The web industry moves so fast that it's no surprise that the web design trends change every year. If you are wondering what this year will bring when it comes to web design and development, it's time to learn some of the top predictions. You'll find that you have already noticed a few of them in use!
No More Stock Photography
Many people see stock photography as cheesy or even spammy, so it's no surprise that no one wants to look at it anymore. If you want people to take your websites seriously, say no to stock photography. Of course, that doesn't mean you should forego images altogether.
On the contrary, the web industry depends on pictures quite a bit. Just make sure they are not only high quality, but also relevant and original, or at least not overused like a lot of stock photography is. If you're not a great photographer and don't feel like paying for pictures, use an image editor to add text or modify pictures to make them unique to each website.
Responsive Design
No doubt you have seen this web design trend coming for a while now. And it makes sense, considering that most people have at least one computer, tablet, television, and smartphone in their home or office, each with a different screen size. If you want to offer the best user experience, turn your attention to building sites that respond differently to each device.
If you're not yet familiar with responsive web design, this is the year to change that. The best thing about responsive sites is their ability to quickly change their layout and features depending on the device on which they are viewed. The result is that users get a great experience, whether their screen measures a few inches or a few feet.
Simplicity
This year more than ever, the focus will be on ease on use, which translates to simplicity. As it relates to web development and design, it means building sites that are easy to navigate and devoid of clutter. If you like creating websites that look clean and boast a great user experience, this is your year!
One example you will see is the return to keeping content on one page so users can quickly scroll through it. This means no more of those time-consuming slideshows that have a single point on each page, requiring users to click an arrow dozens of times just to read a whole article.
Have you noticed any other web design trends that have caught your interest this year?