New Trends in Web Design

Fascinated by technology we are all, right? Internet – the vast resource of everything; it continues to evolve over time. Last year, in 2012, many more people than expected adopted mobile communication. Web developers around the world are constantly up to the new challenges they face with this ever-continuing metamorphosis of the World Wide Web. Let’s take a quick look at the latest trends:

· no fast forward

2005, a year in which Adobe had made big claims that all image and video user content on the web would be Flash-only. However, Apple did not take the message well and with its first generation iPad released soon, it had fully denounced Flash.

Gone are the days when Adobe used to rub shoulders with the bigwigs of the software industry. He is nearing bankruptcy as he has announced the suspension of Flash. Android 4.1 onwards will not use it. Doors have been opened for other web design options like HTML5 and Java Script.

· Job’s legacy lives on

Apple continues to take its role as a pioneer in hardware innovation seriously. Last year, with the iPad 4, it launched the Retina display. A screen technology that has twice the pixel density of a normal LCD screen. It would have made even high-resolution images appear pixelated on future Apple devices. However, web designers seem to have found an answer for this in a Javascript (retina.js).

· It is Adaptive vs. Responsive for Web 2.0

A sharp increase in the number of smartphone and tablet users has forced web designers to change their approach to design. Adaptive and Responsive are the two trends that seem to have caught the attention of developers around the world.
In a responsive design, the website adapts its functionality depending on the device on which it is being viewed; while responsive websites are designed with a unique codebase that responds fluidly to any changes in browser size.

· Facebook continues to set trends

If you had any doubts about it, avoid them now. Facebook is still going strong and with its timeline feature launched last year, it has sparked a new trend with web designers using this tactic to shrink multiple pages. Many news sites and blogs have already embraced this trend (The New York Times, The Daily Mail, The Guardian).

· From websites to apps and back to websites again

The growth in the number of applications brought about by smartphones has returned to websites with tablets. Even though people still use apps, on their tablets with a larger screen, they still like to browse websites as normal. This is causing web designers to change the design of websites from vertical scrolling to dynamic horizontal scrolling on the same page. It makes it easier for touch screen users to swipe horizontally both forward and backward as Android OS only provides a return button without redo or forward.

· The future is in Google

Cloud networking seems to be in a new boom with apps like Dropbox and Skydrive already making a name for themselves. However, Google Drive seems to have an advantage over its competitors in that it can be used not only as a file storage and sharing service, but also as a cloud-based word processor. Upload your files to Google Drive and access them from anywhere; it’s like having your own personal computer available everywhere. Websites are also starting to integrate with Google Drive just like they did with Facebook in the past to provide information much faster. Apply for a job much faster by submitting your CV directly through Google Drive instead of waiting until you get home and submit it from your PC.