We at Dreamkatcha have looked this year’s must-have features of any website. Holding its own for the last five years is responsive web design, closely followed by parallax scrolling. This year’s highest climber is the use of video for hero graphics. Our ‘new entries’ in web design trends are the use of high end photography and bold colours.
- Cinematography
Hero graphics using video footage is pretty big this year. Adding a video to your website does wonders for conversion rates and customer engagement.
- Card Based User Interfaces
With mobile devices usurping desktop PCs for web browsing, card based user interfaces transfer well to tablets and smartphones.
- Fluid Design
Fluid web design has been with us for 20 years but improved browser standards and widespread use of mobile devices have made this technique more feasible.
- Bold Colours
Before bold colours get you thinking of the web safe palette (and 1996-style tiled backgrounds), the improved picture quality of today’s monitors have encouraged designers to experiment a bit more.
- High End Photography
Forget the fuzzy lo-res digital images, invest in a high end digital camera or hire a professional photographer. We at Dreamkatcha can also help you in this respect.
- Virtual Reality and 360° Video
If you have, for example, a bricks and mortar boutique or a hotel, this is a useful addition to your website. Customers could ‘browse’ in your shop without leaving the house, or have a look inside hotel rooms prior to booking.
- Original Imagery
Stock imagery is good when used sparingly but original imagery is even better, whether your tool of choice is Adobe Creative Suite or a high-end medium format camera.
- Parallax Scrolling
Good old parallax scrolling: this takes us back to the C64 and Amiga era. With websites, they can used to create immersive backgrounds. Especially when complemented with high-quality original images.
- Dynamic Storytelling
Parallax scrolling is a useful ally with dynamic storytelling. This creates the impression of a shared experience between the customer and your brand.
- Greater Use of Content Management Systems
With commercial pressures and the fast moving nature of the internet, some businesses need to change their website as often as Premier League sides change their strip. A CMS like WordPress or Drupal enables a quick transition from one look to another.
It is worth noting that some of this year’s web design trends are similar to those five years earlier. The most noticeable exception is the use of virtual reality. Investing in high quality - and original - imagery, should be standard practice. With broadband internet access in most homes and businesses, and mobile browsing, this matters even more.
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