Visual Contenting February 2016 | Page 15

TRENDS Design principles are timeless, but the past few years have been amazing for great design. More organizations are beginning to value design as a competitive advantage. A cohesive design strategy moves beyond just the web and print, as it expands to mobile and other platforms. The best design trends will continue, but we’ll also start to see more innovative new ideas appear. Let’s take a look at what we can expect in 2016. Continuing Trends The Rise of Flat Flat design has been with us for a few years now, but it is continuously evolving towards its ideal form. The continued expansion of devices and screen sizes means that the principle of flat design is not going away anytime soon. It may look a bit different every year, but the core reason of its existence will persist. Background Full Screen Videos The perfect background video automatically elevates the perceived quality of a website. As Internet speeds increase across the world and designers learn how to best use video to support and not distract from the content, we can expect to see video continue to play an important role in designs. Visual Contenting Mobile Apps and Social Sites Will Dominate Mobile apps are not going away, and designers are getting better at designing them. Mobile device use is increasing and expanding to other types of platforms such as the Apple Watch and smart TV devices. The social element is tightly integrated with these apps and will continue its important role. Responsive Design with Better Performance The life of a designer becomes more complicated as users move increasingly to multiple devices. Responsive design is the answer when designing for the web. Responsive has already become the standard, but it will continue to infiltrate across the web as old websites are redesigned. New Trend Predictions Correct Typography (Fit the Theme) The availability of typefaces continues to expand, making choosing the right font harder for designers. As designers are improving all aspects of their design, including typography, we’ll see adhering to sound typographical principles become even more important. Increased Minimalism (Stripping It Back) Hand in hand with responsive design and flat design is increased minimalism. As the web becomes more complicated, minimalism is much more attractive.