Six Expected Web Design Trends in 2013

Posted by Ali Qayyum 

We all know that technology and the virtual world are constantly evolving. Before you know there is a new trend in the market when it comes to web designing.As a web designer, you should be constantly striving to find the latest and trendy ways to improve the entire look of your website If you really want to see how much the web designing industry has progressed, view your website page which was four or five years back and you will be amazed to witness the obvious peculiarity between the old ones and the modern ones. Earlier, the trend was to focus more on media capabilities but now as per the new trends it is all about usability and latest stylish looks.

It is not easy to predict trends for an industry which is changing with the blink of any eye. You never know what is going to be in and what is going to out from the trend list by 2013 arrives. As a designer, you have a lot more responsibility to handle in this transition period. On one hand you will be designing websites to please clients by following trends set in 2012 and on another hand, you will be designing stuff in a way so that you can set new trends for 2013. Today, in this article we will discuss some of our predictions as far as web design trends in 2013 are concerned.

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Tip : Top 15 Web Design Trends of 2012

Prediction #1 – Responsive Web Design:

This prediction is expected to turn out absolutely true as we all know that new kind of desktop and mobile devices are being introduced in the market every now and then. Our Each device, be it desktop or mobile, will vary in screen size and other proportions. The reason why responsive web designing is expected to be in trends of 2013 is that designers cannot design a new design for individual website. It will not only take a lot of your time but will also cost you a fortune.

Responsive web design will eliminate all of these problems because of its ability to respond to the size of the device being used. Thanks to responsive web designs, designers will not have to make a new layout for different mobile and desktop devices. A single design will work perfectly on all devices. No would avoid this trend because this trend is expected to make things much more convenient for all the designers.

Ultimate Responsive Web Design ToolKit

This article will help designers in building a strong toolkit to make a responsive website.

Responsive Web Design: An Ultimate Guide

This article will give you suggestions regarding long term marketing strategies for mobile responsive design.

Best Responsive WordPress Themes 2012

The quality of these Responsive WordPress Themes is excellently good in real sense as this is what matters the most. You can have a quick look for selecting the designs for your device.

Prediction #2 – Designed Typography:

Thanks to the variations available in Typography, designers have a lot of fonts available to select from. However, selecting typography is no longer a small decision and selecting a trendy typography design is very important. Our prediction is that 2013 is going to be the year of typography as it will be given much, much importance. In fact, typography will become an integral part of any website’s design. Designers will no longer replace text with the beautiful images and will try to enhance website’s beauty through typography. By 2013, it is expected that designers will give typography a lot of importance because it is considered to be the foundation of any website.

A Collection of Beautiful Typography

25 Fresh Typography Free Fonts For Your Next Designs

Prediction # 3 – Vertical Scrolling:

Websites’ optimization is going to be a very important decision. Nowadays, a lot of websites offer both, vertical and horizontal scrolling as far as mobile devices are concerned. However, vertical scrolling will lead the trend in 2013. Vertical scrolling is easy, convenient for all the mobile users. Vertical scrolling is quite user friendly, efficient and definitely allows easy navigation. Apart from all this, another trend that is expected to hit 2013 is vertical scrolling of menus and buttons. When a user is scrolling a page down, the header menu should scroll down with it so that the user does not have to go upwards to view the menu again. Same goes for shopping carts and social buttons. Vertical scrolling will be in demand because it allows user a friendly navigation throughout the website.

Smashinghub is an example of Vertical Scrolling. you can only see scroll on vertical..its an example of Responsive Design.

Prediction # 4 – Huge Buttons:

Since the ‘touch & tap’ is getting famous with every passing day, we can totally expect the trend of huge buttons in the upcoming year. Initially, big and huge buttons were being used just for the beautification purposes however, in 2013; they are expected to become a necessity. Huge buttons will definitely make tapping a lot easier but yes, this trend does have a flaw i.e., huge buttons would definitely require more graphics which will result into slowing down of the website. Designers will have to find a way out or else this trend might not last long. Let’s see what 2013 has in store for buttons.

Prediction # 5 – Branding will take a hike:

We all know that businesses want their brand to be noticeable; people should be able to recognize their brand within seconds. The year to come is expected to focus more on designing the brand instead of simply designing a website pertaining to the latest trends. Designers will focus more on selecting the things that will compliment the brand itself or enhance the beauty of the logo. Designer will focus more on translating the business through the website and this trend is expected to last for a long time. It is very important for you as a business owner to get a website designed which represent your brand’s image and designers will research and give you a site exactly like this.

Prediction # 6 – Parallax Scrolling:

2013 will see a lot of increase in the usage of parallax scrolling effects. This thing has been in the industry for sometime but earlier it was associated with video games only. This feature will basically allow designers to control the depth of design objects on the website being designed.

Parallax Scrolling Effect in Web Design

jQuery Parallax and Scrolling Effect Plugins

Conclusion:

Above mentioned web design trends are only predictions by some of the experts and along with these we can definitely see a lot of other trends in 2013. Are there any trends that you think will hit the designing world in 2013? If yes, please share them with us.

9 Mistakes Made By Logo Designers

Posted by Ali Qayyum 

Logo is an important aspect of any business. In fact it can be easily said that logo is the most important thing as far as representing your business is concerned. A unique and of course a memorable logo is a great way to distinguish your company from other similar brands. I have seen so many designers creating logos however, not all of them are up to the mark. I am obviously not judging or criticizing anyone’s work however, I believe, a lot of logo designers make some silly mistake and the end result makes a logo look bad.

As a logo designer, it is very important for you to understand the importance of a logo design. You cannot jut design anything for your client. I have seen some worst logos and yes, some of the best logos ever. Sometimes, there is a very thin line between creating a good and a bad logo. Today, in this article we will be discussing some common mistakes made by logo designers and of course the things they need to avoid for designing a great logo. These points will also help businessmen understand the entire procedure of logo designing so they’ll be able to be a better judge and will invest wisely.

Let us take a look at a few mistakes made by logo designers.

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1. Ignoring the design brief

Well, this is actually a silly mistake but sadly most of the designers make it especially in the beginning of their careers. You can only design without a brief if you are working on a personal project. A briefing will help you in knowing your client’s perspective and you will know what to design and how to design. Without a proper brief, as a designer you won’t know what to design and obviously your client’s won’t really know what to expect from you. As a professional, you should take a design brief very seriously and without it I can assure you that your project will be nothing but a disaster.

2. Hasty Designing

Rushing to create a logo will obviously not result into something great. You need time to think over the design brief, understand it and then start designing a logo. Understanding client’s requirement is very important. If you are too busy to focus on logo designing, I will recommend you declining the project instead of taking up the project and designing a worthless logo. Your design will reflect the amount of time spent in designing it.

3. No interaction with client

I have seen a lot of designers who will take up the project and won’t interact or discuss the design’s progress with the clients. As a designer you need to learn about your target audience before you start designing a logo. Put yourself in their shoes and then see what they would like to see in a logo. If you are truly passionate about your work, you will take out time to interact with a few people belonging to the target audience. You must keep one thing in mind while you are designing i.e., you are designing for your target audience and not for yourself.

4. Unaware of client’s USP

We all know that each business has its own USP and as a designer you should learn about it. Most of the designers these days do not even care to learn about the project, business and it’s USP. I can assure you that learning about client’s USP will help you a lot in designing a logo that will truly represent your client’s business without being literal.

5. No competitor analysis

Again, one of the most important thing but is ignored by designers is brand positioning. As a designer you need to understand that these details are important. You must analyze the logos of the competitors and then come up with something unique and something which can overshadow other brands. Also, this analysis will help you in designing a logo that will look like that it belongs here.

6. No Research work at all

You should not consider your work done once you have learned about client’s USP and brand positioning. There is a lot more that needs to be researched upon. You should take out time to learn about your client’s business so that the information you get can help you in designing a logo. As a designer you know the logo designing procedure a lot better. Sometimes clients’ will not provide you with all the relevant information so do not hesitate in asking as many questions as you want. This will also leave no room for any misunderstandings in future. Always remember, the more you know your client’s business, the easier it is for you to design a logo.

7. Ignoring the reproduction factor

I will say that at some point all designers have made this mistake. However, you can easily avoid making this mistake and a very simple way to do this is by asking relevant questions to your client. You should know if the logo will be used for print i.e., on banners or on various items for promotional activities. If the logo is supposed to be used for such reasons, make sure you design a logo that looks good on anything and most importantly, can be easily printed on anything from a shirt to a company’s vehicle.

8. Confusing clients with multiple options

Well, most of the designers think that showing multiple options to clients is a great way to build a reputation in front of the clients. However, this is not the case. You are not only confusing the client but you are wasting your time as well by designing so many options. I would seriously recommend you to spend time on designing one logo but it should be the best one. Designing multiple logos should be an option only if a client has requested for it.

9. Overlooking client’s feedback

A lot of beginners cannot handle criticism positively. Do not take the criticism personally because by doing this you are simple overlooking client’s feedback. Criticism and feedback will only help you in learning and improving your skills. Also, a client’s feedback is very important for you to design a logo that pleases your client.

Conclusion

Well, let’s be honest here that we all make mistakes. You might make these mistakes even after reading these. The key here is to learn. You can learn from your own mistakes or from someone else’s mistakes as well. But, try to keep these points in mind and avoid making these mistakes. Sooner or later you will able to design a perfect logo.