The last 18 months have been interesting in the web design world. With large images, simplified navigation, and flat design, it’s a trend that’s been welcomed by the general design population.
But what will web design look like in 2016?
An article by Matthew Mombrea in IT World looked into the future and came up with a solid list of predictions of upcoming web design trends for 2016 and 2017.
Renewed Emphasis on Originality
Companies will stop following the trend of the large, wide photo, and we’ll hopefully see an increase of custom-drawn elements and carefully-produced animations.
Credit: Mint Design Company
Evolution of Flat Design
Gradients were ditched when flat design became a trend. Sometimes flat design can introduce a host of other problems, though. The recent trend has moved toward semi-flat design, with the use of subtle shadows and card/tile concepts. This will likely continue throughout the next year.
Image source: Google
Micro Experiences
Presenting mini apps or experiences within a larger area. This is intended to give the user options without overwhelming them.
Credit: Space Needle
Reduction in Page Height
Users are tired of scrolling, scrolling, scrolling. It’s tiresome. If sites were to consider their content and the goals of the interaction a little more, clicking to trigger a drill down into the site wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
Credit: Alfred
Focus on Typography
Thanks to Google Fonts, more care will be taken with choosing fonts, font sizes, and weighting in the near term.
Google Fonts
We’re sure that more design change is on the horizon, but for now, this looks like a great start.