Web Design Trends for 2012

Dayne Shuda

As we head into the new year there is a lot of buzz in the design world. Large sites like Twitter, Amazon, and StumbleUpon are all in the process of major redesign projects. These kings of the Internet are taking the lead for 2012 on what improves a site and most importantly, these sites seem to be focusing on profit. Here are some of the big changes happening in Web design for 2012:

Responsive Design

The numbers on mobile continue to impress. Over one third of the adult popular in the US now uses a smartphone. Adoption should continue to increase throughout 2012. Smartphones, computers, tablets, and other Web devices all have different screens yet each user expects websites to adapt to their personal device.

Something companies and website owners are doing is turning to responsive design. Response design allows the appearance of your website to adjust to the many different dimensions of the various smartphones, tablets, and computers. There is more work up front from the designer and programmer, but in the long run your website will be able to adjust to new devices that come on the market in 2012 and beyond. There is a lot of talk about mobile design heading into 2012. Look for responsive design to become more important as site owners look for a solution that is simpler than maintaining different versions of a single website. Not sure which direction you should take on mobile devices? Why Invest in Mobile Design

Visuals, Graphics, and Photographs

Today, as Internet connections improve and designers and developers improve their skills, the Web and websites are blazing fast. And this is allowing designers to incorporate more visuals, graphics, and photographs in site design. Website owners are realizing they have to stand out among the increasing number of competitors on the Web. Every site is working to turn out the best content that appeals to Web users.

Something I’m seeing more of today is the increase in the use of visuals, graphics, and photographs. Infographics blew up in 2011. This trend should continue throughout 2012. Companies and content creators are using these graphics to tell a story about their companies, industries, and products. It’s a great way to show information with more than just text. The next step in this design aspect is probably videographics. I’m not sure if that’s a word yet, but you’ll probably see more companies using videos with unique graphics design by expert designers.

Companies and site owners are also using photography in different ways heading into 2012. Photography, in the past, has been using stock photos and amateurish photos taken with personal digital cameras. In 2012, those photos just aren’t good enough. Today, Web users expect to be shown more. Companies are hiring expert photographers to take photos of their products, their employees, and their business operations.

Photos tell the story of the business and how it can benefit its customers.

This is the biggest Web design trend of 2012 and it’s really not a new concept. Over the last few years there has been too much focus put on conversion rate optimization. Companies, designers, and developers are focusing on single conversion instead of focusing on what is best for customer relationship optimization. I feel that too often these days we focus on the color of buttons and the location of items on the page. We focus on how to get web visitors through the selling cycle as fast as possible. We remove every barrier in the sales process and get people through our goals fast and efficient. But are we losing focus on what matters most? Long-term profit and growth is the most important thing in life. There is no business without profit and growth. Owners and top executives make all their decisions based on profit and long-term growth. They want sustainability and the real source of profit is new customers and the right new customers.

For your web design initiatives in 2012, focus on customer relationship optimization. Focus on your best customers today and figure out how your website acquired those customers. Focus on the design elements that made your best customers become customers.

Maybe this will require more content on your website. Maybe this means slowing down the sales process a little bit and making sure your customer is educated before making the purchase. This focus is less about buttons and locations and more about successfully communicating value to your best customers.