10 Hot New Web Design Trends

One thing we have all learned about the modern age is that innovation is a continuous process, akin to evolution. Of course, the most current evolution models suggest that there are long periods of gradual change interspersed with short, dramatic advances. (It is called the theory of punctuated equilibrium if you are interested). We seem, as we prepare to enter the second decade of the 21st century, to be in one of those punctuated places right now, as hot new Web design trends are pushing the technology and techniques to their limits.

As is always the case with both evolution and artistic innovation, there will be some experiments that do not work, some adaptations that die out, some trends that lead nowhere and some people who will not be able to keep all of the foregoing straight. The trends that get traction, that help the most people in the best way, will develop and continue evolving, and Web designers will evolve along with them. Other trends will die out (we hope) but can still become part of a different sort of innovation when combined with other ideas. It's a melting pot out there.

So, what's hot?

The list could be longer or shorter, and quite different according to one's opinions. There are certainly some judgment calls here, but you can check on your own to see what direction the Web trend wind is blowing. Still, here is a list of 10 hot new Web design trends that you should be encountering already, and even more in the coming year:

1. Flash reduction: As other trends show, we may be experiencing a backlash against the overuse of animation. Any motion graphics, video or other animated gewgaw, if it does not emphasize and support your core message, is a waste of bandwidth, as well as visitors' time. They are beginning to figure this out.

2. Sketches and hand-rendered designs: These homey touches provide designers a means of personalizing (and thus differentiating) their sites from the rest of the billion sites out there. The presence of hand-done design adds warmth and a personal connection that an abundance of high-tech vector art cannot.

3. Magazine styles: Web sites that look like magazine layouts are only going to get more popular as time goes on. By capitalizing on viewers' familiarity with print media design and direction, sites are more readable, more quickly. Much of the content can be right on the landing or home page, and the visitor will control her own navigation, thank you very much. This is user empowerment in the guise of redesign, you could say.

4. Oversized illustrations and images: The idea is always to draw the readers in, and few things work as well as a dramatic, and dramatically displayed, graphic. This will work for photos, illustrations and other static images, but just sticking a big TV screen image on a page for video, well, look back at #1 above.

5. Social media integration: This is already happening, of course, but will fairly take over the Internet soon. All sites will have the obligatory Facebook and LinkedIn feeds and links, and site owners are well advised to do everything possible to engage their visitors. The social media movement, if there is one that is in any way coordinated, was wise to spread the action around. This is a biggie.

6. Oversized footers: There have always been footers, but they have been small and functioned as a sort of inexpensive backup to the main navigation. Now the footers are becoming important swaths of screen real estate and can be used in very innovative ways. Big footers with powerful features will even replace other kinds of navigation styles, and it could be quickly.

7. Minimalist look: Google is a leader in the use of negative (or white) space. Nice, clean, even sparse site layouts are less cumbersome to navigate, appear less daunting and are therefore more inviting. Remember, you want conversations and interactions with users, not a blank stare with a blinking question mark above their heads.

8. Oversized header and logos: After #6, you knew this was coming. For branding purposes, you can't go wrong slapping the viewer upside the head with a huge logo or a header that tells them (with copy and design) the experience awaiting them.

9. San serif black typefaces: Called slab typefaces by some, these type families are best used with all caps and appear exceptionally bold (black, in typographers' terms). They are imposing and match up well with the oversize headers, footers, images and ideas in the above list.

10. Visitor control: If you land on a site where you cannot turn off the obnoxious music, you have found a site designer that is not reading articles on hot new Web trends. Control over video, Flash, audio and other media must remain with visitors if they are to be engaged, rather than lectured to. Draw the people in, give them the goods, present them with control and start interacting with them. And that right there is the best new trend you can run with above all.Whether you have an existing website that needs a simple touch-up or revamp, or you're looking for a los angeles web design studio to create a new online presence with a blog, Frog On Top has a solution for you. FOT Studios specializes in, competent and rapid execution of any project ranging from small websites to complex e-commerce solutions. Our services range from heavy programming and custom content management solutions to traffic building, blog set up and social networking. Call us today and get started.