Do you remember the first website that you built? How did it look like? I bet you thought that it wasn't the coolest you have, but at some point you thought that you are already capable of building one nice looking website without compromising its functionality. When we learned Flash, we thought the possibility of designing stunning websites was boundless. Yet at the time when Flash was criticized as bandwidth-hogging, information hiding piece of application, we managed to evolve as successful, up-to-date web designers with the introduction of AJAX, light box and related technologies. As we begin the new year, let us examine what experts in the industry are saying about design trends that will dictate how websites should be and will be built.

Magazine layout

As people spend more of their time online, I think the effort try to connect offline magazines to that online makes sense. Magazine layouts offer brief and concise information people on the go are more likely to patronize.
 

Typography

Typography has been one of the most difficult web elements to part with. That's because traditional ones were chosen for optimal browsing experience and ever conscious usability experts flag our pages once unwanted (or unnecessary typefaces appear). Yet, changes are taking place. For example, we see fresh -- but not necessarily new as we see them in traditional media -- set of fonts appearing on various shapes and sizes in an attempt to illustrate a unique brand identity.

Larger images and text

Perhaps the trend on using larger screen monitors have emboldened websites to emphasize the message by using large images and text. By doing so, visitors will hopefully remember our identity and understand our message better.

Social Media add-ons

It is no longer uncommon to notice the ubiquitous logos of Facebook, Twitter or YouTube grace on one tiny yet prominent corner of a page. That's because it is now easier to connect with like-minded visitors who are followers of popular social media applications.

Oversized footers

Footers are traditionally ignored part of a web page where uninteresting yet necessary pieces of content such as privacy content and terms of use are found. The emerging trend expands this section to include more elements: not necessarily important but nonetheless informative. This includes the social media identities, Flickr photo feeds or latest blog entries.