Website Design Trends in Exeter
We’re only a very small cog in the web design industry, and many of the website design trends that we’ve been implementing in Exeter are being developed and stretched around the world. This is particularly noticeable in North America and Europe.
We’re very thankful to be part of such an innovative and progressive industry that is constantly evolving and pushing the boundaries of what was previously thought possible.
Whilst there have been many technical developments, most notably involving responsive web design, some of the biggest changes have been visual ones.
Written By
Dan Partridge
Large Text and Images
Big is back.
We’ve moved away from clunky, heavy website design trends. Instead, beautiful type and elegant images are all the rage. Designers are being given permission to build websites which communicate in a deeper, more profound way with customers. It’s not all about selling yourself, but inviting site visitors to explore at their own pace.
Whilst this might feel uncomfortable for some businesses, it’s a vital shift if you’re to win the trust of potential customers and intrigue them with what you’re offering.
This trend is very helpful for clearly defining what your business is about. If you’re going to have 1 image on your homepage, what does that need to communicate? If you’re only going to have 1 phrase to connect with site visitors, what’s it going to be?
Website Design Narrative
We’ve seen a huge shift towards storytelling through website design. This is aided by nice functionality such as parallax scrolling and intricate menus that allow the user to find intuitive ways to move through the website.
We like what this communicates. If website design narrative is important, it’s not just about what you sell but about who you are and the way that you conduct your business. As an Exeter website design company we’re very conscious that we have a unique story to tell that will be very different to web design agencies in other cities.
This tends to be achieved through photography, graphic design, text and infographics. A nice example of this kind of website is the Click and Grow website that we built earlier this year.
Minimalism, Simplicity and Whitespace
A final website design trend is the willingness of web designers to resist the temptation to clutter things up.
Clients understandably want to make a great first impression. This can result in busy, full homepages with all kinds of content and links to other pages of the site. However, it’s vital that you leave some whitespace and keep things simple.
This is particularly helpful when we’re thinking about accessibility, because it ensures a consistency of design which is essential for responsive web design functionality.