Last year we saw some splashy trends in web design, from more creative use of typography and white space to an increase use of fixed navigation. Now, with 2014 in full motion, we’d like to take a moment to look at few trends we think the new year has in store for us.
Responsive Design
Responsive design will quickly become the standard. Why? With the rise of smartphones and tablets, there is an increased demand for sites with full functionality on mobile devices. Here are a couple of sites we think are killing it on the responsive design front:
The Work Cycle
The Work Cycle is dedicated to showcasing various bike-friendly work spaces and it does so beautifully on both desktop and web-enables mobile devises. While scrolling on a mobile device can sometimes be a nightmare, this site scrolls like a dream.
Awwwards
Awwwards uses a simple and clear design to assess other innovative websites. It’s responsive mobile design creatively displays the website’s content without taking away from the well-made sites it promotes.
Flat Design
If you like the flat design debuted by Apple’s iOS 7 in 2013, you’re in luck. Flat design in more than just a fad. Flat design is less cluttered, with a more modern feel to it, and generally creates an easier user experience. Though not everyone is in love with flat design, here are a few companies that are utilizing flat design to create awesome sites:
Wistia
The professional video hosting site specializes in hosting videos for businesses and has a completely different look than the YouTube embedded player. Wistia’s flat design creates a clean, easy-to-navigate site that’s still visually appealing.
Portraits
This little photo website from AOL uses flat color design to distinguish between difference sections of content. An incredibly user-friendly site, Portraits also does a great job of taking simple images and elevating them to a central point of the site.
Clean Design
It’s always nice to browse a website with a nice, clean design, and we think you’ll be seeing more of that in 2014. Clean design strips sites of excessive elements, but that doesn’t make them plain or boring. Here are a few website that are using clean design to deliver content beautifully:
Wallmob
This point-of-sale company uses a clean design that promotes its services without overloading the user. Wallmob’s site better reflects its own products by being easy to navigates without being boring.
Joyride Coffee
The New York-based coffee distributor uses a clean design that is anything but plain. Joyride Coffee uses a combination of photography and a top navigation bar to create a website that is both visually stimulating and easy to use.
