I recently presented this talk at Internet Librarian 2014, and wanted to share it here too! If you want to see some really good notes from my presentation, check out Sarah Houghton’s post (thanks, Sarah!).
I did some research via Google on web design trends for 2014, took the trends that reappeared a bunch, and … here they are: 15 Web design trends in 6 loose categories:
Category 1 – Mobile:
1. Mobile-first design. Start designing on the small screen, then widen out to tablets and desktops. If you can’t do it on a mobile device, you probably don’t need it on your “big†website, either.
2. Responsive. Use a responsive or adaptive design, so your website works great on all screen sizes.
Category 2 – Designy Things:
3.Simplicity. Many web designs are going for a more minimalistic, simplified look. Make sure the design doesn’t get in the way of, or overpower, your great content.
4. White Space. Goes along with simplicity. White space can help emphasize content. Use it just like they do it magazines.
5. No Flash. Websites are still working on moving away from Flash and towards more modern design languages like HTML5 and CSS3.
Category 3 – Visual:
6. Parallax. Parallax design is a way to provide design depth and almost a 3D look to your website. IT reminds me of layers in Photoshop … just done on websites.
7. Flat Design. Sorta funny. Flat design and parallax design are almost opposites (but not quite). Flat design focuses on clean design and good use of color and whitespace. Think the new iOS design, and you’ll get the idea.
8. Blocking. Blocks of content – think Pinterest. I think it works great on sites like Pinterest or Flickr, where there’s a ton of content and the content is all on equal footing. On library websites like New York Public Library’s main page? Not so much. I’d guess their content is NOT equal in terms of importance, and the bottom of the page looks like an afterthought, like they forgot to “finish†the website.
9. Big Images. Use of large images on websites is a trend at the moment – even having a large image in the background of a website.
10. Colors. Using colors is big, apparently. Depending on what “hot web trends for 2014†you read, you’ll get a variety of answers as to what colors are trending – subtle and calm colors, retro colors, even neon colors! But know that web design is “colorful†these days. So think about using a tool like Adobe Kuler to help choose popular colors for a website. Or just go to Home Depot and get some matching paint swatches, and use those as a color base for your website.
Category 4 – Typography:
11. Web Fonts. We’re no longer limited to a couple of web-safe fonts. Think about using new web fonts like Google Fonts or Typekit.
Category 5 – Content:
12. Video. Video is still growing in importance. A recent Pew report on online video says that 78% of online adults now watch or download video content. It’s an easy way to provide viewable content on your website.
13. Social Media. Social media integration is important for all types of websites and organizations. It’s a great way to share content out to customers in all the online “places†they hang out at.
Category 6 – Navigation:
14. Large Buttons. Websites are starting to use large, easily seen buttons. Make them big and bold!
15. Vertical Scrolling. Think about using “sticky†navigation that glues itself to the top of the page, or social media sharing plugins that glue themselves to the side of a page.
There you go! 15 web design trends for 2014. Are you redesigning your website? We are! Please share your new design ideas!
Good article, I like the thought of starting the design on the mobile device first seems pretty intuitive. What are you clients saying about social? Is a twitter feed and facebook like still a driving factor?
I really think white space is really refreshing on a web page.
Kinda 2012 trend list, whole list is (or should be) reality not trends…
Very informative and interesting post.It is really a big collection. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.
Thanks for the comment! These trends all came from web designers, who said these were trends for 2014. But yeah, sure – some of these have definitely been around for awhile.
Then again, if you look around at “normal” websites (like an average local business site), I think a “trends” list from 2002 would probably work, too 🙂 Web builders have a LOT of work to do!
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Great tips for next cool web designs.
Thanks
Ruby
Expert Village Media
Awesome Inputs! Thank you!
Great post David, thank you!
In addition I think we will see more use of infographics and the other one is more support for retina displays.
Kinda wish the various trends offered more details, and even an example or two, but still a useful starting point.
Thanks for great examples!
Yeah…good advice, thanks for the research and article 🙂
Although the 2012 trends do very much still apply, there is still movement and flow happening. I think the reasons should be pretty self evident by looking at 1) design technology (html5, css3, jquery, etc… 2) diverse devices & screen sizes 3) The morning after hangover of a decade of Flash banner ads. No wonder emphasis, then, is placed on crisp & clean and embracing white space. But to my mind, we are very much in a transitional phase.
Look at this article http://bbh-labs.com/the-elegance-of-cards-as-a-mobile-design-pattern/
Designers and programmers are going ‘back to basics’, in their efforts to say [in a David Byrne style] ‘Well…how do I work this?‘
We are on a road to cluttered, unrelated patchworks of info boxes through non-linear, bite-sized chunks of A.D.D. considerate content (albeit socially well connected with beautiful white space) where the eye is confused as to where to look first – let alone trying to absorb the whole.
Some time, in the not too distant future, designers will look again at these emerging mosaic tile sites and gawk at the compartmentalisation. But that time is not now. Now is the time of…oh look, a squirrel…[away]
It feels like there’s on so long we can keep telling clients the importance of responsive design – if people don’t catch on in 2014 then you might as well bang your head against a brick wall! Laura @ Web Design
I have read the all above necessary information’s and implements it on my website. After the implementations my website looks so clean, smooth and responsive and now I am able to open my website in any browser, tablets and mobile.
http://www.61DesignStreet.com
Thanks for the great share.