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Web Design Trends for 2010
Introduction
The cobwebs have cleared from New Year so it is time to get to grips with some of the design trends that will shape websites in 2010. Here is my view of what we will all be aspiring to do with web designs for the coming year.
Supersize Me
Everything will be going large in 2010. Headers, footers and images will be dominating screen real estate. The 'Splash' page was proved to be a bad idea as far as SEO is concerned some time ago. So, what is the alternative? Make the impact you want to hook visitors in by being very bold indeed. The website header or footer acts almost like a 'Splash' page in itself but the beauty of this approach is that the user (and Search Engine Spider) only has to scroll down the screen to get to the juicy content. Hopefully this approach will dispell the myth that 'users won't scroll down a page'. I know this is a load of rubbish but it still gets quoted at me on a weekly basis. If you can hook a viewer in with a big, bold image then they will scroll down to see what you have to say.
The 'One Pager'
The attitude that a website must have 'at least five pages' to be called a website is a thing of the past. The 'One Pager' is now an acceptable part of website creation. It used to be the case that web designers felt it neccessary to try and create a network of pages with navigation. In 2010 less will be more and creators of personal and portfolio sites will not try and fill up five pages with nonsense when one page will do a better job. Even if you do have lots more to say than you can get on one page then the trend for 'intro' boxes will explode in 2010 giving that personal touch to websites.
Modal Boxes
Modal boxes (or Lighboxes) in 2009 became a great way to add extra content or functionality such as Search Boxes, Tool Tips or Contact Forms without creating a whole new page to house it. Modal boxes have paved the way for the kind of one page design I mentioned previosuly so I will confidently predict they will become more and more popular in 2010.
Typography
Readability has put the shackles on web designers for far too long now. 'Web Safe' fonts have been the main stay of website typography for a decade. Well, as we enter a new decade, designers are saying 'no more'. Print designers have had all the fun with fonts for years now and web designers will have to study printed design to get a true feel with how typography should be used but the trend towards using typography to enhance a website should be embraced by all web designers in 2010. Use with caution but definitely use!
Magazine Layouts
There always seemed to be a distinct difference between a printed page layout and a web page layout but now web designers are learning from what print designers have always known, that an interesting and cleanly laid out 'index' page, with 'teasers' about the stories inside, will entice viewers into the rest of a website. Magazine style layouts are clean, crisp and make excellent use of the grid style layouts that have become so popular over the last couple of years.
With the expansion and further innovation of CSS3 and HTML5 standards, the web designers hand will hopefully be freed up to push the concept of online media even further than it has ever been. Bring on the next decade of web design is what I say.
