Just over a year ago I wrote about the upcoming developments on the way in the world of web… http://happy-creative.co.uk/spring-clean-website/
Having spent some time looking back on the past year and little bit further forward into the coming one, the list of upcoming developments is a slightly underwhelming one. Here goes:
1. Large images
More and more often we come across websites where we are welcomed by a picture occupying the entire screen. The main reason for this is that the pictures are much more engaging than text, and the main goal of almost every website is, of course, user involvement. Large graphics can quickly catch the attention of the visitor and encourage them to stay longer on your website.
Maybe I didn’t mention this last year but we saw tons of websites implementing this catchy solution in previous years; so maybe this trend has grown in popularity but it wouldn’t be something I’d consider a new development.
2. Video & Multimedia
This gets regular mentions on this year’s posts as a new trend in 2015 web design industry too. Without doubt, with server technologies improving more and more people can afford to have large format video content on their websites but once again it isn’t a new development.
3. One Page Websites
Another very popular trend this year is the creation of One Page Websites, often with no subpages at all. This allows the user to quickly familiarize themselves with the main content without having to take any decisions – no need to wonder what to click; straight to the selling point in a nice, engaging, often emotional way. Still one page websites have always been around so, new?
4. Flat Design, Infographics, Typography, Content; Responsive Design – this has changed from a fancy option to a necessity, particularly after the latest Google algorithm changes – but all of the above are not new. Some of these are slowly beginning to establish their positions; some have just progressed a little; and some are still waiting to exploded.
5. The Parallax Effect , Animations, Navigation Widgets, Google Maps, Grid Layouts; we have all seen this before last year and the year before…
My point is simple, I am not disappointed, I am basically surprised. What does this all tell us?
Is there some kind of breakdown in creativity in the www market? Have we reached our limits – at least for the time being – when it comes to technology and its capabilities?
It seems like it was yesterday when the new and exciting mobile / touch / voice controlled technology exploded all over the world foretelling a new technological era. But, have you seen how Windows 10 has evolved? Seems like even some of the biggest guys have run out of ideas.
Maybe I am exaggerating but really, for me the volcano erupted a while ago and it’s now ok for the planes to fly again.
Damian Budny is a Creative Thinker and Web Developer at Happy Creative, a full service marketing and creative agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact us please go towww.happy-creative.co.uk