5 Web Design Trends to Look Out for in 2017
It’s time to start planning for 2017, and our web design forecast does just that – we’re sharing the top trends you need to know about to stay competitive.
If you’re a website designer like me, you’re always looking for ways to stay innovative and creative. In this field, two steps back could spell disaster for your clients.
The internet is ever-evolving. It shifts targets of what is hip, what is quality, and what is cool. It’s like an amusement park shooting gallery at times.
And you can’t just take your camera and flash the targets all at once. No quick solve-all solution is going to work in the world of web design.
It’s going to be 2017 soon, and the World Wide Web will be twenty-eight years old . The internet itself will be even older. And as this millennial technology edges closer to the 2020’s, you can be assured it’s moving through a renaissance period.
Over the next few paragraphs, I’m going to walk you through the exciting trends of web design in 2017. Don’t worry. It’s all really great news for you.
1. Material Design
I know it’s been the “thing” since 2014. But three years later it’s still the thing. Google really hit it on the head with this one.
The simplicity of grid-based layouts is practically perfect. It’s basically “flat 2.0.”
It’s edge to edge design that incorporates the beauty of flat design with the readdition of light and shadow, depth, and movement. It’s much more tactile. It’s a realism you can’t have with cookie cutter flat design.
It also incorporates a mobile first approach to web design.
As a consumer, I’m sure you’ve seen it. Although the internet has been mobile for over eight years now, you still find some companies still forcing people to their desktop browser.
When 83% of people access the internet through their mobile phones, it’s time to stop pretending. It’s not ok to force people onto desktop computers just because it’s more convenient for you.
And besides, material design offers so many solutions to this. There just aren’t any excuses to be had anymore. It’s time to adopt a mobile-first approach.
2. Don’t Take Stock
Are you tired of stereotypes? I sure am. It’s the cop out. It’s the “here’s a staged photo of happy people being happy.” And “oh, they’re hipsters too!” Or, “Look at these happy millennials buying our product!”
Except, that’s bull****! Those are as much millennials in those stock photos as that’s “just water” in your pocket flask. Sure, those are probably millennial-aged people in those photos, but that’s not how millennials look or act.
People sniff out stock photos like bloodhounds find meat. Instantly. This is becoming even more true in the later half of this decade.
People are tired of being fooled. They want real genuine people, not ingenuous corporations. That’s why authentic photography is quickly becoming the trend in website design.
Hire a photographer, or look for the most authentic photos and images you can find that represent your brand. That’s what I say you should do in 2017. But start now.
3. The March Of The Animation
When you pull out your smartphone, you’re basically holding the power your laptop had a few short years ago. Animations used to slow websites down like ankle weights on a runner.
But today, with cloud computing and devices getting faster and more powerful, animations are pretty much mainstream.
But there is always a balance. We’re never going back to the days when people discovered flash animation was possible. Nobody wants to go back to that.
So, in 2017, it’s ok to incorporate animation. Just do it meagerly. It’s an enhancement. It should never be at the core of your design.
4. Video Killed The Prose Star
More video content is uploaded now in thirty days than all three major U.S. TV networks have created in the last thirty years.
That’s a whole lot of footage. Miles upon miles of it.
The statistics show that people are moving away from traditional text, and more toward video and animation. People are interacting with video more, clicking through with video more, and buying more because of video.
Video is the marketing new frontier. And the better you are at incorporating it into your design strategy, the better you will survive in the coming years.
It’s also become more user-friendly. Even Youtube offers on-the-go video editing. And live streaming is now a thing your mom does when she wants to show off her new spoon collection.
So, again, like mobile friendly design, there’s no excuse anymore why video should be left by the wayside.
5. Stepping Up The Color Game
Since Hasbro nixed Mrs. White in favor of the cunning Dr. Orchid in the classic board game Clue, I’ve put some thought into the use of colors. Especially the naming of colors.
Orchid is a plant. Plum is a fruit. Nude is a state of being. But we’ve made them all colors. Or more appropriately put, we’ve named colors after them.
Rad and unusual colors are what’s “in” these days. And they’re not going away anytime soon. Trust me, I don’t think any of us want to go back to the drab eighties.
And you can give your color palette a boost with such things as uiGradients, Coolers, and Adobe Color.
Just like music, color evokes emotion. And people are always seeking to boost their emotional pallet.
What are the color trends this next year?
Kale
The green of your matcha tea powder. It’s the color of your chia pet. Oh, yeah, they’re still a thing.
It symbolizes new growth. Balance and energy.
That’s the top predicted color for 2017.
Others include Hazelnut, Pink Yarrow, Greenery, Pale Dogwood, Island Paradise, and Flame.
The Color Marketing Group also breaks down color trends by region. So, if you have international clients, you might want to consider some of these color keys.
North America
The CMG picked Thrive for North America. It’s a color similar to the Pantone Kale. So it seems greens are in in America.
Asia/Pacific
Edo Eau. It’s that Caribbean color of pure crystalline water. It’s a color that makes you feel fresh and new.
Europe
Life Spurt. Another green trend. This one is lighter. Muted. Like new wheat or cucumbers in water.
Conclusion:
What really matters in 2017? Authenticity, originality, and creativity. Those three things are the main trends across the creative sphere of our lives.
We must keep moving forward. Break new ground. Do something new. It’s what we’re all about.
