Capturing the Eye of the Beholder

Web design, just like fashion design, seems to change by the season. Some of those changes are due to new technologies, such as faster internet connections allowing more audio-visual content. Some of those changes are born of a refinement of the online aesthetic. We’ve seen a few trends in web design in the past year, and we thought you might like to know what’s hot.

Typographic Layouts

Never argue with a typography geek! They see a world that the rest of us can’t understand. If you’re looking for modern web design, however, set them loose. Big, striking typographic treatments are very popular, and the increasing varieties of web fonts make it easier to use words to transmit meaning in layers, with language and with unique visual elements. Some great typography-centric sites include BarCamp and, more subtly, A List Apart.

Parallax

It is fun to say and it’s not a Dr. Who villain: Parallax. Parallax can mean a few things, but in modern web design, it means the items and/or background components of a site move at different rates as you scroll. It adds a sense of depth to the site, and Parallax is attention grabbing. A couple of really nice examples of this are ESPN’s “The Long, Strange Trip of Dock Ellis” and Mo’s and Bows.

Modal Box

Everyone hates popups, but they love modal boxes. A modal box is used to offer more targeted information quickly, without navigating the user away from the page. These are commonly used to show portfolios or to bring up contact forms. The main page (called the “parent window”) becomes inaccessible when working in a modal box, which helps direct user attention, but you should always let your users close the modal box. Basically, if your twisted mind has conjured the idea that a popup window would be great, calm down and use a modal box instead. A nice example of the modal box can be seen if you click the “Send me more information” box at Steinway & Sons (and go ahead and fill that form out if you want a piano).

So, there are a few fun design trends that have come into their own in 2012. Behind the scenes of those amazing visual elements, you’ll find some elegant technical development, but we won’t bore you with that… or will we?