Web design is a fast evolving industry and as such the trends in the web industry are ever changing. In today's modern market it has become a rich, mature medium which balances aesthetics and functionality. We have so many powerful tools at our disposal, (such as CSS and advanced HTML coding) and are on the verge of being able to utilise the long awaited HTML5 and CSS3 which will bring about an evolution in trends and capabilities as well as design. 

Visual design is now essential to web design. In fact design has never had a better avenue for expanding in all directions to so many people. So now we ask what ideas, innovations and designs are becoming influential? This article has collected 50 webdesign trends showcasing trends in design, navigation, add ons & features and coding/programming.

Large Typography

Introduction Pages

Vector Art/Illustration

Minimalist Design

Single paged Layouts

Extensive Visual Effects

Print Design

Sketched Layouts

Oversized Footers

Rounded Corners

Large Images

Depth and Perspective

Themed Designs

Huge Headings

Diagrams and Infographics

White Space

Box/Text Shadows

RGBa and Opacity

Thumbnails

Watercolour

PNG Transparency

The Magazine Look

Out-of-the-Box Layouts

Letter-Pressed Type

Font Replacement

High Contrast Colours and Textures

Retro/Vintage

Horizontalism

Focus on Type

3D Navigation

Speech Balloons

Icon Based Navigation

Unusual Shapes

Social Media Capabilities

Free Icon Sets

Authors Icons

Search Boxes

Icons or Visual Cues

Tag Index

Lightboxes

Experimental Grid Systems

Mobile Compatible

A Move to Being CSS3 & HTML5 Compatible

AJAX Capabilites

Fixed Elements

Carousel Slideshow

Javascript Animation

Focus on a Rich User Interface

Interactive Design

Flash Based Websites

Where to Now?

There are trends here that will continue into the future and eventually evolve in common practice such as good typography, interesting grid design and the use of interactive design. Others may just recede, however we should always try and push the limits of design. Who knows, in a few years we may see a revival of the trends you have seen here today.

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Written by DesignCrowd on Tuesday, January 11, 2011

DesignCrowd is an online marketplace providing logo, website, print and graphic design services by providing access to freelance graphic designers and design studios around the world.