Web Design Trends…
Web design is constantly changing, and that website that was cutting-edge three years ago may well be looking a little tired by now. New trends come in and old ones fall by the wayside to be eventually discarded and forgotten. Forbes has recently covered some of what it believes are the latter, in an article entitled ‘Let It Go: Say Farewell To These 5 Web Design Trends’ (http://www.forbes.com/sites/ilyapozin/2014/05/15/let-it-go-say-farewell-to-these-5-web-design-trends/).
First up on the influential business magazine’s hitlist is mobile websites. “It’s not enough to detect devices and switch users anymore… mobile users are looking for a more fully integrated experience,” writes Ilya Pozin. It’s certainly true that many businesses are now using responsive design to provide a more seamless and intuitive experience, regardless of where device users are accessing the site. Responsive design is a one-site solution that uses ‘media queries’ to detect what platform is being used and adjust content accordingly.
More surprising though is Pozin’s ‘goodbye’ to text-heavy sites. He asserts that the trend is now to invest in more visual storytelling. Google and most online marketers would, however, tell a different story – one in which a substantial amount of high-quality textual content is essential to rank highly and engage web users.
Goodbye to SEO copywriting?
Equally surprising is the article author’s assertion that it’s: “…time to say goodbye to SEO copywriting and start developing keyword informed and user-centric content instead.” Many SEO copywriters would raise the point that what they do IS write ‘keyword-informed’ user-centric content, and that Pozin has equated the term with a much older form of the practice, which was heavy on keywords and lighter on quality.
On a visual note, he says that low resolution designs below 200ppi are on their way out. New devices with high pixel density ‘retina displays’, Pozin says, make it important for web designers to use higher resolutions to impress web users.
Finally, he remarks that design trends are shifting away from 3D aesthetics with drop-shadows and other perspective effects, towards simpler ‘flat’ designs.
What web design trends are in or out can of course be highly subjective and subject to counter-argument, but it’s helpful to keep in mind that designs are constantly changing. Any smart business owner will therefore occasionally revisit their site and take stock of their own website’s design. Sometimes, all it needs is a little freshening up to make it as fresh, productive and effective as it was on the day it was launched.
