The fashion industry and the World Wide Web have one thing in common; both are extremely trend heavy arenas. Every now and then a new trend comes along that instantly becomes a phenomenon, captivating millions and compelling many more to follow it. The same can be said of professional website designs, which will be the focus of today’s post.
Here we will highlight 5 popular design trends that companies should integrate this year in their business model. Unlike fashion trends though, some of these website design trends are here to stay for long and will play an integral role for a company’s online success.
Big Vector Artwork and Headers
Have you ever seen goofy mascots on websites while browsing? Ever come across big creative headers with attractive product images? Well, these have now begun to claim their own. What started out as a way to add a touch of humor and uniqueness to a website has now become a serious trend! Moreover, with the quality of designs improving every year, there is simply no better way to create a marketing brand that with a catchy vector based work of art or an attractive website header which the audience will remember long after they leave the website.
Multi-Column Menus
Often times we come across websites that simply has way too many links making the standard navigation very messy and cumbersome. One way to fix this is to include some of those links in the side bar but another great option is adding multi-column menus. This allows the inclusion of multiple links conveniently fitted around the logo.
Image Gallery Slideshows
Nothing captures an audience like images. With the immense popularity of jQuery, more and more websites are incorporating image gallery slideshows into their architecture. Galleries are a great way to do provide users with a glimpse of related content within the website such as other pages. They also are perfect for talking about one subject at length using nothing but images. Images based guided tutorials is another example of Slideshows in action. This is one feature no company should pass up on.
Say Yes to CSS3 & HTML5
CSS has become a phenomenon ever since its inception in the early 2000s. It had its share of bugs initially but now it has evolved to be a highly efficient and innovative way to create breathtaking web sites. Instead of having a standard HTML based website, use CSS3 and HTML 5 platform to captivate your audience and customers with a slick professional company website.
Social Media Mentions
Saving the most fundamental point for last, I mentioned earlier that some of these website design trends are here to stay. Social media is one of them. If your company does not have a presence on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and Pinterest, you company is missing out on a very vast pool of potential customers that your competitors are most likely cashing in on. Have links to your social media pages mentioned on your website. You need to make yourself easily accessible on all the popular platforms if you are to succeed in online business.
These are just a few of the trends that are making headlines this year. Companies should start capitalizing on them right away in order to gain the edge over their competitors. In today’s cut throat market, it is absolutely important to know what customers like and don’t like; what they respond to and what they ignore. By having this information beforehand and having a thorough understanding of what your target audience wants to see, companies can not only gain revenues but more importantly develop a long lasting relationship with their clients.
About the Author: Alex Finlay is a creative and a design consultant. He has 10+ years of marketing experience, mostly with startup companies. He helps startups create a brand image and grow their online presence. Alex has been working with Logo Design Guru on many online marketing projects for small businesses, helping them create their marketing campaigns as well as innovative web presence.