Trends in web design often blossom from innovations in technology. In 2016, the proliferation of smartphones and tablets led to design trends which catered to an increasingly mobile user. In 2017, we will likely see these mobile design themes enhanced with more interactive features that communicate and entertain users in new and interesting ways.
Why Should You Care? Associations that redesign their websites with these trends in mind often see immediate benefits such as increases in donations and member engagement 1. Redesigning your website may also lead to higher rankings in search results. More generally, applying the latest design trends signals to your membership that your association in staying current and evolving with the times.
2017 Web Design Trends
1. FuFull-Screenideo: Static imagery has been used in web design for decades to engage users, communicate ideas and make abstract thoughts more tangible 2. But in a world with Facebook Live, Snapchat and other live streaming video services, today’s viewers expected digital experiences to be more interactive and dynamic 2. This has led to the increased use of immersive, full-screen video in web design. These videos can be used to tell your association’s story on a homepage, walk visitors through the benefits of membership, and much, much more. An excellent example of a website with interactive elements and full screen video is Parachute Montreal.
2. Duotone Imagery: The duotone technique originated in printing and is a great way to add some flair to your website without distracting from your content4. Duotone elements can be a nice addition to an otherwise minimalist website design and can be incorporated into typography or imagery. Although duotones look similar to gradients, duotone images are created by superimposing one contrasting color halftone over another8. An image gradient, on the other hand, is defined by the directional change in the intensity or color of an image9. While gradients can be helpful design elements to spice up your website, duotone imagery is defined as the new web design of 2017 that many in-the-know brands are using to update their website.
- Gradients: Viens-la uses gradients as a branding accent throughout its website. As you scroll through the site, you’ll notice the accent on call-to-action buttons and other features such as the navigation bar.
- Duotone Imagery: New Deal Design uses a duotone image as a dominant element on their website’s homepage. Scroll down and you’ll see an immersive video of their office in duotone as well – trendy!
3. Microinteractions: In 2017, we’ll likely see more and more websites clean out the clutter (social media buttons, sidebars, popups, etc.) to focus the reader’s eyes and attention on content 6. The rise of minimalistic design necessitates new, interactive design elements to help users navigate the website. Many organizations have incorporated subtle, interactive elements (known as micro-interactions) into their websites to help them do just that. A micro-interaction can be as basic as having a login button greyed out until the user has completed all the required information in a form7. They can also be as complex as Google's "Translate This Page" feature7. These subtle, visual cues can dramatically increase the usability of your association’s website if implemented judiciously.
This blog article fromWeb Designer Depot does a great job of explaining the various ways in which microinterations can be incorporated into a website.
The animation above demonstrates a creative way to inform users that a file has failed to upload using a microinteraction.
How ClearVantage Association Management Software Can Help
Euclid’s Content Management System, ClearVantage Connect, has the functionality to support modern web design trends, including the ones listed above. ClearVantage Connect clients benefit from simple drag-and-drop features that allow them to easily update their websites by adding modules for full-screen videos, animated GIFs, duotone images and more. Every module that is added to the website can be easily updated using simple, HTML code for further customization.CV Connect also provides detailed web analytics that can test different elements on a webpage and/or the popularity of different webpages. To learn more about how ClearVantage Connect can help you build, manage or update your website, contact us at info@euclidtechnology.com.
These are just a few of the web design trends that we anticipate for 2017. Check out the resources below for more!
- http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesnonprofitcouncil/2016/12/13/three-major-nonprofit-trends-for-2017/#4673880f4273
- http://www.creativebloq.com/features/10-top-ui-trends-for-2017
- https://envato.com/blog/6-web-design-style-predictions-2017/
- https://webflow.com/blog/18-web-design-trends-for-2017
- http://www.wix.com/blog/2016/11/the-hottest-web-design-trends-you-should-know-in-2017/
- http://thenextweb.com/dd/2016/12/22/web-design-trends-can-expect-see-2017
- https://www.uxpin.com/studio/blog/interaction-design-trends-11-microinteractions-deconstructed/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duotone/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_gradient
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