Web Design Trends for 2018
Web Design is always evolving, and new trends constantly emerge. We picked out the best trends that can be incorporated into your dental website. Take a look at our top 7 trends below.
1. Flat and Material Design
Flat design has been around for a few years now and is still a popular trend in web design. Flat design focuses on simple, minimalistic interfaces. It features flat, bright colors, simple typography and no shadows or textures.
Material design is a relatively new trend, developed by Google. It’s similar to flat design with its emphasis on simple interfaces and bright colors but utilizes depth effects such as lighting and shadows.
This design trend is easy to incorporate via icons or illustrations.
2. Full-width images
With the rise of high-definition screens, full-width images have become a staple in modern web design. Photographs are an excellent way to convey your brand’s image and draw your users in.
Custom photography is usually the best choice but high-quality, thoughtfully sourced stock photos can also work wonders in jazzing up your site. And custom doesn’t have to mean you hire a professional photographer. Your iPhone or GoPro can take excellent images, worthy of your website.
Large images with impact can make for a memorable experience for your users.
3. Animations
It’s now easier than ever to add animations to your website. They come in the form of elements sliding onto or off of the screen or parallax backgrounds. They serve to engage the user and create an overall more interactive experience.
4. Typography
With the rise of Google Fonts and other hosted type services, it’s easier than ever to integrate fresh typography into your website. Gone are the days of “web safe” fonts only (think Arial or Times New Roman). Now, you can integrate a variety of high-quality, unique fonts.
Take care with font choices. You want to stand out from the crowd while still projecting a professional, trustworthy image to your patients (and potential patients). Stick with serif or sans-serif fonts and steer clear of the cursive and script fonts.
5. Sticky Headers
This refers to the technique of having the header of the site (usually the logo and the main navigation) “stick” to the top of the screen as the user scrolls down the page. This serves to leave the main navigation readily available and also reinforces your brand by having your logo always visible.
6. Videos
Like animations, videos serve to engage your users and create a more interactive experience. Cut through the noise and stand out from the crowd with some well-placed videos.
They can be used as background images or as a main component of the page. And like photographs, there are some great stock options available for those who don’t have the budget for custom videography.
7. Vibrant Colors
Vibrant colors help your site to stand out and stay memorable to your potential patients. These can be integrated into small elements, like in buttons or links, or full-scale by making larger elements (think backgrounds and images) bright, vibrant colors.
Just like typography, this design element should be incorporated carefully into a dental website. Pediatric websites lend themselves well to the full use of these fun and playful colors whereas other websites may be better suited to integrating bright colors in smaller doses.
What are your favorite web trends for next year? Does your website incorporate any of these?
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