Hopefully you won’t need any member of the PENNInk Productions team to tell you that web design is an ever-evolving field. However, it’s precisely because of this that you really need to be able to separate passing fads from the trends that are most likely to last.
Allow us to help you, by setting out just three of the trends we expect to not only take strong hold in the world of business website design during 2019, but also remain relevant for much longer.
1. The emergence of ‘Flat 2.0’
Do you remember about a decade ago now, when ‘skeuomorphism’ (the design philosophy focused on making objects within software resemble their real world counterparts) was a big thing? Do you then recall the movement away from that in the early 2010s, towards somewhat flatter designs? It impacted software, a good example being Microsoft Windows 10, as well as print and web media.
Well, this aspect of business website design has recently embarked on another shift, into what has been termed as ‘Flat 2.0’.
It refers to the combination of flat outline icons (as have been in vogue among web designers for a number of years now) with the use of gradients, highlights and shadows to create an illusion of depth. This trend also tends to embrace a wider diversity of colours than the previous ‘flat’ style that seemed to predominantly base itself on especially vibrant hues.
2. Responsive and sticky navigation systems
It’s typical for many businesses to have notably smaller navigational bars on their mobile sites than on their desktop ones. The popularisation of responsive and sticky navigational elements shows just how dynamic and flexible this aspect of a business website design can be these days.
You might have noticed that many of the most sophisticated site designs in 2018 and 2019, for instance, make use of sticky navigational components that follow you as you browse the given site. Some such navigational menus may collapse into smaller and more simplified versions as you move around the site, but nonetheless remain sticky for when you do need them. Our site does this; give it a try!
What this type of navigation does is to create a simpler user interface, improving the overall user experience by making site navigation tools readily available and easy to find, avoiding losing users because they can’t find their way around. Does your existing site do this? Could it use a facelift?
3. The continued predominance of hero images and videos
A website’s ‘hero’ image is the large background image that serves as the first, high impact visual when someone lands on the given webpage.
It’s hardly a trend that’s new for 2019, but it’s nonetheless one that will continue its momentum in the business website design sphere throughout this year. It can even take the form of video, too. By combining the remarkable ‘real estate’ that the hero area of your site gives you with the eye-catching and engaging nature of video, you can make an even bigger and more immediate impact. Background videos are, if anything, even more eye-catching, and provided they aren’t too large, can really enhance the visual appeal of a site.
Naturally, even our knowledgeable and seasoned experts here at PENNInk Productions can’t predict the future of business website design with absolutely infallible accuracy. However, these are still the trends that we anticipate will last the distance in the 12 months ahead and far beyond.
Contact our team today, and we’ll discuss with you how these, and certain other web design developments of the last few years could be brought to bear in the mission of enhancing your own firm’s online presence.
Edward Solomon has over 30 years’ experience in project management, technical education, computer networking, web design and development and is a Digital Business Consultant for PENNInk Productions Ltd.
