Latest Trends in Web Design 2011-12

In this post, we are going to discuss all those changes, upcoming trends, new design elements and new design approaches which were identified, discovered and observed over the last few months. So let’s dig into the post covering the current trends of web design as 2011 turns to 2012.

1. Simple Color Schemes

Simplicity is yet another recent design trend that has captured the respect and imagination of users. Instead of using black and white or shades of grey designers are experimenting with primary colors like green, yellow or red intelligently to create a web design which is something simple and truly remarkable, but limited their palette to two or three colors and are playing with shades of each color to create really inspiring color combination to communicate a message.
Some of the best examples of great web design inspired with color schemes formed by using different shades of primary colors like green and red.
WideView

Motionoto

2. Mobile Device Compatibility

 

With the increasing popularity of tablet technology and smart phones, web designers must adapt to new standards. With different screen resolutions its difficult to accommodate the whole site in small mobile screen. Instead of having to create a separate, lackluster site, CSS3 allows web designers to accommodate mobile technology into the website design. One of the most important advances is that you can design a whole site and allow your coding to conform to the user’s viewing medium.
A mobile website should retain the design elements of the original, just in a smaller, touch-screen-friendly format. Today, more people will be buying smartphones than personal computers. That means that websites should look just as good on a tiny screen as on high-definition larger monitors.
Google

G-Shock

Dolce & Gabbana

4. Parallax scrolling

In 2012 creating a sense of dimension and depth will become more common and web designers are more focused to create a sense of depth in website design and this is the most effective web design trend for 2012. This emerging trend brings parallax scrolling into the picture. The Parallax effect or parallax scrolling in web design is the technique that features layered images that move around the website in different speeds/perspectives creating a nice and interesting 3D illusion. It can be done with the help of simple CSS tricks, jQuery plugins, HTML5, JavaScript and even Flash
Egopop Creative Studio

Head2Heart

Webdesign Karlsruhe

5.Touch screen-friendly website designs

In modern time, technology has been becoming more tactile which resulted in a huge shift from usability to tangible. With smart phones, tablets, and even some desktops using touch screens, designers need to accommodate fingertip navigation. Links that change color, or underline when a mouse is hovered over them will not have the same effect on a touch screen.  As per this trend, horizontal scrolling websites are considered more appropriate for touch screens.
Interexpresso

6. Responsive Web Design

Responsive web design is a different approach of web design using this technology one can create a flexible website layout that dynamically fits into the screen of every device at any resolution, from desktop to laptop and from browser supported smart phones to any kind of mobile devices. This technique enables web developers to create one version of the website that fits in all devices rather then creating different version of the same website for different devices.
Simon Collison

Sparkbox

Think Vitamin

7. Typography

Stylized typography is an age-old feature, and today designers are using it to give their designs a different look. In past years, typography has been overlooked because customizing typography used to be a complicated method. Now web designers can integrate custom fonts into websites with tools such as WhatTheFont, CSS Typeset and Typetester which has helped designers be more creative. Mixing bold and scrolling letters and using extra-large font sizes to grab viewers’ attention is becoming mainstream. Think bold, fun, and unique.
Forefathers

Carsonified

8. Big Images & Photo Backgrounds

Big images aren’t new; wider screen sizes offer a bigger window with which to display them. More sites will be using that space for great big images in 2012. Images with high resolution covering the entire site. Large photos are an instant way to grab the audience attention.
Cpeople

Miraclestudios

Nespresso

 9.Textured Backgrounds

The use of textured backgrounds is another hot trend to follow. The visual experience of the audience increases exponentially if the background is aesthetically pleasing and precise. The points to focus on are simplicity of design and the illusion of textures to create depth and dimension on the page.
Cake Sweet Cake

Alpine Meadows

Organic Supermarket

10. Single Page Design

The ever-expanding competition to keep users on a website is becoming more challenging. Visitors scan web pages to locate the information they want, but with each click required to delve deeper into the website, the interest level drop. This phenomenon has led to a growing desire to build single-page websites. Interaction is key, and more user friendly websites will start to crop up.
Ryanscherf

Imagemechanics

11. Social Media Sharing

The integration of social media will continue to spread like wildfire throughout the web in the future. This practice has allowed businesses to gain greater exposure and access to users than ever before. Online businesses, big and small, will focus squarely on this.

12.CSS3 + HTML 5

One of the most unexpected trends observed over the last few months was the more use of  CSS3 and HTML5. Most of web designers are jumping from Flash to HTML5. HTML5 introduced to share the burden placed on Flash but HTML5 cannot substitute Flash when it comes to create the extraordinary design elements. HTML5 now works on Firefox 3.5 and higher, Chrome, Safari, Opera and Internet Explorer 8. This programming language is all about giving developers more flexibility, connecting data / drawings / videos / audio, and delivering designs faster.
Not all browsers have adopted CSS3 as a whole yet, but they are slowly starting to come around. Some of the new features of CSS3 include rounded corners, mega drop-down menus, animated buttons, multiple backgrounds, box shadow, text shadow, transparent images and lot more… Animations with CSS3 are made easy, subtle and lightweight.
Below are some examples:
jetcooper

sundaybestdesigns

chirp.twitter