2019 Design and Development Trends

UI (User Interface)

Mobile First Approach

With Google prioritising and indexing responsive mobile friendly websites first; a mobile first approach has become vital to ensuring that people can use your website on any screen or device. Having a mobile first website will also help with SEO and your Google rankings. Here at e4education, our designers always consider the mobile design and our developers code in such a way that mobile is prioritised first.

UI Animations

User Interface animation trends are continuing to grow throughout 2019. Transitions and animations can often be found on websites, mobile apps and also within custom-made motion graphics and are used to enhance buttons, images and content. 

Negative Space

As the saying goes ‘less is more’ and this definitely should apply to your website design. Increasing the amount of white space and giving your content room to breathe will allow the user to take in all of your information and focus on relevant ‘calls to action’. With websites now scrolling more and more (and the 'above-the-fold school of thought well and truly shelved), the ability to space content and ensure the relevant information is available, has never been easier. 

Fluid & Liquid Shapes

The increased browser support of SVG shapes has resulted in more and more custom shapes being used on the web. If your branding uses some interesting shapes why not use them on your website? We would recommend this be used sparingly however - remember less is more…!

Video Background

If pictures are worth a thousand words, then what would be the equivalent for video? Studies have shown that videos can help increase conversion rates by making a statement and conveying your message or values in a matter of seconds. We have seen a large increase in hero videos on websites during 2018 and we expect this to continue increasing throughout the next few years. If you're looking for a fantastic video for your homepage, our talented team can help.

Typography

Bigger is Better

Typography is always a huge part of design trends every year and 2019 will be no exception. Large typography used in the right way; over an image, across a block of colour or placed in a larger area of white space will allow you to create impact without overcrowding the design.

Outlined Type

Outlined typography started to be used more frequently towards the end of 2018, so naturally this will continue to grown into the next year. Although, stylistically it is not for everyone - it can be used to create engaging animations and interactions, especially in the hero (slideshow) area of your website.

Logos

Simple Geometric Shapes

Logos need to be versatile, as they can be used in a variety of locations; website, print, business cards, signage, marketing materials etc. With this in mind, too much detail can make your logo look overly complicated and messy at smaller sizes. Instead, why not opt for a bold simple shape that will work for everything? 

Responsive Logos

We all know that websites can (should!) be responsive, but did you know that logos can be too? A more complex logo like a shield, for example, can be designed in such a way that elements can be removed at smaller screen sizes - ensuring that the logo always remains strong and crisp on any screen. 

Animated Logos

Just like animations have made their way into UI design, they have also started to make tracks within logo design. Using these effects instantly creates a more engaging, modern and dynamic brand.

Additional Thoughts

Natural Photos

Users find it hard to identify or warm to dated staged photography. Instead, we'd recommend looking into taking more natural looking photos that still capture the exciting parts of your school day. Our in-house photographers are brilliant at this - see our 'Behind The Scenes' post with Katie Roach for her thoughts on this. 

Bold Colours and Gradients

Gradients are still going to be here in 2019 and this year, they will be ramped up with the use of bright and bold colours!

Colour of the Year

Finally, just like every year Pantone® will release their colour of the year. The colour for 2019 is Living Coral and we predict that this will work its way into all different elements of design; branding, web design, illustration and so much more.