New modern web design trends emerge every year, helping businesses improve aesthetics, tell their stories more dynamically, and earn customer trust.
Because of the sheer volume of design options that crop up, however, choosing those that are a good fit for your website can be a daunting, often overwhelming, prospect.
To help, we’ve perused the latest and greatest trends that are putting business-to-business websites on the digital map. Below, we offer four distinct considerations.
1. Understanding Unorthodox Typography
Companies have always used fonts that are representative of their brand to help customers identify their services immediately. Think Facebook – or Coca Cola.
In recent years, sharper resolutions across mobile devices have facilitated the creation of custom fonts, giving web designers a broader palate from which to choose.
Home page and header treatments are becoming more and more adventurous (while still maintaining readability), and frequently incorporate unusual and unique typefaces and serif fonts.
The typography you select for your business’s website not only gives guests a sense of who you are as a company, but it can also be used to great effect to lead visitors from one section of your website to another.
Some non-standard fonts can cause unforeseen display issues. Your web designers need to ensure all fonts used are applicable from browser to browser, ensuring mobile-friendliness.
2. Getting the Big Picture(s)
As it turns out – when it comes to reinventing web design, size matters.
Hero images – striking photos and/or illustrations consuming the lion’s share of the screen – have emerged as a prolific website design trend.
Upending the concept of above or below the fold, such imagery helps your company to visually make an impact and share a vision without words, while encouraging users to scroll for additional information.
B2B websites are also using larger product images to spotlight the intricacies of their merchandise. These photos are easily scanned by users, allowing them to review and process the information swiftly, without getting bogged down in minutiae.
Regardless of the way you choose to use oversized images on your website, making certain that they are all responsive is crucial to providing a positive user experience.
3. Video Thrilled the Internet
With our brains processing visual images so much faster than copy, it is no surprise that video has erupted as the quote-unquote future of digital marketing.
Video is yet another means of unconventional storytelling providing key information about your brand with nary a single line – or even character – of text.
As connection speeds and mobile device screens continue to grow and expand – background videos can provide an almost instantaneous way to introduce your brand and foster user engagement.
Short product and feature videos, too, are popping up on B2B websites, as many brands take the bite-sized approach to video marketing.
Statistics show that approximately 95% of consumers have watched explanatory videos to learn more about a product or service.
Short snippets spotlighting a company’s products can intrigue and inform without requiring a lengthy time commitment from users. Providing guests to your site with an informative overview that doesn’t sap their schedule is a great way to win over prospective customers, particularly if they are at the top of the sales funnel.
Don’t rely too heavily on audio to get your point across. Consider closed captioning to reach users who prefer not to (or can’t) turn on their speakers.
4. Maximize Your Minimal Design
Minimal web design – implementing significant negative space, large imagery, simple navigation, and more – can help to create focus and clarity for your consumers.
Similarly, flat design takes a minimalistic approach and offers clean, crisp open spaces and colorful, two-dimensional design and illustration. Apple’s website is a prime example of flat design, with no perception of three dimensions or shadow.
Websites with minimal designs offer swifter load times and simpler functionality. Anything that helps visitors to your website process information more efficiently is an asset to your company.
As always, consistency is the key. In other words – if you commit to a minimal design scheme for your home page, you should stick with it throughout the entirety of your site.
Looking to touch up your website, or embark on a complete redesign. IMPACT Marketing & PR can help you implement any or all of these modern web design trends, where appropriate.
