The Internet was not the same yesterday, today and nor will it be tomorrow. It is constantly evolving and adapting to the emerging concepts to offer the users the best of cyber experience. And specifically in the web design realm, changes are the only thing that is permanent. With an intention to provide users with the best online experience, web design trends have constantly updated themselves to meet the continuing demands.
Ace web designers and professionals predicted web design trends for the year 2012 in 2011 and most of them turned out to be true. And, now it’s time to move ahead from the prevailing trends, towards something new and better. So, here are some of the web design trends expected to prevail in the year 2013.
Adaptive Web Design:
This perhaps has the highest chance of turning out into a reality. The primary reason behind this is the transition in the usage of devices to access the internet. This is an age where people have started switching from the conventional desktops to Smartphones and tablets to go online. The difference in the screen sizes have always been a trouble for early web developers as they had to design a website for devices with larger screens and a separate website for portable devices. But the advent of responsive web design has thrashed out every threat posed by the devices and allows the developers to create a website that adapts automatically to the differing screen sizes.
Scrolling:
When it comes to the Scrolling front, two trends have a higher chance of getting popular. First is the ‘Vertical scroll’ and the other is the ‘Parallax scroll’. Vertical scrolling lacks horizontal scroll feature and moves only in top-to-bottom direction. In this, the header section of the webpage is retained while we scroll so that the need to reach back to the top portion of the page and access other navigation options is eliminated. Parallax scrolling on the other hand is like a flip book that contains images in every layer, which when scrolled in one particular direction delivers a 2D effect. This technique can be utilized by the brands to engage the audience and visitors with interesting features and concepts.
Typography:
Typography, which was considered as just a part of web designing so far will be taken on a serious note in the coming months. Developers will look for different ways of using stylish alphabets into their websites and increase their visual appeal. It is also expected that the typography will get more real and raw in the coming months to offer the users with more captivating websites.
Buttons & User Interface:
Any buttons and tabs used in a webpage are predicted to undergo a revamp in the year 2013. With the touch-screen devices gaining popularity among the people, the increase in the size of the buttons is more likely to gain grounds in the coming months. With a larger button, clicking and selecting various options and menus will become much easier and will even pave the way for a neat and clean user interface.
Retro & Metro:
The good ol’ days are predicted to be back in the year 2013 with bright lustrous colors and intense complexities. Another trend, which is expected to prevail next year, is the ‘Metro’ look designed by Microsoft. It involves the usage of large boxes or tiles of icons for representing various applications and programs. Such designs are devoid of buttons or windows and will be completely digital.
Social Media:
Nobody can ignore social media and it is predicted to rule the next year as well. With the brands and companies emphasizing on social media for product promotion and other campaigns, web design will include elements of social media such as widgets and other commenting platforms the next year as well.
So, these were some of the web design belfast trends predicted to prevail in the year 2013. As a web designer, it becomes important for us to keep track of the prevailing and the emerging trends to stay on top and offer the users with a clean and distinct website. So learn, adopt, implement and take your web design career to new heights in the year 2K13.