13 Web Design Trends for 2017

There is a constant list of web trends. Some are logic-based, while others are less so, and will become dated quickly. Below, are a collection of some trends that I think are good ones to watch for the upcoming year and consider for your website.

• Responsive Design: This means designing your site so that it is formatted based on the screen size it is being viewed on. Sites that are not responsive may look good on a computer but are chopped in half, or look like a postage stamp on your phone. Current statistics say that about 1/2 of your website visitors will be on a mobile device, so this is a must-have with any web design to be competitive. If you want to see whether your website is mobile friendly or not, you can use Google’s free Mobile-Friendly Test.
• Clean and Easy to Read: We are being constantly bombarded on-line with flashing advertisements and a flood of media. Consider making your website the calm in the storm. With fewer distractions, your visitors can be ready to absorb information you want them to.
• The Decline of Stock Images: Stock photography is being phased out in favor of original on-brand photography.
• Custom Illustration: People are leaning towards custom illustration to get their message across and to make their sites unique.
• Big, Bold, Beautiful Typography: A strong emphasis on typography is a clean and easy way to stand out.
• Micro Animations: These are tiny animations that give feedback and are engaging to your visitor. An example of this would be a button that changes color or bounces when you click on it.
• Videos to Explain Products: Videos to explain a process or product are very beneficial. Just be aware that these take more bandwidth and can slow down your mobile users. Consider making the videos optional instead of automatically playing.
• Bold Color Choices: Bright, over-saturated colors and gradients are another way to grab people’s attention, especially in a crowd that “plays it safe.”
• Grid and Block Design: Think about the way Pinterest looks with its grid of images. Easy to navigate, and a breeze to categorize.
• Duotones: A duotone is a photo that uses two colors. They easily convey mood and emotion, based simply of the dominant colr, which you get to choose yourself.
• Eliminating Pop-ups: Google announced that they will be giving preference to sites that do not impair a visitor’s reading experience. Meaning that pop-up windows that appear in the middle of your window while you trying to read something will harm your rankings, and result in fewer people seeing your site. Usually, these are ads, or a form. With Google’s input, this is sure to be something that websites will be phasing out if they want good rankings.
• Semi-flat Design: Flat design and colors were big in 2016 and will continue into 2017, with the addition of small tweaks like shadows or minor gradients.
• Long-page Scrolling: This is a page that is very long and has sections. They have been very popular and will continue to be in the next year. It is important to note that this page type can be terrible for search engine ranking if not planned properly.