As we approach the last stretch of 2019, businesses and designers alike are preparing for the creative trends set to take over 2020. With AI and interactive design becoming an evermore sought after technology, it’s not surprising that plenty of new web design features plan on largely incorporating websites with voice user interfaces, chat bots and other similar functionalities. But what else is trending?
It’s predicted that asymmetrical designs, broken grid layouts and microanimation will all be trending components for leading web design for 2020. A continuing popular feature is bold colours and minimalist layouts, which are proving to be a persistent theme from previous years. Take a look below to see some of the most in-demand styles and layouts to help you have that light-bulb moment and get your website prepped to be ahead of the game for the new year.
Microanimations and Illustration
These subtle, yet hypnotic creative twists to your web page design, can make all the difference in capturing a new audience, as well as showcasing your talent digitally which enables a sense of professionalism, no matter what industry you’re working in. Audiences like illustrations and animations that are unique, bold, colourful or fun, and add that little bit extra to help show personalisation of your company or products.
Source: Heco
Source: Ariel Wollek/Wix
Source: Smashmallow/Gifox
Source: Webflow
Source: Proud & Punch
Minimalist Layouts
Minimalist layouts allow for a stylish, sleek finish. Aim for homepages that aren’t text heavy, focusing more on visually appealing to your customers, whilst still bearing in mind the importance of a fast loading web page. This style of layout is great for not overloading the viewer with too much information, and works great for artistic or creative businesses looking to keep their site chic, but simple.
Source: Elegant Seagulls Design
Source: Yumi Lambert
Source: Club of Waves
Bold Colours and Typography
Bright colours and bold typography, with geometric, sans-serif or freestyle fonts are particular favourites for graphic design in 2020. Colour is psychologically proven to have a relationship with mood and has been used as a clever marketing tactic in advertising for years. Making your home page proudly loud is a great way to draw in viewers and mesmerise customers with websites dazzling and dripping with colour.
Source: SKTR./Awwwrds
Source: Black Futurism Festival 2019/WebDesignerDepot
MooCow is an interactive website design agency, based in Brighton & Hove. Since opening its doors in 2006, we have been working hard growing and developing our client base & expertise, offering a dynamic blend of creative thinking, experience and technical know-how. If you’re currently considering working with us, below is a basic guide to what we need from you as a starting point to help create your web page.
– Your company name and a brief list of words relating to your business and industry. For example, we’re a web design company, so we would choose specific words that we want Google to pick up relevant to our business.
– A short description or paragraph about you or your company – who you are, what services you provide, or a little bit about your company history.
– Have a think about what pages you would want to feature on your site and titles for them to appear on a menu. This could be an ‘about us’ section, ‘services’ or ‘portfolio’ etc.
– Drop us a link of an example of a web design style you like, this will give us a better idea visually of the look you are trying to achieve for your site.
– If you’re wanting a specific logo used, send us over a copy that is hi res with a white or transparent background and at least 600 pixels wide. Save this into either a png or jpeg file. For ‘favicons’ your logo will need to be sized to 512×512 pixels. If you want to test drive a new logo, let us know and we can design you a fresh one.
– Any text you want featured on your site, paragraphs about you, your company or the services you provide, send this over too in a word doc or pdf file. If you’re struggling to put together what you’d like to say, don’t worry – our team can help in writing up some dazzling copy personal to your site.
– For images, be sure to pick only hi res images, approx 1500-2000 pixels in size saved into a jpeg or png file. You can also include a title or keyword that describes your images that SEO will pick up easier.
– Make sure to include any contact details you would like featured on your site, this includes a phone number, email address & location so that a customer can call or visit you.
– If you have any links to social media such as a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram page you can attach these too.
– Finally, a link to your RSS Feed/Blog if you currently have one active. If not we can make one for you to add to your site, so let us know if this is something you are interested in. The same goes if you are a business that sells products or other payable online services and would like a shop page included in your site.
The thought of creating a brand new website can be daunting, but don’t worry, our team of experts are here to help make the process quick, simple and stress free and give you all the guidance you need on the way!
At Moocow, we pride ourselves on having the most up to date knowledge on the hottest web and marketing trends. With technology and techniques developing daily, Moocow are continuously working hard to help find new ways to market your business.
Making sure your brand or business has an identity that stands out is one of the most important parts of starting up or re-designing a business. Having a logo that can be well recognised and links to your products is a perfect way to start. Many worry about the cost of having a professional logo designed in house – which has it’s benefits if you’re wanting it designed to a professional standard.
If however, you’re looking to experiment with creating your own logo, we’ve tracked down a few of the best phone apps to get you going. Most of these will have options for free download and design, and ones with a price attached are still far lower than the costs of hiring a designer.
LogoMaker – Grants you access to a variety of backgrounds, stickers and shapes with professional photo editing features including colour, hue, curve, image resizing and 3D rotation. Allows you to create designs not just for logos, but for posters, newsletters and brochures or even social media ads.
LogoScopic studio – Great for a really professional finish, LogoScopic studio comes with over 850 logo templates which are easy to edit. Options to edit photos and artwork are also available, with excellent font and typographic features to choose from.
Makr – Comes with a slight price tag, but worth the download as prices are still very low. With this app you’ll have access to graphics, templates and icons designed exclusively by the Makr Brooklyn design team. Although not free, you’re looking at professionally designed logos for under £6.
Sketch – A draw and paint app which is extremely easy to use and great for those with an interest in drawing or illustration. Sketch allows you to draw up your own pictures and designs, like a sketchbook, and then download your logo design idea in hi-def, with plenty of paint and colour editing options to choose from.
Designapp – This app offers lots of access to royalty-free images, illustrations and text with tools for editing too. There’s options that allow you to design and create banners, letterheads, posters as well as logos, with 1000’s of design elements and effects to help edit your design.
ICONA logo designer – At a download price of £4, ICONA remains a cheap option for creating logos that are contemporary and fashionable. With pre-designed icons and texts to edit this app is especially good for speed and designing logos with lettering.
At Moocow, we pride ourselves on having the most up to date knowledge on the latest web developments and web design trends. Our job is to seek out the best in high quality web hosting, security and SEO awareness. When it comes to choosing a platform for your hosting, WordPress ranks higher than any other hosting service. Below are our 7 reasons why WordPress is top of the leaderboard.
Deciding on a platform to host your website is one of the first points to consider when getting started in creating a new or updated site. The platform we think ranks above all the rest is WordPress. This open-source CMS works as an ideal model for creating a wide variety of sites for both small and large businesses, ranging from e-commerce to blog based designs. Still not convinced? Well here’s our reasons why…
It’s popular
WordPress sites account for over 25% of sites on the web, with 1.1 million new domains being created every 6 months. The incredibly popular platform is even available in 62 different languages, making it accessible to businesses worldwide.
It’s beginner friendly
WordPress is easy to use, even if you haven’t had much experience. It allows you to add pages, blog posts, text and widgets at the click of a button. Even if your site is being professionally designed, it will be easy for you to make additional changes or touch ups yourself.
You’ve got access to tons of Themes and Plug-ins
WordPress guarantees access to a huge variety of themes and plug-ins compared to other sites. No matter what your business or blog, they have themes to suit all. From Jetpack, Yoast, Revslider to Woocommerce and Mailchimp, there are so many options to help improve your site.
It’s highly secure
WordPress core software is highly protected and comes with access to great plug-ins such as Wordfence to give you extra defences alongside firewall and malware scans. WordPress also offer plenty of guides and tips to keep you secure savvy.
It will improves your rankings
WordPress genuinely has the ability to help you rank higher in search engines. “WordPress” is searched 2,740,000 times every month, making it one of the highest searched keywords on Google. And WordPress has plenty of great SEO plug-ins and built-in features to optimize each page on your website.
It’s known for its great support
Need help? WordPress has a great technical support team on hand to help with any customer queries you may have.Their engineers offer first rate customer support and quick fixes to any technical issues, and you can access their support services easily online.
No.1 for media
If you’re wanting a website that can handle a multitude of different media content, WordPress handles images, audio, video and plenty more with ease, making it simple to upload and insert content when writing a post or a page.
At Moocow, we pride ourselves on having the most up to date knowledge on the hottest tech trends and web design news. With 2017 over, it’s time to take stock on what we’ve learnt over the past year and get ready for what the new year has in store for the world of SEO. Take a look at our advice below and get ahead of the game with essential SEO tips and trends for 2018.
Voice Search
Voice search is becoming increasingly popular with a surge in voice search and smart speaker sales. Both Amazon Echo and Google Home have become household favourites. Marketers feel voice search has a higher ability to analyse what shoppers are looking for specifically when compared with traditional search options.
Keyword Planning
When it comes to keyword planning it can be hard to get accurate advice without paying for help such as through Google Analytics Keyword Planner. Up your game when choosing good keywords by using free tools such as Moz’s Keyword Explorer tool. This can help you to get accurate information that can rank the best keywords to target relevant to your business.
Optimising Titles and Meta Descriptions
You can optimise Titles and Meta Descriptions on your web pages by ensuring things such as correct word length, correct keyword usage and making sure your keywords are featured in your tags and URL. This way they are more likely to rank higher in search engine results.
Keep Up To Date
Be sure to keep social media channels up to date and produce and publish new content weekly. Make sure content is of your best quality, is descriptive but gets the point across easily, and is enjoyable for your audience to read. Be sure to use relevant keywords and use both external and internal links to relevant content.
Link Building
Link building, when used correctly and adheres to a specific budget, can be extremely beneficial to SEO. Networking with other companies can be extremely beneficial to landing you “guest spots” or social media takeovers on as many public and published sites as possible.
Being a women that works in tech is a constant challenge. I’ve faced plenty of obstacles that have been thrown in my direction, just to work in an industry that is predominantly male-orientated. But why should this be so? With statistics showing women are outperforming men in nearly all sectors in the tech field, why should we be constantly put off from studying in an area we undoubtedly excel in? Deloitte recently released figures stating that as many as 70 per cent of women in the UK with a Science,Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) qualification aren’t currently working in their chosen industry. This is a reality that just should not be so, and so much of the hard work young women have put into their employment or education is being wasted.
Unlike many, I’ve been determined enough to not let these predictions get in my way, and have spent the last few years taking on the tech industry myself. At 22, I started my degree. Beginning later than most, I’d spent some time debating the type of career I was interested in. Having studied in English, Chemistry, Biology and Art and Design, I opted for a BA Hons Degree in Creative Media Practice & Journalism. Despite a lot of thought going into my degree choice, throughout the entire process I was constantly being told I would not make it in this industry, that my degree was pointless and I would be lost in a sea of unemployed graduates once finished with my finals. Yet at age 26, I’ve been lucky enough to pull through with an upper second class degree, a longstanding portfolio and jobs in my chosen industry before officially graduating.
With men accounting for such a large percentage of jobs in the tech industry, it can be tricky competing for the same role, despite some of the most famous leaders in technology being female. The list of women who have braved the odds to succeed within technology is lengthy. From Ada Lovelace – a mathematician regarded by some as the first ever computer programmer, to Mary Lou Jepsen – NASA fellow, founder of Pixel Oi and Director of Engineering at Facebook Occulus VR, to Virginia Rometty – the CEO of IBM who started work as an engineer aged just 24, and was recently voted the most powerful woman in business by Fortune Magazine.
Yet despite such success, women seem to be constantly pushed into being put off from obtaining jobs within the technology industry. Statistically the proportion of girls opting to continue subjects such as Mathematics, Science or Engineering into A Level or Degree Level is far less than boys, with only 7% of girls choosing to study A Levels in these subject areas within the last few years. Shedding light on such issues will hopefully allow changes to be made for the future, and as a woman currently working in tech, I’ve pieced together a few tips for those potentially considering going into a career in the technology industry, in the hope that you can overcome some of the challenges many will face.
Don’t be put off choosing scientific subjects at college
If you’re like me, you probably spent most of your childhood with your nose buried deep inside a book, concocting science experiments, blowing up bicarbonate volcanoes at the bottom of the garden, or getting excited over your parents getting you a new geometry set. To some, we may appear the most boring people on earth, but in reality many will grow up to work in some of the most powerful positions on the planet. No matter what job you’re dreaming of, whether it’s as a scientist, engineer, designer or developer – don’t let anyone stop you from studying exactly what you want to do. Sex or gender should not limit your choice of career path. If you studied in a different subject previously and are wanting to enter into a new choice of career, it’s never too late. And when certain education routes get a bit pricey, there are many different ways to gain qualifications, including ones that don’t come with a price tag. As well as bursaries, scholarships and Arts Council Funding, many companies will actually offer to train people for free. On top of this there are boot camps and hundreds of online training programs and resources that can help you transition into a tech role if you don’t have the qualifications needed for a specific job. And if you’re looking to learn code, there are thousands of sites that can help you, Codecademy, HackerRank & edX are to name a few.
Stand your ground when it comes to your career path
Time and time again I have met with interviewers who comment on my age, refer to me as being too young to possibly have any ‘real’ industry knowledge or seem to be completely bewildered by the idea of a young women applying for a role within the tech industry. It can be hard to overcome an interview situation where you’re being made to feel about 2ft tall, just for not fitting into a stereotype, particularly if you quite clearly have skills that are being overlooked. To overcome this, confidence is key. Now it’s all very well saying this, but if you’re as anxious a person as I am, this can be quite the challenge. First rule is to have a good perception of your own skills, the abilities you have and what you can achieve. If you don’t feel confident in your own abilities, it can be hard for others to feel the same. Prove you are the right person for the role, use active language that shows off your talents instead of being passive, state direct plans you have and show just how much you can benefit their company. Be bold and never feel intimidated, no matter how terrifying the interviewer may appear.
Have a plan and find mentorship
I worked constantly all through my degree building up my portfolio. A good deal of free time I had was spent either applying for internships or gaining work experience. Sure, having to work for free sometimes can feel like a real pain, but if a company is offering you valuable experience, don’t turn it down – in the long run it can really pay off and looks great on your CV. Always take time to refine your skills, practice really does make perfect. Finding mentorship within a working role can also be really beneficial, so be sure to place yourself in an environment where you can be surrounded by professionals in your chosen field who are as passionate about your goals as you are. Most importantly, never give up on what it is you want to achieve. It can be hard seeing friends or colleagues achieving their goals faster than you or at different rates, but the job you’ve been waiting for could be just around the corner. Hard work always pays off, and whether it takes you 1 year, 5 years or even 10 years to reach the job you’ve always wanted, it’s always worth the wait.
Amy Louise – Web Editor, Tech Writer and Analytics Queen
Moocow is an interactive website design agency, based in Brighton & Hove. Since opening its doors in 2006, we have been working hard growing and developing our client base & expertise, offering a dynamic blend of creative thinking, experience and technical know-how. We are proud to be able to represent so many of the fantastic businesses local to Brighton, take a look below to get a taste of who we work with and what we do.
Boardriders Guide
Local to the city, Boardriders Guide is a family run business established in 1990 and is one of the UK’s largest and most established surf, snow and skate websites. Living by the coast has its perks, and Brighton is well known for its legendary water-sports events. With the help of our expertise we devised a site that’s oozing with style, showing off some of the hottest trends Boardriders has to offer. A perfect blend of ice cool graphics and bold typefaces, Boardriders are the ultimate in sun, sea and surf.
The Chilli Pickle
A nationally-acclaimed regional Indian restaurant in the heart of Brighton, fanatical about Indian culture, local produce and traditional cuisine. Our Moocow designers wanted to create a site that was bursting with colour and creativity, showcasing the passion and flair the team at Chilli Pickle strive to achieve. We finished up with a design that’s both decorative and daring and really represents the The Chilli Pickle brand and style.
Pizzaface
Brighton is home to a fantastic array of restaurants and bars that leave us really spoiled for choice, so naturally we jumped at the chance to represent one of the city’s most loved pizza companies. Pizzaface is an independent and award winning pizza and delivery service in Brighton, Hove and Worthing offering first-class food fresh on your doorstep. We created a site that was reliable, clean & pristine, easy to use with a simple and retro feel, supporting the outstanding customer service Pizzaface provides.
Cafe Coho
Cafe Coho is an award winning espresso bar & cafe with three locations in Brighton. Founded by James and Joanna Wilson in 2010, the cafe has fast become a sought after hang-out with its laid back and friendly atmosphere (and not forgetting some of the best coffee Brighton has to offer) When crafting the Cafe Coho website we went for a refined, well-polished, site that was sultry and smooth with a modern twist.
Food For Friends
Food for Friends are Brighton’s award-winning vegetarian restaurant in the historic South Lanes. Their ethos is tasty, affordable and home-made food using the freshest produce. The company are all about supporting local suppliers, something Moocow are dedicated to doing also and we wanted to help create a site as sumptuous and mouthwatering as their food. We went for sublime and sophisticated, hoping to show off their artistic flair.
We love working and supporting local companies in Brighton, Hove and surrounding areas. If you have a project you’re looking to get started on, get in touch and we’ll see how we can help your business grow.
Jobs within the creative industry are fast becoming more and more popular. Our knowledge and awareness of new technologies are developing on a daily basis; and a far greater percentage of young people are moving into the world of web development on completing their studies.
So what exactly is web development?
Web development is a blanket term for the work involved in creating a web site for the internet. There are several different roles within the world of web development, enabling you to expand on your knowledge and explore new technologies from day to day.
What roles are there within web development?
Front-end web developers: They design what you see visually when you click on a web site or web page, the graphics, the layout and the styling of your website, they are behind how all this comes together. These guys deal with what’s called the ‘user side’ of the website. Making sure your website is easy to use, looks great and works properly is their main priority. Using HTML, CSS & JavaScript, they turn your static web page into a flashy new site from scratch, transforming your web page into what you see now when you click on a page.
Back-end web developers: These are the behind the scenes techies, they deal with the bits you don’t see and help with the smooth running and security of your site. Their job is connecting the server to your database and website. They use programs such PHP, Ruby & Python. They might not be in the limelight, but their job is vital to making your site function correctly.
So where should I start?
If you’re interested in a career in web development or are even just a bit curious and are looking to create your own website, below are a few tips and tools of the trade to help get you on your way.
Practice your skills and read up on coding 101. There are some great sites out there that can teach you everything you need to know from scratch. Codecademy is a great place to start and is completely free or give Google’s Developers Training a go. There’s plenty of online forums you can join for advice as well.
If you’re fresh out of university, internships are a great way to gain experience in a professional environment as a web developer. Plenty of companies offer internships and they’re usually advertised on general job search sites such as Indeed. Although many don’t offer a paid income, the expertise you can gain is vital. It’s also a great chance to network and gain industry contacts.
Put your skills into practice, use sites like GitHub to help experiment and generate code examples and test problemswith your HTML/CSS with other programmers or developers.You can stay up to date on tips and trends by following web development blogs such as HTML Center, Code Visually, Codrops or Developer Drive. Codepad is also handy if you’re in need of fixing any common HTML/CSS issues.
Once you’ve built up enough confidence, considering looking into helping out with freelance projects where you can put some of your skills into action. There are some excellent sites aimed specifically for freelancer looking for work including Upwork, GetACoder and PeoplePerHour. Glassdoor is also a really handy site that allows you to search for jobs as well as research potential employers.
Finally, have a go at building your own website. Whether you’re brave enough to give creating a site from scratch a go, or want to opt for using a website builder such as WordPress, there’s lots of options available and online tutorials that can help you customise your site and use your own CSS styling. Once you’ve reached this stage you’re well on your way to being able to present good quality work to potential employers or clients.
Source: Webflow
