Huge Web Design Trends for 2014

Huge Web Design Trends for 2014

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Huge Web Design Trends for 2014
Huge Web Design Trends for 2014

Huge Web Design Trends for 2014

The Internet is one of the most fluid mediums in the world. This fluidity translates into the fact that it’s constantly changing, constantly evolving and constantly growing. This means that web development & web design are constantly changing, constantly evolving and constantly growing right along side the Internet.

So how do you, as a web designer, keep your footing in this uncertain and constantly shifting terrain? Well, for one thing, by predicting the trends and the way it’s going to change in the near future. The trends for web design can be anticipated pretty accurately over the course of one year. In fact, half of all the work any designer worth his salt does is the anticipation and prediction of such changes in trend and direction.



“If there’s one thing you learn by working on a lot of different websites, it’s that almost any design idea -no matter how appallingly bad- can be made usable in the right circumstances, with enough effort.”
-Steve Krug

We’ve been known to anticipate and discuss trends in the past and, in fact, it’s one of the larger focuses of this blog. That’s because we think it’s important for you to know what’s coming next in order for you to be prepared for it and to stay on top of the game. Knowledge is power, goes the old adage. This is especially true in the ever-shifting sands of the web.

That’s why we’ve built this list of trends that you can expect to see growing in influence in web design over the following year. We’ll take a look at them shortly, but first we’d like to discuss what the most important trends of 2013 were. So, without further ado, we give you…

The Biggest Web Design Trends of 2013

1. Responsive Layouts

Responsive Layouts

What 2013 has seen is an explosion of Responsive Web Design (RWD) and that’s quite understandable. With more and more Internet using being done on mobile devices, be they smartphones or tablet PCs, Android or iOS, it’s obvious that the traditional solution of the mobile landing page just doesn’t cut it anymore. Users want the full functionality of the site regardless of the device they’re accessing it on.

That’s why RWD was one of the biggest trends of 2013. You should definitely expect to see more of it too over the following year, as mobile internet browsing isn’t going anywhere but up!

2. Large Photo Backgrounds

Large Photo Backgrounds

This trend has built up over the past year and is one of the more aesthetically pleasing trends of the year. Working well with the overall minimalist trend we’ve seen over the past few years in web design, it can look splendid if done right. If not, well, that’s another story altogether.

3. Minimalism

Minimalism

This is another trend that has been highly influential over more than the past year. Minimalism gives websites a crisp, aired out feel. It makes them look elegant and luxurious. Combined with the large photo backgrounds we discussed at the previous point, it’s extremely effective in creating beautiful websites that impress the user.

4. Social Media Badges

Social Media Badges

This is yet another trend that has flourished what with the huge growth of social media marketing in the online world. Badges are essential for the dissemination of your website and their absence can now ruin your websites success, what with social media being such a big part of the online world these days.

5. Infinite Scrolling

Infinite Scrolling

While this has been around for a few years at least, infinite scrolling has really come to the forefront of web design options this year. With websites such as Tumblr and Pinterest promoting it, it was pretty hard for infinite scrolling not to become one of the biggest and most influential trends of the year.

While there’s so much more to talk about in the web design trends of 2013, we’ll call it a day here and get on with what you’re actually interested in, the biggest trends we can expect to see in the following year.

What Can We Expect to See in 2014?

1. Flat Design

Flat Design

We’ve already seen this pick up in 2013, but we can definitely expect it to gain more steam over the following year as people become more and more accustomed to Windows 8 and its interface and as more and more people run into it in their daily web browsing.

So be sure you’re on top of this one: flat websites are where it’s at and you need to be at the forefront of that movement.

2. Interactive Infographics

Interactive Infographics

We’ve seen infographics explode into a huge internet presence in 2013. In 2014, the next big thing will be the interactive infographic. That is to say, infographic viewers will start to have higher and higher standards for their design and their content. Not only will they have to be informative, but interactivity that will help the user get the most information possible out of them will be all the rage. So get cracking and start working on your interactive infographic models. Be one of the first to jump on this train and watch your notoriety grow!

3. Parallax Scrolling

Parallax Scrolling

If in 2013 we saw infinite scrolling as the hip design option, 2014 will bring with it a new, more story-oriented scrolling method. That is, of course, parallax scrolling. Why? Well, it’s a great way to dynamically present content while engaging the user. It really brings a website to life and, if you’re unsure on how to get this effect yet, you should definitely learn before the end of the year!

4. Video Backgrounds

Video Backgrounds

This is the spiritual successor of the large photo background trend we’ve seen in 2013. While we can expect large photo backgrounds to continue catching steam, the next big thing is definitely the video background, giving desktop and mobile users alike a feel that smartphone and tablet users have had ever since the introduction of the live wallpaper.

5. Mobile First Layouts

Mobile First Layouts

This is a consequence of RWD. Since mobile browsing is the big thing these days, more and more websites will be designed with the mobile user in mind. The good news is that this works well with the general minimalist trend we’ve had over the past few years. Large buttons are in. Menus are out. So we can expect to see more and more websites that are rather designed for touching, swiping, mobile gestures and less for a mouse and cursor interaction model

That sums up our list of the largest web design trends we’ve seen in 2013 and those we can expect to see in 2014. What are your predictions? Please let us know in the comments section below!

Elena Simionescu handles PR for Pixel77 and Inky Deals. She takes design tutorials and design deals pretty seriously and in her free time, she watches a lot of movies. Like a lot, a lot. Get in touch with her on Twitter and Google+.

10 COMMENTS

  1. Responsive website and social media are most popular and demanding trend for current web designing according to today’s requirement by clients because now people use i pad, iPhone etc in large as compared to laptops & desktops so want their business website to be mobile responsive also

  2. I started using parallax in my designs late last year, its one of my favorite trends so far and there’s definitely a lot of possibilities. I’m not 100% sold on it but after reading this article I might be inclined to give a new one ago…

  3. Simply superb…..!!!
    The above 5 tips are very helpful to attract the visitors and customer to your website. I have used 4 steps out of 5 to develop my website and it really works fine.

  4. Fantastic… You shared great and useful information with us. I have used 2 steps out of 5 like flat design and mobile first layout

  5. You have made some great points here, responsive layouts were definitely something I learned to get to grips with last year. You’ve mentioned above about flat design, could you tell me a little more about it and why it’s useful?

  6. Nice post. Thanks for sharing web design trends for 2014. Responsive websites are demanding trend in current web designing .

  7. I enjoyed this post. I really like the minimalist design trend that is so popular right now. The large background pictures and videos give a really nice feel to a website too. I haven’t seen too many interactive infographics yet, but I look forward to them. Thanks for the good read!

  8. It will be the biggest point to learn about. Especially since mobile devices are above Pc use. Utilizing responsive web designs certainly is a must for organizations to be well.

  9. I believe that infinite scrolling is great provided that you don’t use a footer on the site. If you do, then it is a headache for usability, as people usually can’t reach the footer links without Ajax calling the next part of the infinite layout.

    DeviantArt does it well, but Tumblr has many times gotten me close to desperation with its unreachable footers.

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