In the past, web designers would be hired to make a website look pretty and eye-catching. Of course, it’s still important to catch the attention of website visitors, but sites today have to deliver much more than that.
Content
The phrase ‘content is king’ has long been hailed as a mantra for online success, and in 2017, we’re likely to see an ever stronger push towards genuinely interesting, engaging content, as an absolute requirement for successful online marketing. Toronto web design company, Blue Flamingo, recommends drawing up a formal strategy for producing quality online content, including video, social media content and blogs.
Fonts and colours
This is one of the biggest areas of change for 2017, with muted, subtle colour schemes and gentle typography being passed over in favour of bold, vibrant colours and strong typefaces. By using colours that really pop, alongside bold typography, this year’s websites will most definitely stand out from from the competition. Bright colours and bold typography don’t mean sites will be garish or cluttered though, and clean, simple designs will still dominate.
Responsive design
Whilst responsive design really ought to have made it onto every site owner’s radar by now, 2017 will finally see those sites that have still not adopted a responsive design, being left behind. Whereas in the past, designers typically built a website for the large screen, 2017 is going to see a new trend evolve, whereby designers build websites for small screens and then adapt the design for larger desktop screens.
Better collaboration
In the past, there has sometimes been a tendency for designers and developers to work separately, with obvious consequences for workflow speed. All that is set to change, as collaborative tools make working together much more natural and straightforward. From prototyping tools to workflow management and resource sharing apps, technology is going to make life much easier for designers and developers alike, making design projects much more likely to meet time frames and budgets.
User experience
To date, many websites have been built based on the views and goals of the business owner, and the experience of the design agency hired to build the site. Often, little thought was given as to how real-world customers would navigate the site and interact with it. Toronto web design agency, Blue Flamingo, takes a much more holistic approach, drawing on best practice user experience (UX) techniques to create a website that is easy to use, engaging and consistent. This focus on UX will continue in 2017, so that we see more and more websites coming onto the scene where usability is as central to construction as visual appeal.
To sum up what’s in store for 2017, we are likely to see some innovative and much improved site layouts, with clear typography and bold colours, and incorporating informative and user-friendly content. Upgrading existing sites to be fully responsive will also become critical for any business that still hasn’t made this move.