Each decade contributes its own impact on the digital world, challenging what we know to be possible and propelling our knowledge of the online space to new heights. If you have ever wondered what the 2010s have given web design and development trends, today we are going to take a deep look into this decade of growth. It’s important to identify what trends drive movement in the online world, as we can learn from these advancements and find inspiration in periods passed.
Let’s cast our minds back to the 2010s and see what we learned and gained in this golden age of technology, and how we can apply these learnings to eCommerce website development in Melbourne and beyond.
Rise of the magazine layout
The magazine layout is still quite a popular format for businesses looking to create a new website. The magazine layout looks exactly as it sounds, with content items arranged in such a way that different categories and pages are present across each page to earmark the journey of the user. Many WordPress themes will, in some way, feature this layout – and we are not just talking about blogs! We tend to see a lot fewer magazine layout websites as they are quite chaotic for non-blog websites, and fail to provide a clear user journey.
The 2020s have a greater focus on UX, and this means that website design is more methodical. UX has essentially ruled out the format that throws content at a user, confident that the user can still process content outside of an easily recognisable magazine format.
Oversized headers and footers
The chunky headers and footers of websites past were found everywhere online, and while they did provide a purpose they are not common practice in the 2020s. The oversized headers and footers were deployed to contain critical information, certifications locations and other data that can now be found on other category pages. Typically the footers and headers will contain a large logo, as the size of the logo appeared to be synonymous with the clout of the brand – according to 2010 web designers!
It is now common practice to utilise catering pages more effectively so that every page is not displayed in the header or footer. Stacking pages like this can also be effective for measuring the activity the user has on a website.
Minimalist style
There was a huge trend in the 2010s that championed minimalism – the cleaner the website the better. The problem with this trend is that some brands do not lend themselves to a minimalist version, and so the true brand experience cannot be delivered through this limited format. According to trend forecasters, minimalism is quite cyclical in design, and so in the 2020s and beyond it is likely that this minimalist style will return in one shape or another.
As some businesses explore digital campaigns that lead to a specific landing page, this is an opportunity to deploy the minimalist design – especially if it will speed up the campaign creation. A minimalist aesthetic can be effective when the customer is already introduced to your brand and so only branding hallmarks are required.
Large lead images
You would have to look hard to find websites that still have a large lead image, as this can significantly consume the first impression of a website. Homepage real estate is crucial, but in the 2010s there were many websites that would champion large lead images that best represented the product or service. You can typically still see this style for websites that are devoted to a person (author, coach, politician, artist, etc). As websites become more intuitive and resource-rich, this website trend has changed considerably.
Which web design and development trends have propelled your own digital growth? There is much to learn from past digital pathways, and if we can manage to deploy continuous improvement to each of our projects, then the user experience will only improve.
