2014 Web Design Trends

2014 Web Design Trends

By: Caitlin

It’s the final week of 2014 and everyone seems to be reflecting on the past year. Here are CRS Web Designs, we’re reflecting on the biggest web design trends in 2014. Think of it like Casey Kasem’s Top 40, except we’re only listing our top 4. Let’s get started!

1. Responsiveness and Browser Compatibility

Responsiveness is a web design trend that is here to stay! This trend is a no brainer for just about any web design company in Boston. 2014 saw a shifting tide in which more users turned to a mobile device rather than a desktop to do their browsing. The result: responsiveness is the new standard in web design and one of the most requested features for new sites. Equally important is browser compatibility. You have to design your site so it can be viewed by the one person still using Internet Explorer:

Responsive matters!

If she can’t see your site, then you’re losing customers. Bottom line, you want to design your website to be viewed on multiple devices and on all browsers. That’s just good design sense.

2. Font. It matters.

Creative use of font has emerged as a major web design trend. Font allows for a blend between readability and style. Designers use font to convey credibility and creativity. Don’t believe me? Check out this classic example of how the wrong font can kill credibility:

Font as Web Design Trend

Besides establishing credibility, font can also enhance a site’s design. Here are a couple of sites from the Boston web design scene that make good use of font: www.thedraftbarandgrille.com and www.mccabesonmass.com.

3. Scrolling vs. Clicking

Scrolling is the new clicking. It used to be that users would not scroll beyond a certain point; they’d lose attention and click away. Now, the swipe of a finger has replaced the click of a mouse and scrolling is king! Scrolling is great because it cuts load times and allows for greater continuity on your site. Notice how our new site makes use of scrolling: www.crswebdesigns.com

4. Video

There are a couple different ways to incorporate video in your web design. Check out www.tleboston.com to see  how Trisha Young-Shaw uses video to introduce herself to prospective clients. This is a highly effective technique that creates interaction with the user. Another way to use video is as the background. Expect full screen video backgrounds to explode on the scene in 2015. Checkout PayPal’s site (www.paypal.com) for a cool example of full video background in action. This is a web design trend that we expect to see a lot more of in the coming year. Also, you can notice the use of video in our second slide on the stop of our homepage. Pretty cool, right?