New Trends in Web Design for 2012

March 15, 2012 - PRLog -- As the Internet ages, new trends appear every year. Websites are becoming more creative and easier to navigate than ever before. 2012 brings with it many changes in web design, compared to previous years. Twelve years ago, most people and companies did not have a website. These days, most companies and many individuals have one. This means new, more visually appealing designs are trending in the Internet world as both individuals and companies compete with others to have the best, most widely read website.

One trend that has come into its own in 2012 is circular buttons, graphics and other website elements. In the past, most web designers have concentrated on using rounded corners and drop shadows on their websites. Now with CSS3 technology becoming more popular, circular images can now easily be created for any website. CSS3, or cascading style sheet, is a computer language that web designers use in their work.

A circle is a very diverse shape that can be used on a website in several ways. Web designers use circles to create icons, links, pictures, headers and footers. One reason circles are gaining in popularity is because the smooth shape encourages people to view a particular part of the website. Circles are visually appealing to those surfing the Internet. They also allow for a good deal of information to be put in a place the eye is naturally drawn to.

The birth of the circle as a web trend started in 1998 when America Online began to put words written in small fonts into boxes. In 2005, web designers had graduated to using bigger boxes for text and in 2009, world famous websites such as the Fox News website began to use round buttons on their website. Now, in 2012, circles are one of the most popular shapes used on web pages.

Technology being more advanced than it was in the 1990's and early 2000's, web designers can be a lot more creative now than they were then. Computer programming languages such as HTML have made it easier for web designers to incorporate shapes into their websites. In the past, links on a web page would be presented in the form of a list. Now those same links can be put into circles, making them more likely to be viewed by website vistors.

Because of the surge in circles as a web design trend, many websites that currently have information contained in a rectangle will be gradually eliminating the rectangles and inserting the information from the rectangles into circles. People are conditioned to think of the future when they see the rounded lines and curves of a circle and this is one reason circles are being used more often in websites, especially websites that receive a lot of traffic. Circles have a tendency to transform dull, boring graphics into something that will catch the readers eye.

Many companies are redesigning their logo in the shape of a circle. They have also caught on to the fact that making their navigation buttons round makes it easier for people to find their way around a website. For example, in the past, many websites had the navigation buttons such as "about us," "company history," contact us," and others listed across the top of the website, quite often in small print. Making those buttons round makes them more visible to visitors and gives easier access to the rest of the website.

Another reason circles have become popular in web design is that words that would normally be spread across the page can be placed in circles, making the text appear more interesting to visitors. This is also an effective way for a company to give specific information to specific customers. For example, if someone went to a website discussing health issues that pertain to men or women, the women would click on the circle that would address their health concerns and the men would click on the circle that would address their health concerns. This cuts down on the amount of information a person may have to wade through to find the information that pertains to their gender.

In 2012, many web designers are using the minimalist approach when designing a new website. The saying "less is more," applies to this trend, and is the reason why web designers are going in a whole new direction than in previous years. This means that web sites are given a more simple design, and that often includes using circles to display information.

Inspiration by: http://www.nichedesigns.com.au