5 Web Design Rules to Follow in 2018	1.0/5.0 (1 votes total) Rate: Select 1 - Terrible 2 - Poor 3 - Average 4 - Good 5 - Outstanding
Sasha Duncan October 16, 2017

While web design does have some evergreen rules, the most curious thing about this industry is just how quickly it evolves. Still, these movements forward seldom come in leaps, which allows careful analysts to anticipate them months in advance. This being said and with 2018 almost upon us, here are five web design trends and rules that are expected to play a huge role in the following year.

1. Aiming for visual

According to one study, human brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than it does text. Because of this, people prefer infographics, graphs, maps and images to plain walls of text. Those who don’t believe this only need to check the well-known fact that 8 out of 10 people won’t even bother to read past the headlines. Aside from this, most internet users are currently browsing through their smartphones and their tiny screens aren’t particularly text-friendly. This is why more and more web designers turn towards more mobile-friendly formats such as video, image and infographic.

2. Unique pictures, graphics and infographics

Another thing you need to know about the internet is that there are currently about 1.26 billion active websites out there (while the number keeps constantly rising). While you may assume that such a high figure doesn’t mean much to an average user, what it means for you is that it is much harder to be unique and even memorable. This is why your content needs to be as memorable as possible.

Now, we already expressed just how important visual elements of your website are but a lot of designers have a bad habit of ‘borrowing’ them within the same niche. Needless to say, a visitor who recognizes your infographic or image from another site they previously visited aren’t likely to be impressed. In fact, they are bound to form a negative first impression of you, which is something you need to avoid at all costs. The easiest way to do so is by creating unique visual content.

3. Being direct

Another thing you need to keep in mind is that being straightforward and direct with your audience is bound to give positive results. Most businesses rush with pushing out their call to action (CTA) button without even properly introducing themselves. Upon entering your website, the first thing your clients want to know is who are you and what is it that you do.

Similarly to meeting people for the first time in real life, the first things that come out of your mouth have to be at least some sort of formal introduction. The perfect example of this being done right can be seen on the homepage of Nirmal. The first thing they inform you of is that they are a creative web design agency. From there, it is up to you to decide if you are in the right place or not.

4. Animation is a great plus

Earlier on, we mentioned that video is a great web design format and the reasons behind this are quite numerous. First of all, it is ‘lazy’ in a positive sense, seeing as how it delivers a maximum of information with minimal effort invested (from your audience). Second, it preoccupies all the senses of your viewers therefore grabbing all of their attention. The major problem with this is that, if not executed flawlessly, it catches their attention in a limited time-span. This is why you might fare much better with a short animation. Such a method would give you a more or less same effect with much greater success rate and a much less effort invested.

5. Data driven design

Finally, in 2018 the margin of error will be even smaller than it is today. This is only fair due to the fact that present-day web designers have unprecedented amounts of data on which they can base their future projects. In other words, gather, analyze, plan and test before you settle for a solution.

In conclusion

While none of the above-listed trends or rules can be characterized as ‘new’ they are all bound to reach their peak of significance in 2018. Those who manage to embrace them in time are bound to flourish while those who miss this window of opportunity might get left behind. The world of business can truly be a relentless and unforgiving place and only those ready to adapt can overcome all the obstacles on their path towards success.