Trends in Web Design 2011

2011 was a great year for digital design. The industry has expanded across all mediums, and with the increasing encouragement of HTML5, CSS3 and mobile browsing, the floodgates really are open for designers to explore their creativity.

Here are some trends that have emerged over the recent year.

1. Texture

The use of texture has become such a trend that it is now subject to overuse by insecure designers.

Subtle inclusion in a design can add depth and visual interest to a page, and properly used can have a great effect on the overall visual of a page.

2. HTML5 & CSS3

With the possibilities emerging from the introduction of HTML5 and CSS3, the future looks bright for digital design.

While browsers keep on catching up and though compatibility is still an issue - one hopes that these new strands of internet technology will fast move into the mainstream.

3. One-Pagers

A cost effective and often visually impactive means to introduce your business to a viewer.

The one-page solution also helps SEO, and encourages a positive user experience in the provision of important information quickly.

4. Parallax

Brought to the global stage mostly by the Nike Better World site, and now with tutorials and different examples cropping up all over.

This visual effect and reactive technology instantly engages the viewer's attention, and used subtly can really make a page stand out.

5. Responsive Design

With the HUGE variety of display devices on offer, from mobile to 27" mac, from iPad to Android, the new requirement is for websites to respond to the viewer's portal.

Try and stretch the screen for the 'Captain Dash' website below and watch the effect on the images and navigation - very clever!

6. Typography

With the increasing prominence of font squirrel, font face, cufon and Google webfonts - people are starting to play with their typography options.

A great tool for marketing and impactive headlines, some websites are even chopping and changing their typographic styles for the body text content to give their site the extra punch.