Web Design Trends for 2016
Fast becoming a feature of Double S Design is to evaluate website design trends and look at why certain themes are set to continue.
Web Design Trends for 2016
In 2014 and 15 we wrote articles predicting what web design trends will be for the coming years. It looks like our favourite features and styles will continue to grow in 2016. Indeed those companies who are most up to date and most creative are winning contracts and educating potential customers in the process.
Interestingly the trends and ideas expressed here can be related to other forms of design, mainly design for print and exhibition design. Good design follows a few simple cues that can be applied to anything – even your kitchen design – think about it, the position of your fridge, sink and cooker should create a golden triangle to make work efficient. The same applies to websites, there’s been a few featured trends that have not quite taken off and others that continue to be a hit, new trends are coming too, let’s explore some of them now:
Emerging Ideas
Cinemagraphs
We love this idea and can’t wait to give it a try! On researching this subject we discovered the term ‘Harry Potter style images’, but people of a certain age may think about Terry Gilliam style animation. So is it really all that new? The idea was first created by Kevin Burg and Jamie Beck and are produced a little more elegantly than the Monty Python style, example below:
Man With Trench Coat (Image Source: From Me To You)
Material Design
What’s this you ask?
It’s actually our strapline – ‘Bringing Great Design and Technology Together’, it’s important to use technology to enhance great design and enable good design ideas to integrate with code. Back in the 1990s design took a back seat to coding, if the site worked it didn’t seem to matter if the graphic design was unrefined and clunky. Fortunately designers are pushing the boundaries and creating a digital visual language that makes for a better User Experience – a subject dear to our hearts.
Web Trends that have stuck
1. Infographics
Flat design Infographics are entering our clients’ minds, realisation that bespoke illustrative, informative graphics can tell a story and engage users. You can be more specific with infographics and tell your story in the way you want to, thus engaging your potential customers and creating unique content.
This example for one of our clients, illustrates a clear storyboard idea.
2. Typography
Now that better fonts can be deployed to websites, there’s no excuse to languish in the 1990s with limited font choices. Designers have learned that well-chosen fonts can do wonders to how a brand will look and the web. Eye-catching typography is set to continue in 2016 and we are excited about the prospect of exploring new ways of creating eye-popping designs. We warn against using web themes out of the box that for some reason are typographically challenged, replace that built in font with something that reflects your business, adjust letter spacing, size and weights; and watch the site transform. Ask us about it!
3. Illustration Rules!
Still bang on trend is Illustration, the move is now towards greater use of illustration and less photography. This is still one of our USPs, here at Double S Design we have experience of creating illustrations styles, from cute, bold icons to mature illustrations. We continue to assess and evaluate the professionalism of what we create and use relevant illustration to enhance our customers’ web designs.
Example:
Trends that we still wish would die
a) Mis-matched graphics!
b) Sloppy, messy design – lack of thought for the client
c) Reliance on the theme to do the job of design
d) Confusing, bad user experiences
e) Bad Typography – check out this article on Typography ⇝
f) Rushed design
