“Dress to impress” does not only apply to you and your colleagues. According to the 2010-2011 world of web design, your web site is also expected to be dressed to the nines in the latest web design trends. With more personalized touches, web design this year is all about big, bold, and beautiful. Here are some tips to keep up with the trends.
Your Grand Intro
The first rule of thumb is to properly introduce yourself without scaring away your audience. And with an intro box, you can do this in a concise way. The intro box saves you the stress of creating the perfect “about” page and forces your introduction to be short and sweet. Hasty viewers appreciate brevity.
And typically, when your viewer loses interest, web designers like to throw in the irritating pop-up box. But a new trend this year is transforming this outcast from pest to popular. The sleeker modal box is a similar pop-up feature that offers a more subtle appearance and is less likely to annoy your visitor.
Big
Today’s “information age” pressures you to accumulate clutter on your home page. So how do you help viewers sort through the rubble? “Biggie size” your logo, enlarge your header and footer, increase your image sizes. Web designers use these oversized elements on home pages to point out the most important details to the viewer – company logo, for example. These large images will create a sense of power for your company and act as instant reminders for the viewers to acknowledge exactly who they’re browsing. In 2010-2011, don’t be afraid to do it big!
Bold
Experimenting with fonts is another brave shift in today’s web design trends. More sites are using the slab typeface to highlight their main concepts. The slab typeface is all-caps, “Old West” lettering format typically used for key phrases and headings. Its bold and daring look is also a way to combine the oversized lettering and vintage style trends.
Mixing up your typography is also way to add an edgy appeal to your site. For instance, a slogan made up of varying font types and sizes serves as both information and art. The word collage will also keep you from junking up your page with an excess of photos.
Beautiful
Other web design styles of 2010-2011 include homemade sketches and vintage themes. The hand-drawn look is a way to individualize your site with a less formal touch, and it creates a whimsical tone. Depending on your target audience, you can also use a retro style – a 50’s diner scene or an old marquee border – to add a flare of playfulness or nostalgia.
Styling And Profiling
Today, many sites are mimicking the style of a magazine layout to offer viewers a familiar way to sort through the site’s pages. The magazine layout is especially common in blogs. And when it comes to getting personal, another new idea is to spotlight your praised staff member or company president in a creative, one-page profile. Brighten up the colors and use a fun variety of fonts to truly express the person’s personality. Don’t be afraid to be dramatic. Such details may help create stronger relationships between your company and your audience as viewers learn about the profiled person through particularized visuals.