Web Design Trends 2008: A Snapshot from our DMA Seminar
June 11, 2008 – 5:04 pm
(3 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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I want to thank all the participants that joined Arman Rousta, CEO of Blueliner, in the DMA Virtual Seminar he conducted yesterday on Popular Web Design Trends of 2008! I’d also like to give a big shout out to Ashley Joseph, Product Manager at DMA, for giving us the opportunity to present on this exciting topic.
The presentation was really in-depth and rich with statistical data, content, visuals and case studies. I couldn’t cram it all into this blog entry but took some of the key points and highlighted them down below.
General Trends of Good Websites
- Increasing Use of Video
- Increasing Use of CMS (Content Management Systems)
- Bigger Fonts
- Big, Powerful Header Images
- Use of Engagement Tools, like Chat, Music, Forums, Blogs, Polls, and other user-contribution features
- Intelligent Incorporation of Ads
- 1024×768, Center-Aligned Design
- Detailed Borders
- Useful Footer Design
- Bread Crumb Navigation
- SEO Considerations – proper meta data tagging
- Pre-loaders & Favicons
What Makes A Great Website?
- Web Properties that cannot be categorized
- Dynamic Content (Video, blogs, forums, is your site alive?)
- Social Components – User contribution to content
- Beyond the Site Connectivity (RSS, email, Social Media, click to call, Skype)
- Marketing Enabled (SEO, Landing Pages, Effective CTAs)
Arman also talked about how websites can go from ‘good to great’ by considering potential and seizing opportunities in the marketplace, introducing innovation, utilizing rich internet applications like AJAX, CRM integration and social consciousness (i.e. Going Green).
In the presentation, we featured several A list websites that got an A+ in design, innovation, marketing and technology, including:
What We Like About It:
- Great navigation: side scrolling (set people’s expectations)
- Navigation: bread crumb
- Navigation: 3 categories in top navigation, every page
- Appropriate ‘green’ advertising / videos in expanded ads
- Green Trend - tell users how to help, what to do -”how to help treehugger”
Last month, Blueliner launched SeekAdventure.com, a social networking site for sports enthusiasts. Although we may be partial to the SeekAdventure.com website (having built it and all), here is what we like about it:
- Flash and non-flash integration
- Video site with drag-n-drop playlist, comments, voting, share features, etc
- Contest – users decide who wins
What We Like About It:
- Products embedded in videos - wave of the future
- Innovative
- Multiple sites integrated into master interface
- Top-notch Design
Recently, we’ve been bombarded with requests to expand upon this topic, so Arman and I are thinking about putting together a series of blogs on the Most Popular Design Trends of 2008. If there is something in particular that you’d like to see in this series, please send us your comments!
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8 Responses to “Web Design Trends 2008: A Snapshot from our DMA Seminar”
Nice list of stuff.
As a PM for a web design firm I am always on the look out for great designs and top notch stuff. You have illustrated some here.
Thank you, I will be sharing with my readers tomorrow!
By Eric Brown on Jun 11, 2008
The first one was simply stunning and needless to say it has been an exhilarating experience.Keep up this good work.
By review riches on Jun 20, 2008
Popular design trends and content I have witnessed includes “redband” trailers for movies, R-rated content that can’t be shown on broadcast television but is more or less free access on a private website. Some films have set up Flash-based games around their racier content as well.
Widgets are still high up there for Mac and increasingly Vista users (food companies have recipes of the day, news orgs headlines, etc) find a harmonious place on the frontpage where an example refreshes.
Particularly for fashion designers, a stable mainpage that opens even its internal links into a “smooth” window without browser navigation buttons. I assume this is to trap the viewer into a sexy mindspace and/or make sure they never leave the site.
That’s all off the top of my head.
By Sherry Kuroda on Jun 24, 2008
Really interesting and informative post.
If you do decide to start a series of blogs on the latest web design trends, I would love to read your thoughts on successfully producing and integrating online video.
By David Reich on Jun 27, 2008
The fashion designers,is a stable main page that opens even its internal links into a smooth window without browser navigation buttons. I assume this is to trap to attract the viewers mind and or make sure they never leave the site.
By NatureLimit on Jul 16, 2008