On average, Americans make 12 billion searches on the web every month, and our experience on the web is largely shaped by the use of website design principles, whether we realize it or not. Our eyes are trained to hone in on certain visual elements, meaning that we are more likely to click on or navigate with certain tools. The best web design trends often present creative ways to take advantage of these guiding principles. Check out some of the most important ones right here:
 
Visual Hierarchy
Some parts of your website, and pieces of information, are simply more important for your users than others. Therefore, those things should be more visually prominent. You can guide the user experience by presenting the information in specific ways, and making certain links and pages more prominent. This can be done through size, but it is also effective to work with contrasting colors. Start by ranking the elements of your website based on your business objectives, so you know what you want to prioritize. Begin with the “hook,” luring customers in, and end with the practical information that they can use once they’ve decided they want the product.
 
Divine Proportions
There’s a reason that design students must master basic artistic principles and study the old masters. The way our brains and eyes work, and how they have been conditioned to see, has a lot to do with the way that visual information is formatted. That was true in the renaissance, and it’s true when you’re watching cat videos online.
 
As a web designer, you have the power to alter and guide perceptions, and you can start by following the basic rule of aesthetics: the golden ratio. The golden ratio (1.618) can be applied to many things in web design, from the layout of a page to typography.
 
Rule of Thirds
Another nifty design tool, most often cited when it comes to photography. This is especially relevant to images used in your design. Basically, any image should be imagined to be divided into nine equal parts, and important elements should be placed along the lines or on their intersections.
 
Continuity
This is a design principle, but also a big part of being professional. Users are much more likely to take your site, services, and expertise seriously if you choose a cohesive palette, typeface, font, and theme. This is a big part of branding, too — if you build a look for your company, you will be immediately recognizable and easier to remember. Many web design trends are based on the simple but important idea of consistency.
 
Remember: you have only 10 seconds to make an impression on visitors. THat’s why it’s so surprising that only 55% of companies currently conduct user testing, especially since many of the most recent changes is web design are based on cultivating a better user experience. There are many web design trends and strategies for web visibility out there — but why not start with some simple, classic principles that are bound to make your site and the information it presents pleasing to the eye.