Trends in Web Design are an interesting beast, as we don’t want to always follow what is ‘on trend’ but we cannot ignore where styles and the future are moving either.

Web design is all about creativity, which often means running the opposite direction from what’s trendy. But some current trends are already showing themselves in 2019 – and we love them!

Sure, some have to do with user accessibility, while others deal with aesthetic appeal, but many deal with your specific company culture, your brand, and your business’ unique feel and ‘why’.

At JSL Marketing & Web Design, we are all about your ‘why’ and have been for years. So, we are happy that trends seem to be finally catching up with our values and views on uniqueness, creativity, clarity, and authenticity.

Curious?

Read on to learn the best and brightest trends coming for web design in 2019!

The 7 Largest Trends for Web Design in 2019

New Videos, Graphics, & Illustrations

Videos have been climbing in popularity since 2016, but 3D graphics, ‘glitch’ videos, and creative illustrations are now joining video as a web design trio.

All of the above seem to be growing as companies and websites try to keep customers on their sites for longer with interesting graphics, videos, colors, and more.

Whether you are using video for a personal connection, information, advertisements, or humor, this trend seems to be here to stay – which is just what JSL Marketing & Web Design likes to see.

There is a certain beauty to using multiple mediums to reach your audience, and we don’t mean paper ads in conjunction with digital marketing, radio, and/or TV commercials.

We mean the multiple mediums of 2019: picture, video, social posts, content, culture, and more!

Stronger Branding & Brand Identity

Sprouting directly off of our ‘multiple mediums’ segue, branding and brand identity is more important in 2019 than ever before.

And developing a brand identity (and incorporating this into your website) doesn’t just mean using specific colors or fonts – though this can be important for recognizability. Brand development is about creating a certain look and feel for your website, with the ultimate goal of leaving that same impression in your customers’ minds when they think of your business.

Many companies are allocating funds to their branding in 2019, whether that is to become leaders in their industry or a company that has positive reviews and culture with their target audience.

It is becoming more and more apparent that a strong brand and brand identity is the cornerstone of a successful year.

Use of Industry-Specific Colors

Piggybacking off of branding is industry-specific colors.

Some industries are using more muted, subdued or pastel colors for their website redesigns, while others are using big, bold, bright colors to personify their brand.

But then what is the trend? Pastel or bright? Bold or subdued?

Well, that depends on your industry.

In general, it seems that creative companies, such as website designers, photographers, digital artists, videographers, fashion agencies, and the musically inclined, are using brighter colors to showcase their website.

On the flipside, many of the more traditional industries are softening their colors for a calmer, more serene new year.

This trend depends fully on your understanding of your industry and the direction you want to take it.

Consider a foray into color psychology if you are still deciding on your branding, colors, or website redesign style in 2019.

A Push for Improved Content & Writing

When the JSL Marketing team heard about this trend, we were elated, as content is something we adore.

And not only do we love content and writing, we are always working to improve upon our content skills – both for clients and for those dreaded Google updates.

If the content on your website isn’t worth reading, then why is it there?

If your email marketing content isn’t interesting, then why are you sending it?

And if your blog content doesn’t teach, delight, or intrigue its readers, then why are you posting it?

Make sure your content – meaning every word on every page, blog, email, tweet, or text – is there for a reason, and is able to further nurture your company culture, brand, and ideals.

And delighting your customers while you are at it doesn’t hurt either.

This means you have a voice, you use humor as if you were speaking, you are authentic and friendly, positive and honest.

Let your content speak for you this year, and always improve upon it.

Need help with your content marketing or copywriting? Talk to our experts and learn how the power of words can help your business in 2019.

More White Space Than Ever Before

Yes, writing is important, but where the writing isn’t can be just as important from a design point of view.

White space is needed in order to not wear out the eyes of your reader, and Google likes it too. But the smaller ‘chunked’ paragraphs and short sentences aren’t going to cut it in the new year.

Instead, this new web design trend of 2019 pushes minimalism in many ways by incorporating fewer words on home pages and above the fold, giving websites a clean look that invites the customer in.

Sometimes what you don’t say can really matter, and white space plus minimalism is a great example of this.

This trend will not work for every website, and in its extreme, it can narrow your customer base quite a bit, as they still need information and want to feel like you are being authentic and honest with them.

Ultimately, this trend comes down to using your words – and white space – wisely.

Micro-Interactions & User-Controlled Changes

Maybe you think you don’t know what a micro-interaction is, but we bet you do, and we bet you’ve loved them.

Think of a website, perhaps a retailer, that shows different views or angles of a product or outfit when you hover over it.

Maybe a trail of color follows your mouse. Or maybe any items you hover over zooms or gains a new lighting or frame.

These are micro-interactions or user-controlled changes, and they add to the user experience. Not only can they be a fun way to enhance your brand image, they can add a little fun to your website and create more of an impact on its users.

Overlap Everything

If this seems the slightly eccentric cousin of minimalism, you aren’t wrong.

By overlapping tabs, backgrounds, pictures or styles, you can add visual interest to your website while still keeping it understandable with strong lines and stark contrasts.

This overlap-style works with pastels, bolds, monochromatic, black and white, or anything in between as well.

It is a great way to step into a bolder look without losing out on fun features, clarity, or content.

Ultimately, you are trying to make your website represent you, so consider all aspects of your brand, design style, and culture when you decide if you want to follow any of the above trends or let them lie where they may.

Join JSL Marketing & Web Design in the New Year. Let’s Make New Trends & Better Websites Together in 2019!

Did the above trends in web design spark your interest? Or have you been considering an upgraded website for years but don’t know where to start?

JSL Marketing & Web Design is a one-stop, all-encompassing, full-service web design company. And we can help you with your branding, marketing, content, SEO, website creation, and more.

So, if 2019 is going to be you and your company’s year, then contact JSL Marketing today and see how we can harness the very best of web design trends for your needs.

If you’re starting off your new year with big plans for big things for your company, then you’ve probably (or hopefully) already started planning your moves for 2019.

But what about your digital marketing? Do you have a plan laid out? A strategy? Or does that simply seem too impossible to tackle? Maybe next year? Maybe never?

Instead, we want to show you how powerful having a strong marketing strategy can be for your business.

And you don’t have to start huge either. In fact, we’ve outlined below a few super simple and easy-to-adapt steps that you and your business or team can take to hone your digital marketing strategy in the new year.

4 Steps to Your New Digital Marketing Plan

Define Your Mission Before You Make It Your Mission

What is the point of your digital marketing plan? Are you looking to increase brand awareness, traffic, and rankings? Do you want more emails opened, more links clicked, or simply more sales?

These questions are extremely important because, without answers, you really are floundering.

JSL Marketing wants you to be swimming the butterfly, not doggy-paddling towards your goals. So, make sure you create SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based).

Let’s take a quick look at each letter to make sure you start off your digital marketing plan and new year on the right foot, shall we?

Specific: Saying ‘be better’ is neither specific nor smart. So, make sure you choose a goal which is specific enough to be understood. After all, a goal isn’t really a goal if it’s undefined.

Measurable: Choose a goal you can measure, so you can know how close you are to reaching it. This goes hand in hand with specific goals, as something you cannot define or measure, ultimately, cannot be reached.

Attainable: Since we are talking about goals we can reach, let’s discuss reality and what is attainable. Essentially, this part of SMART just means it is realistic, but SMRRT didn’t sound as catchy.

Relevant: Making goals has to do with where you want your business to end up, or the direction you want it to move. Keep this in mind as you make a goal. For example, if you want to gain more website traffic, a goal about additional phone calls during peak hours isn’t very helpful.

Time-Based: The last part of SMART is invaluable. You have to set a time limit for your goal. I’ll say it again for the people in the back – you have to set a time limit for your goal.

Creating a SMART goal is a great way to narrow down what you want your digital marketing plan to do for you, and therefore, gives you the direction you should be working towards.

An example of a good SMART goal is:

“In the first quarter of 2019, we want to increase our web traffic from 1,000 to 1,500 visits per week.”

This goal is specific – giving the exact numbers wanted. It is measurable – again with exact numbers, current and desired. It is attainable – we aren’t looking to go from 1,000 to 100,000. It is relevant – after all, 95% of our business comes through our website. And it is time-based – specifying only 3 months to reach the goal.

Learn From the Past to Improve the Future

One would think this would go without saying, however, all too commonly businesses ignore what they have learned in the past about marketing, trends, and their customers.

If you do not learn from history, you are bound to repeat it. And if you do not learn from your mistakes, then 2019 will be the exact same as 2018.

But we are striving for growth, for improvement, and that means you have to use all the tools in your toolbelt.

Look at what your worst months were last year and ask yourself why? Research new ideas and techniques that are up and coming and try new things this year.

Business, and especially digital marketing, is a never-ending journey and learning curve. Don’t fight it. Besides, perfection is for the gods – improvement is for us humans.

Identify the Strengths, Team & Tools Need

After making a goal and doing the necessary research and history lessons, you have to know who and what you need to make your digital marketing a success.

Think of which tools you will need for measurement, analytics, and progress. What avenues will you use? What modes or platforms?

After you have looked into relevant tools for your goal, you need to look at gaps you may have in your team or their strengths.

Will you need new materials written? Do you have a content writer? Do you have a team member who can create email templates or cohesive marketing materials?

If some of those answers were ‘no’, then you might need to hire in-house or outside of your business to find people and strengths to fill the gaps in your strategy or skillsets.

And there is no shame in this, because while your digital marketing campaign is running, you and your team still need to be running the business too.

Sometimes hiring outside of your employees can be a great way to save some time.

In All Things – Be Flexible

This is one of the most important things to remember in digital marketing planning and implementation – be flexible.

You need a plan, you need a strategy, and it doesn’t hurt to have it be organized and specific. But if that plan gets a little knocked around and changed during the year – do not worry!

This is normal, this is natural. And frankly, with all the of constant updates and changes in digital marketing, staying the same or sticking to your plan rigidly for the whole 12 months might actually hurt more than help.

Do You Need Help with Your New Digital Marketing Plan?

If so, we can help!

In fact, digital marketing is kind of one of our largest specialties.

We have even been recognized as a top Texas Digital Marketing Agency by DesignRush!

JSL Marketing wants your new year to be even more successful than last year, and we are going to do that by planning the year out, understanding your goals and unique ‘why’, and remaining flexible and able to adapt.

We can’t wait to partner with you. Call us today or fill out a contact form!

Month: January 2019

2019 Trends in Web Design