It was an exciting 2012 for Dallas web design firms, and here at Idea Grove we launched content marketing sites to deliver news about the retail and energy industries, delivered a mobile-responsive website to an information technology consulting company, and worked to refresh a site for a client in energy consulting space. As we look to web design in 2013, we expect to see more emphasis on mobile design elements, fixed header bars, focused landing pages and custom typography.
Mobile Emphasis Brings a Focus on Responsive Web Design
Responsive design has taken over the world of web design; and with that we will see more elements made for touch-screen devices. This includes larger buttons, swipe to view images, and mobile navigation menus. We implemented these menus on a recently launched site for the IT consulting company.
Fixed Header Bars Keep Navigation Handy
We are seeing more fixed header bars, especially on news websites and blogs. Major social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have been using them for some time, but now we’ll see smaller-scale websites adopting the feature. It allows users to always have access to important navigational features, social media buttons and contact information at the top of the browser.
Landing Pages Have a Job to Do
We’ve created several successful landing pages for clients that use them on a regular basis in inbound marketing campaigns. These pages have very specific goals and messaging that allow for very targeted campaigns. These pages contain only the most useful information with a minimal number of links so visitors don’t get distracted or bounce to other pages. Look for these pages to be even more tightly focused on conversion.
Big Type is Big These Days
With the growing number of letterers and typography enthusiasts we’ll see a year of growth in custom type. With thousands of available fonts to choose from these days it’s important to stand out with something fresh. Another trend that has been gaining popularity is large type on websites. These are good for calls to action and homepage sliders, and they help messages stand out.
Looking at all of these web design trends, you’ll see they all are related to user experience. That’s because design boils down to a user’s needs, expectations and need to access information easily. These expectations are always changing and will continue to grow with all the new devices on the market. One thing that isn’t changing: We still need to focus on keeping content fresh and designs up to par.
Tags: landing pages, mobile web design, typography, web design elements