Tip of the Week! Trends in Web Site Design

A number of organizations have launched re-designed web sites recently. The main trends seem to be less clutter on the home page, a cleaner and more minimalist look, larger/easier-to-read font sizes, and a front-and-center image feature that slides through a series of photos.

Here are a few examples. Compare and contrast the new and old looks:

Doctors without Borders [new] [old]
- The re-design places particular emphasis on social media, with buttons on the left that stay with you as you scroll, as well as buttons in the header and the footer.

Feinstein International Center [new] [old]
- Each photo in the image slider highlights a new report from one of the FIC's research areas highlighted on the right, giving a helpful overview of their work and also quick access to recent information.

Human Rights First [new] [old]
- Their very prominent slider includes visible captions for each of the images featured, allowing visitors to jump more immediately to an issue of interest.

Jesuit Refugee Service Australia [new] [old]
- The re-vamped site has adopted a more similar look to other JRS sites, but it has also used certain design features to set itself apart.  For example, the circular images provide a nice contrast to the more rectangular elements one normally sees.

Migration Policy Institute [new] [old]
- The new site subsumes the Migration Information Source into the overall MPI site.  Hovering over the menu items in the header brings up more extensive sub-menus for navigating the rest of the site.

PACE [new] [old]
- What's especially nice is that the various committees now have their own sub-URLs. So for example, it's much easier to get an overview of the activities of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons and quick access to recent reports.

UNRWA [new] [old]
- The new site is much more visually rich, using image sliders on sub-pages as well as the home page, and more photos, maps and other graphics.

[Image credit: WikiMedia Commons]

Tagged Tips.