Articles by Carrie Cousins

Color and layers. This pair of design elements has been the driving force behind many of the year’s trends. While we haven’t seen anything take over, like flat design a few years ago or more recently Material Design, elements of both styles are pushing designers to explore new things. Both color choices and layering seem...

There’s a lot of overlap in the biggest design themes of July. In many of the examples below, you’ll see that multiple trends are used in many of the examples. That’s because many of the trends are simple techniques that can be added to almost any type of design. This is a showcase of micro-trends. What’s particularly...

Designers are changing the rules for web design, thanks to creative problem solving. Auto-play sound, mixing real and illustrated images and even layering logos on top of photos are some of the hottest design techniques right now and all three concepts were considered taboo not that long ago. Here’s what’s trending...

Nothing catches your attention like a high-drama design. Big images, unusual use of common elements or whitespace and adventure-based gameplay are different ways to introduce users to a project. Each of these techniques has an over-the-top feel that makes a strong first impression and encourages user interaction. Here’s...

Website design sure does look happy these days. Maybe because Spring is in the air or maybe there’s just a good vibe going around. Either way, the trends in website design this month are reflective of that upward feeling, with cool icon-style illustrations, big photography and bright color choices. Here’s what’s trending...

One of the great things about looking at trends each month is catching a glimpse of what designers are experimenting with. In particular, you start to see a distinct crossover of elements that you might have missed at first glance. That exact thing happened with this month’s collection. Note all the yellow and gold tones....

Looking for a website refresh and don’t know where to start? Some of the trendiest elements in web design right now are fun aesthetically and pretty easy to use. Adding a trendy feature to your current design, or new build, can help create a modern vibe that can help drive visitors to your site. And what’s particularly nice...

Apps are everywhere. They have become an integral part of our daily lives thanks to the number of smartphones and wearable devices that we own. And because of that, apps are one of the single biggest driving factors when it comes to website design trends. Let’s take a look. Return of the scroll Small, vertically oriented screens...

Illustrations are taking over the Web. Designers are creating websites with everything from full-screen illustrations to hand-drawn divots that are used throughout projects. It’s a trend that’s likely to keep growing because illustrations make a design feel custom (even if it’s not). Here’s how to make the most...

So you want to get on-trend with a card-style interface? That’s probably a great idea; cards are a popular and user-friendly option for all types of digital design on varying device sizes. The key to a card design is creating something that users want to click. (That is the key to a great card.) A card should serve as a container...

Users want individual experiences when they interact with devices. From geolocation tools to voice activation systems that respond to a voice or call someone by name, users want tools that seem to know them. But how do you design a system or interface that might be vastly different for each user? That’s one of today’s biggest...

Material Design is the “it” phrase that many designers are talking about right now. The concept, which was developed by Google for Android devices has a neat, clean and highly-usable charm. Websites featuring Material Design are creeping out of the realm of Android devices and are popping up everywhere. And the reality...

So what does psychology have to do with it? When it comes to user experience, almost everything. With so many device types and sizes and so many different ways to design websites for those devices, the user experience a designer creates is what determines overall success of the site and whether a user will return. What is user...

There are so many things to consider when launching a startup or small business. But creating your website does not have to be a chore thanks to plenty of great WordPress themes available on the market made just for small businesses. These small business themes focus less on blogging and more on promoting your company and products....