Web Design Business Trends – The Role of Images and Web 2.0

Graphic design is a fickle industry; the subset of web design is no different.

Powerfully attractive designs can age to obscurity at unbelievable rates as visitors’ tastes continually change. Designers also have to be aware of emerging web technologies which can greatly affect the design of a website.

By far, the biggest influences as to why designs change is the expectations of both those designing and, most importantly, the client commissioning the design. Clients expect their site to be exceptionally aesthetically pleasing while their sites use the latest multimedia capabilities to disseminate information easily and beautifully.

Oft overlooked is the image tag; which is widely taken for granted. In the past decade images have found a new role in the overall design of websites. Long gone are the simple text-only websites where images were solely used to convey information. The use of images in design has allowed designers to create beautiful designs that impress visitors and drive sales.

Properly using an image in a design can destroy the borders which have traditionally separated the background and foreground areas. “Broken borders,” which is the latest edition of the “rounded corners” idea, can be used to create a freer design and breaks down the hard edges common with typical borders. Though corners have their place in designs, removing corners in favor of the more aesthetically pleasing “broken borders” idea will give a site a trendier look.

A second trend, stemming from the popularity of vector graphics, is the use of cartoony mascots and characters in designs. When designers and clients are typically opting for a more professional and refined look to their sites, it is slightly surprising to see these whimsical elements in designs. However, they have become popular as they provide a less intimidating atmosphere as a photograph.

Designers are also adapting to changing expectations of the user. The social “web 2.0” revolution has changed what users expect to see when viewing a site. For example, a user visiting an ecommerce website may see what his friends and other users have purchased. These social elements need to be designed into the website in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

“Web 2.0” has had a lasting effect on designs in many ways. Fortunately, in my opinion at least, the colors widely used in early designs are no longer popular. Instead of the bright, neon, colors found on sites such as flickr and tumblr, designers have instead opted for more earthen tones. This palette of brown, red and greens create a relaxed while refined ambiance for visitors.

Finally, in a shameless promotion for coding standards, web designers have been (ever so-slowly) moving towards proper XHTMLCSS compliant websites. Using XHTMLCSS code designers have increased design capabilities (in fact, most of the design trends require XHTMLCSS in order to be created) and visitors benefit from reduced load times.

 Current XHTML code also separates content from design-code, unlike previous versions of HTML, making deployed websites easier to maintain. Designers should also realize that, for the most part, accessible design revolves around XHTML div elements.

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