5 Web Design Trends You Can Expect to See in 2015
The Internet is constantly evolving, and with 2015 upon us, new trends are bound to emerge. Of course everyone has an idea and opinion as to what the hottest trends will be – or should be – but it’s really going to be difficult to say, as companies usually respond to what the users demand for. Regardless, several web designers have reached a consensus on what trends are likely to catch fire this year, and here are the top five.
Typography
You may have noticed the past year that lettering and fonts have become a major part of web design, and that trend will strengthen in 2015. It’s true that fonts and lettering have always been considered part of a website, but they were usually seen as nothing more than an afterthought, something you just put in after everything else has been added.
However that’s no longer the case as the lettering will be considered an integral part of the design, and it says as much about the website as the designer.
Lightweight Browsers
The browser wars are still raging, but it’s headed for a new direction in 2015. In the past, the mantra was the more features the better, and the result where huge, sluggish browsers with features nobody used. Things changed when Google Chrome burst into the scene, and suddenly browsers needed to be sleek and fast.
2015 is bound to be the year for lightweight browsers, and Microsoft, which had performance problems with previous IE releases, is now working on a lightweight browser code named Spartan. It’s true that IE 11 is a faster browser than the ones before it, but with the demand for integration on the rise, expect Spartan to have more advanced features.
Of course Google won’t take this sitting down and neither will Firefox, Opera or Safari, so expect more upgrades of browsers to appear this year. All this is good news for users who want a more streamlined experience while browsing the web.
Challenges to Facebook and PayPal
Facebook is the undoubted king of social networks, just as PayPal is synonymous with online payments and transactions. While they are in a position of dominance, that doesn’t mean they won’t be challenged. Far from it: as it is, the company is facing competition from Twitter and other apps that provide social network capabilities.
Facebook isn’t the only one though, as PayPal will also face competition as other payment solutions will provide simpler procedures and options. This isn’t to say that Facebook, PayPal and other tech giants will no longer be around come December 2015, of course they will still be there.
However, the competition will be much stiffer this time around, and just like with the browsers, you can expect to get more options on the table. This really should not be surprising given that the social networks and online payment processing have become mainstream.
More Mobile Video
Every year has seen an increase in the use of video, and 2015 will be no exception. Video is used for trailers, advertising, online shows, etc. and there’s no reason to believe that this will disappear in 2015. In fact it’s likely to be the opposite, with mobile video becoming more common.
The use of video on the web has grown alongside the bandwidth. Back in the days of dial-up, use of video was limited, but with 2015 expect it to become one of, if not the primary medium used for communications and promotion. The same thing with mobile video: with improving technology, HD video will become the standard, and there’s reason to believe that video will be key to any online advertising campaign.
It’s not going to be without challenges, as mobile video screens are smaller, so videos need to be unobtrusive. Even so, there’s no reason to doubt that mobile video will be huge in 2015.
Speed and Performance
Last but not the least is speed and performance, and this trend will apply to both desktop and mobile websites. In the past, companies usually put too little information on their websites, treating it more like an afterthought, and later they did the opposite, cramming in so much data it became confusing and difficult to load.
This time around, website designers and developers will attempt to strike the right balance and provide all the necessary details without slowing the site down. Also, expect desktop and mobile versions of websites to appear with emphasis on speed and performance.
Conclusion
2015 is going to be an exciting year in web design, and while there are varying opinions, the five trends we’ve mentioned indicate there is a strong move towards improving the user experience and making information easier to find. And that is exactly how it should be because the Web is all about providing information and reaching out.
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