With new technology popping up here, there and everywhere on a daily basis, it can be hard to keep on top of the latest trends. Here are some of the trends Web designers should definitely bear in mind when creating new sites/ updating older sites this year.

Browsing via Apps

Mobile devices are being packed with more and more apps for Internet use, making it increasingly likely that these apps will be used for browsing – in particular for social media networks like Facebook, Google, Google+ and Twitter – as opposed to users browsing the Internet via the device itself. This, of course, makes it more and more necessary to consider responsive Web design (see below).

Cool Typography

When it comes to fonts, CSS3 FontFace makes it possible to be far more creative – and subsequently more attractive – than using the generally very popular Arial font. By using the relevant font’s URL as a reference, users can beautify their sites significantly.

Goodbye to Flash

Flash – until now a dear friend to computer users – is making way to new software using the recently introduced mark-up version 5 for hyper-text.

Highlight Boxes

While JavaScript sliders are doubtlessly useful, highlight boxes in new, different colours can offer an excellent alternative. Consisting of a background image with a punch-line-like article header on top, these static boxes make a highly attractive replacement for sliders – and are definitely the ‘in-thing’ at the moment.

Interactive/ Parallax Scrolling

Used with Website optimisation in mind, vertical scrolling – which is actually easier than horizontal scrolling – is another major trend. Parallax scrolling – enabling users to scroll graphics in the same direction at varying speeds and subsequently creating visual, interactive treats – makes sites more alive and easier to navigate.

Minimalist Colours

Using a single colour tone throughout entire Websites fixes visitors’ concentration on content, rather than attractive design/ graphics.

Responsive Web Design

Responsive design is a ‘must’ made more efficient through HTML5 and ensures a site is attractive and effective regardless of the device/ screen size it is viewed on.

Social Media

Integrating social media is vital, as this aspect of the Internet is continually growing in popularity/ usage – subsequently making social media an indispensable, highly valuable marketing tool.

User Experience/ UX Design

Before Websites are designed, today’s Web designers/ developers evaluate exactly what is wanted by users. Key elements of UX design include interface design, usability and data architecture.