mimic what every other web designer is doing, but you do want to give your audience what they expect and respond to.
