#1 Simplicity
Flat design took 2014 by storm and we see this trend continuing in 2015. Stripping away all the unnecessary clutter and artificial depth created by drop shadows, textures and gradients. The flat design aesthetic relies on simple block colours, icons and shapes. We see simplicity reigning supreme this year, with clean fonts and minimalistic layouts dominating amongst other online distractions.
Simple websites that focus on the text, using fewer images and assets, are less resource intensive and therefore faster to load. As site speed is so important to your sites ranking, we see designers/developers simplifying things more and more.
#2 One page and scrolling sites
Following on from #1, the need to simplify how content is displayed and accessed has seen the use of one page and scrolling websites increase in popularity. Although not traditionally as effective for SEO, the increase in mobile and tablet browsing has made streamlining and reducing content one of the key aspects of current web design. Scrolling websites reduce the amount of clicks it takes to access information and reduce loading times too. It is easier and quicker for mobile and tablet users to scroll through a page to find information rather than keep clicking on links and loading new pages.
#3 Hidden menus.
Most of us recognize and are used to seeing the little hamburger menu icon you so often find on mobile websites and apps. Some designers are even using it in place of traditional desktop menu navigation. With a need for consistent navigation across multiple devices and screen sizes, this design keeps the menu hidden until the user is ready to navigate to another page.
#4 More videos, more animation.
While some designers are striving for simplicity others are making the most of the latest technologies that support background videos and flash free animation. Large video backgrounds, parallax scrolling and CSS animations are making websites far more engaging and exciting.
#5 Code free web design
More and more tools are coming to market that designers can use to create amazing websites without even touching any code. Sites like Webflow offer a free and intuitive design experience that automatically generates HTML and CSS code for you. 2015 is likely to see a continued push towards code free web design.
Article by Reactive Graphics
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