Website design changes a lot from year to year. From new technology, to changes in user behavior, to social trends, many things impact these changes in professional website design. What makes a website look modern or out of date? Check out this list to see if your website is keeping up with recent trends.
Large Background Images that Are Genuine
Gone are the days when a few small images on your home page would suffice. Modern website designs make the images the star by taking up the entire background on your screen. Sometimes called “hero images”, these images can’t be stock photos or cheesy posed pictures. Users want genuine photos; ideally photos that help tell your story. It would be worth your time and effort to take and use some original photos rather than rely on stock images.
Mobile First Design
Google has confirmed that smartphone searches have surpassed desktop, “More Google searches take place on mobile devices than on computers in 10 countries including the US and Japan.” What this means for your website is that it had better read well on a mobile device. In fact, mobile first design means you have to be succinct with your website copy and be sure you make the most of features like GPS, touch screens, etc.
Responsive Design
Responsive design addresses the above mentioned mobile issue by creating a web design that functions optimally on all formats. Whether you’re viewing a website on a tiny mobile phone, a tablet, or a full-size desktop screen, a website built with responsive design will format itself to fit the device.
Modular Design
Modular design (sometimes also called cards/tiles design) is a grid-based design approach that is based on individual pieces or tiles that are flexible and stack nicely on different sized screens. It provides a neat and organized look on any format. It plays very well with responsive design, which may be why it has gained popularity in the design world. Pinterest is one of the most familiar sites that incorporates modular design.
One Page Web Design
Gone are the days when users didn’t know to instinctively scroll to find more information on a website. It used to be a sin to put anything “below the fold.” But today’s users are used to scrolling to see more information (probably due to browsing on cell phones), so many designers have adopted the single page style, also referred to as long scroll style. It’s a nice way to present large amounts of information with an organized format and flow.
If it’s time for a website update, give the website experts at Lure Creative a call. We’ll help you decide which of these design trends make sense for your business and make sure your website is firing on all cylinders. Call us at (913) 649-4040.
