The art of website design has never been more important, especially given the need to create optimised and responsive sites that engage visitors. When you also consider that Google recently released an updated algorithm that favoured websites which had been optimised for mobile use, it is imperative that entrepreneurs follow progressive design trends if they are to succeed.
With this in mind, here are some of the most important website design and template trends to look out for in 2015.
The Age of Micro-design
There is no doubt that responsive design has revolutionised websites in the last five years, as mobile use has begun to rise exponentially. This also creates challenges for businesses, however, which in turn have detracted from strategic focus and the performance of individual landing pages. This is why 2015 will see the more consistent use of popular design patterns, meaning that many of the prominent layouts that we see will seem repetitive. This not only enables designers to focus on the core details of their website, but also develop a consistent and sustainable brand personality.
A Change in Art Direction
The type of lettering used on web design templates has already begun to change considerably over the course of the last year, and art direction is set to follow suit in 2015. In fact, art direction will become increasingly important in the following 12 months, as this will allow even affordable and simplistic designs to flourish through the enhancement of mood, brand imagery and colour contrasts. We can even expect designers and services to incorporate this into their core packages, as traditional concepts such as PSD and HTML gradually become obsolete.
The End of the Sidebar
If you take a look at the freshest and best website templates of 2015, you will notice that the traditional sidebar is no longer a common feature. This is due to a widespread design change, which has seen many sites either remove the sidebar completely or decide to slide it to the bottom of the page as a way of creating additional space for content and rich media. This is particularly beneficial for magazine-style of portfolio websites, as these resources must have the capacity to showcase content and imagery to its fullest potential if it is to achieve its aims.
