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Flat Web Design in 2013

by | Sep 12, 2013 | Articles, Web Design, Web Development | 0 comments

Flat Web Design

Flat web design is presently one of the most popular trends / styles for 2013. If you are unaware of the term, flat web design is essentially websites constructed around the increasing number of users of mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, etc). The overall premise of the flat design is to avoid the use of gradients, drop shadows and textures. Flat web design puts focus on the colors you use, the layout you choose, the icons, buttons and typography. Many users have enthusiastically adopted this innovative style of design, but there has also been some negative response towards this trend.

flat web design

This style is popular with operating systems such as Android, iOS 7 and Windows 8, and it can make great designs that are usable for multi device users if properly implemented. Previous design trends concentrated on making websites have depth, or as three dimensional as possible, whereas flat web design embraces the use of mobile / touch devices and focuses on accentuating and improving the experience and usability for the user and partners well with the new technologies driving responsive layouts. Some examples of this design style can be seen in the short list of sites below:

  • wearemovingthings.com
  • www.mathewporter.co.uk
  • www.twdg.co.uk
  • edenspiekermann.com

Use of Simple Elements

Icons, typography and buttons will help to make the interface as interactive as possible, and the aim is to use mainly angular geometric shapes or rounded shapes (squares, circles or rectangles) with different colors, which will make your site intuitive to visitors and will encourage them to navigate your site with ease.

The Use of Color

With flat design, the color code is usually monochromatic. Six to eight different colors may be used with this type of design as opposed to three colors in classic site design. The colors tend to be vibrant with one or two variations on a color. The most popular palettes use an array of color for the various elements constructing a site.

Web Fonts and Typography

Many sites following this trend have a focus on clear and beautiful typography, matching stunning fonts that make your content legible and functional. Icons may also be used to accompany the content and a great way of doing so is to use web fonts that are icon based such as: http://typicons.com/, but be careful not to use them in excess.

Responsive Design

Responsive web design is another key term or phrase doing the rounds this year and aims to grow in popularity as the technologies such as CSS3 and HTML5 become standardized and gain higher levels of user support. The core focus is to make a single site that has an adaptive layout based on the screen of a device that it is being accessed on such as mobile phones, tablets and desktop computers.

Although the visual layout may seem minimal, flat web design can be more complicated than that of a conventional website and is sure to gain even more momentum, bridging the gap between web designers and graphic designers, resulting in good design for the user. The key thing to remember is that your website should be fit for purpose and give the user the best experience possible based on data you have to hand. The best flat design websites are a reflection of the flair and talent involved in the implementation of its components whilst making it as accessible and usable as possible.

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