6 Web design trends you should pay attention to this year

Web design is a fascinating industry because it changes so rapidly. It seems that new trends are emerging just about every week. User experience has taken centre stage as the core of all web design and creating a website that's intuitive, functional, and visually appealing is what drives the design process. This year's trends are no different. If you're building a new website (or revamping an old one), keep these web design trends in mind.

Vertical scrolling is still on trend

Mobile traffic will surpass desktop traffic this year, and web design now revolves around making websites that look great across all devices. As such, vertical scrolling has emerged and will continue to be a big trend this year. Perhaps this is because scrolling is a much easier way to navigate a website than clicking on tabs or the much-debated "hamburger menu". Plus, it's so much simpler to swipe and scroll on a smartphone than it is to click.

Card-style design is great for content-heavy sites

Card-style interfaces have become a huge trend over the past year, and for good reason. They're stylish, simple, and are great for responsive design. Furthermore, they allow you to convey more information on one page in a way that's clean and easy to digest. If your website has a lot of sections and information, a card-style layout will suit it well.

Hero videos save the day

Videos are one of the best ways to grab visitors' attention. So how does this fit into web design? The answer is with hero videos. You've seen them before: the videos clips that play as the background of the website. Hero videos immerse visitors in the story of your brand and make connections feel more human. They are the fusion of experience and interaction and bring your website into the modern age.

Micro-interactions have a big impact

Speaking of interactions, micro-interactions are huge this year. These small, barely-there interactions let users know they've "completed" a task. They work because they're a natural extension of the thought process. For example, when you plug your phone into a charger and it gives you that little vibration, you know it's charging. You intuitively expected a reaction, and you got one. Essentially, micro-interactions are how humans and technology communicate. We see this in web design in a variety of places: a login box that shakes when you enter the wrong password, or a blurb that pops up when you hover over an element. They're great for web design because they help your users connect with your site on a subconscious level.

Typography-based design speaks to your visitors

Typography-based websites have been a trend for a few years now, and they're not going anywhere. As web design becomes more streamlined, it makes room for bigger, bolder, and more beautiful fonts. The benefits of typography work on three levels:

• Your users are naturally attracted to good-looking fonts, which makes them want to stay on the page.
• You get your message across in the clearest way possible – by saying it directly!
• The subtleties of the fonts you choose convey brand persona, whether fun and hip, polished and professional, or something in between.
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Fonts do a great deal for your website and your brand, so choose your font wisely. You can expect to see a lot more typography-based sites this year.

Bold colours stand out (in a good way)

Before flat design, web designers tended to avoid bright and bold colours. This is because the bright colours could lead to sensory overload amongst the other elements on the page. Since flat design has become so popular, however, web designers have much more freedom to play around with colour. In fact, bold colour palettes are going to become a big trend this year. 2016 will say goodbye to the monotone shades of last year and welcome rich, gorgeous colours with open arms.

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