10 Web Design Trends For 2017

At MMG every digital design is unique. We love finding what makes your business special and leveraging the latest in web techniques and technologies to get your message out over the web. Let's have a look at 10 trends that we keep seeing over the web in 2017.

Most social media platforms provide video as an integral part of their experience. With many users and business flooding the content space with clever, funny viral videos, leaving users wanting for more. A recent report from Google predicts that video content will make up for 74% of all web traffic in 2017.

• Many of our clients are adopting video as part of their ongoing marketing and branding efforts. Shareable content is a great way of reaching your audience at a fraction of traditional marketing costs.
• Websites will feature more full-screen web optimised videos, as well as small looping animations to help educate, provide context, and entice customers.

Mobile traffic makes up the majority of visitors to websites in 2017. Websites built and developed in 2017 must look great no matter the device. Clever UI/UX design stands out on mobile pages.

A strong focus on beautiful type is as important as the images and other visual elements on the page. Fonts that pair nicely and match the brand make all the difference.

The negative space around content blocks is getting larger. Sites are starting to give ample breathing room between content to let beautiful typography breathe.

Gifs can bring advertising banners to life. They are simple. Extremely practical and add glam to you web page.

With the rise in popularity of Mega Menus, UI/UX designers will leverage the added visual space to help provide context to what lies within the site, saving users wasted clicks. This technique is extremely useful for large e-commerce and/or blog sites who are going for a magazine feel. This technique works well if used judiciously, but caution is advised if your site is lacking large amounts of content.

With the advancement in phone technology and the accessibility of quality cameras, companies, even small brick and mortar stores are opting for authenticity when it comes to product and location photos. Product shots with a focus on natural lighting and lifestyle are key.

Modern phones, laptops and desktop monitors are packing some serious pixels. Get your website standing out from the pack. Colours combined with big topography demand attention, help guide a user to your call to action or easily navigate your website and its content.

Colours, like text work great when well executed. Sometimes restraint is key. Websites will continue to adopt punchy colours to highlight important aspects of their page. These visual beacons help navigate users eyes to where you want them, from products in a lifestyle shot to your services or, simply to reinforce your brand.

There are many ways to make your site interactive and interesting. But that doesn't mean it should do everything. Too much content on your home page will slow down load times and reduce your websites performance. Internet speeds continue to get faster both for desktops and mobile, but that doesn't mean you should abuse it. Fast load times make browsing your website a pleasure, keeps your server resources to a minimum and provides positive SEO points across major search engines.

In 2017 necessity is the mother of design, like any good recipe the careful selection of elements coupled with a strong strategy highlighted with call to actions will make your site a pleasure to browse and convert visitors into customers.