Web design, like any sort of design is subjective, but with every increasing technology the boundaries are being pushed and websites are now often used as vehicles to showcase the level of skill of the designer / developer. I’m not saying this is a bad thing at all but sometimes I feel web design needs to be bought back down to its core goal of displaying specific content to a user. Too often is a website so focussed around a clever navigation menu that you spend the first 30 seconds figuring how to move around the site. Previous years saw “flat design” replace the previous glossy, reflective look and this for me is a good thing as it simplifies the experience for the user. Apple seem to have lead the way in this and have recently updated their online experience to make for a beautiful clean experience.

Just because flat design is in, doesn’t mean it should always be used and I like when I see sites that don’t adopt these obvious trends, you could even say they now look retro but give it 5 years and they’ll be back in fashion!

Responsive design is word you will have heard many times and quite right too. The statistics for the most popular devices to search the internet show 80% of people are now searching the internet on their smartphone with 91% on pc/laptop so when will be the year where the smartphone takes the top spot?

We all use our phones now without even thinking about it, I find myself using my phone when my laptop is sat right next to me, why? Because its quicker, easier and convenience is what we want. Websites that aren’t mobile friendly quickly become tiring and research shows that some business are losing business by not adapting this change. People want to find the information they require as quick as possible.

Photo and video backgrounds are a trend that will certainly continue throughout 2015. Using bold photography gives the web design so much impact and video even more. We used this on our One Energy project and it really helps deliver the key message of the business.