What's "In" for Website Design?

Website design is always changing; with new technologies emerging constantly, web design gets more creative, unique, and advanced all the time. But there are a few trends that have been recurring often enough that we know they will probably stick around for a while. Here are just a few:

Font Styles: Lots of website designers are employing the use of rich typography for their websites. Use a variety of readable, but eye-catching fonts to draw viewers in. Not only does this have a cool look, but it also makes your text more of a piece of artwork than just a page of information. Use a larger, bold font for your heading and a loopier, cursive font for subheadings. Mix and match flowy fonts with stark letters. Taking advantage of font styles for your web designs can add the finishing touch to an awesome web design. Some font styles are online for free, but others cost money. Make sure you figure out if you need to pay for your funky fonts.

Blocks: Lately a lot of website designers are using block style templates to make their websites. With block style web design, you can use a lot of different pictures and images to enhance your site. It also offers a segmented, organized view of what the website has to offer; web designers like to use blocks so that everything is clear and easy to find. It also creates an appealing visual with the variety of images and colors. You can contrast different colors and fonts to make a website look exciting, but also informative. Also, use different size blocks to create a collage-like web design. If you are designing for a company that has a lot of different things to offer, consider blocking off the different sections and including a contrasting image in each block.

Photography: Some companies want to bring their websites to life. This can be done using photography backgrounds, which enhance the reality component of the website. Users like seeing good photography on websites because it emits a life-like feel and connects them to the web design. Sometimes animated images can come off as fake or hokey. Real images remind us that web design is an extension of real life.

Large Background images: Opposite of the blocking approach, this web design tactic has the viewer focused on one big picture. Web designers will place one image in the background to summarize the overall feel for the website and the company.

Infographics: These have been in the business a long time, but they are still part of the trend. Infographics are little pictures or symbols that stand for a different web pages or features of the website. If you want to contact the company, for instance, you might see a pencil or phone infograph. If you want to learn about their policies you may see a question mark. These are good ways to save space on your website and also avoid running the reader down with too much wordage.

Handwriting: Using font that appears to be handwritten can give a website an easy going feeling. Also, using images that look hand drawn (albeit professionally) can add a touch of home feeling to the website design. If you are designing for a company that wants to attract families or feminine items, this may be a good approach.

Trends in web design may change, but these are some that are sure to be popular for a while. Website design is geared to making the online experience as real for the user as possible. Use photography, vibrant colors, and unique fonts to get the readers’ attention, but also remember to make your websites user friendly and easily comprehensible. CODANK Web Design is dedicated to designing websites for the customer, ensuring that the company’s business model is portrayed professionally and creatively. Contact us if you have questions about how your company can maintain a web presence today.

Reinvent your website for the new year

A new year means a new opportunity - this could be your chance to clean up your site, tie up loose ends, and start over fresh. Although it's not a requirement, many people use the new year as a reason to update their site and make a change. So if you're looking to get your website up to speed for the next year, here are a few things you can do.

Check your competition. The first thing you should do is make a list of your competitors and check their websites. Look at what sort of changes they've made over the year (or since you last checked). See if your competition has added anything, changed, or has remained relatively static. Even if your competitors have not changed their sites much, you should be aware of what's going on in your industry - and what you can do to stay a step ahead.

Review your website. Once you've made note of the things your competitors have done, then you need to take a look at your own website. Ask yourself if there are any features your competition has that would be beneficial for you to add too - if you're lacking anything that could cost you a customer. Make changes as needed by updating information and yearly numbers, getting rid of things that only applied to the year before (such as specials and give-aways), and adding features that you think could benefit your users and make their experience easier. Sometimes this means a change in design; you may also find you need to add or reorder pages for clarity's sake. It is also a good time to give your site a thorough usability test and check to make sure it is compatible with the latest technology (particularly mobile technology, which Forbes.com reports has risen 117.8% over the past year).

Try something new. A new year is the perfect time to roll out a new feature, hold a contest, or send out a newsletter. Now's the time to get started on any new practices you've learned about and would like to try. Whether you want to create a new line of products or sign up for Twitter, you should get started now to make the most of your new strategy over the following year. The least that could happen would be for you to learn something about your market and your business - it's worth a shot.

New Year's is a great time to reinvent your website - and even redesign it. If you want a fresh start with a new design and layout, then you can contact a web designer or a design company, such as Codank Web Design, to help you clean up your site and make it fresh for a new start.

About CODANK Web Design

CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services.

For more information, visit us at www.codank.com