What's in store for web design in 2011. By Deepend Sydney.

1. WEB
DESIGN
TRENDS
2011
An collection of online opinions

2. 2011 is not about beauty, it’s about function.
Jacqueline Thomas
More user-friendly, less colorful and with fewer
whistles and bells, but still capable of delivering
multimedia rich experience to the users.
Inseven designs
...the most effective pages had less than 3 critical
elements on them. Designers are using softer
colors and pages are taking on a pastel revolution
of minimalism.
Benr Rama

3. Content will be king in 2011.
Andy Sowards
Web fonts, social sharing, personalized content
and much more emphasis on faster loading speeds
and optimization for mobile devices.
Jacob Cass

4. Pantone Colour of the Year!
PANTONE 18-2120
Honeysuckle: A Vibrant,
Energetic Hue. A Color for All
Seasons. Courageous.
Confident. Vital.
A brave new color, for a brave
new world.
Let the bold spirit of
Honeysuckle infuse you, lift you
and carry you through the year.
It's a color for every day - with
nothing "everyday" about it.

5. Mobile
 Web designs in multiple viewports
 Designing for touch screens
 Using liquid/fluid layouts & responsive design
 Reinterpretation of the old web 2.0 look... Simple icons & front perspective
vv

6. CSS3 / HTML5
 Becoming more main stream
 New browser features means that design elements which previously took
hours of design with Photoshop - like drop shadows and rounded corners - can
now be created with a few keystrokes. Designers can finally use professional
fonts without the clunky work-arounds that have been used in the past and the
long awaited web canvas will allow designers to manipulate graphics in the
browser rather than merely reshuffling pre-fabricated images. For designers
these combined changes are like upgrading from scissors and glue to using
paint and canvas.
New technology... A revolution in web design means web sites will soon
combine the richness of magazine layouts with the interactivity of computer
games.
 Interactive pages being built with little or no Flash.

7. CSS3 / HTML5
...in 2011 the difference between designers who simply
design and let the developers sort through the
implementation and those that understand the full process
and can design thoughtful CMS friendly designs will become
even more evident.
Patrick McNeil

8. Typography
 Richer and stronger typography with webfonts becoming main stream & the
growth of font-replacement technology
 Reducing kerning and tracking values for better mobile visibility
 SubTrend: Print Design Inspired Sites

13. Grids
 Even more focus on grid-based design – more flexible, breaking away from
traditional layouts (header, content column, sidebar, footer)
 Single page designs
 Magazine like design
 “Editorial layout" which will enable the visitors to find information on the
website more easily.

15. Minimal
Simple Colour Schemes
Cleaner interfaces

18. Depth Perception
 Depth Perception in Web Design - http://www.plantate.net/
 Parallax Scrolling - http://www.rowtothepole.com/

19. Desktop Application UI Influence
Websites can often look like an application....
Everything from modal windows, context menus, OS inspired buttons, and more
are being brought into the web design environment in new and exciting ways…
The end result: sites that feel more user friendly and natural.

20. Massive Images
Better image optimization, faster internet connections, and smarter loading
methods mean larger images being used.
Content-relevant & part of the experience

23. Texture!
● More designs are starting to feel “touchable”
● New style of combining grungy textures along with clean interfaces and bold
typefaces

26. Infographic Driven Designs
yummy!
v v

28. Constant Connection
● Feeds / activity
● Social Media Convergence

29. Crispy, pixel perfect web elements
●Because of multiple resolutions for different devices
●Same content but with much more detail and richness

32. And some more...
 Thumbnail design awareness – Google
 Really big images & oversized logos/headers are a new effort in branding for
websites
 Lighter & brighter designs
 More interactive web apps (inspired by iPhone apps)
 Simple legible symmetrical logo design
 Letterpress typography continues...
 Attention to details with sewn-like elements, badges and banners

33. Sources
http:///www.brightlabs.com.au/page/Web-Design-Blog/Website_Trends_2011
http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2011/01/web-design-predictions-for-2011/
http://webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/design-theory/the-state-of-web-
design-trends-2011-annual-edition/
http://webdesignledger.com/tips/web-design-trends-in-2011
http://www.webdesignshock.com/review/design-trends-for-2011/
http://www.inseven.ca/wp/advice-news-opinions/web-design-trends-in-
2011.html