As new technology and website building tools become more readily available, the quality standard for the average blog is rising quickly. The days when bloggers could pick a stock theme from the WordPress gallery and start writing are long gone.
Bloggers with increasingly large design skillsets, as well as the availability of advanced themes and new design tools, are turning the blogosphere into a tougher arena than ever. New bloggers must constantly learn and apply the latest best design practices in order to stay competitive. Some even argue that the quality of a blog's presentation and delivery are equally as important its content.
In 2014, watch as these design trends take off, and learn the techniques and tools needed to execute them.
Retina-Ready Designs
The Apple device user base has grown in such a way that designers can no longer work without considering the brand's specific needs and desires. Since the majority of Apple products are now equipped with the company's high resolution Retina Display, designers are starting to cater their work to Retina's specifications.
As Apple sells ever more users on premium computing products in 2014, you can expect to see Retina-friendly design become a major requirement for blogs across the board.
Supercharged Infographics
Infographics have fallen in and out of favor of web professionals and SEOs over the past year. What used to be an efficient tool for conveying information in a visually appealing fashion has turned into dime-a-dozen fad. The advent of drag-and-drop infographic tools has flooded the web with cheap, subpar graphics.
But designers aren't giving up yet. Professionals are working harder than ever to craft gorgeous, eye-catching infographics to promote sites and deliver fascinating stats. Bloggers in 2014 will continue to utilize infographics, however, they will be more carefully designed than ever.
Code-Free Design Tools
All this tech-talk about design techniques and coding trends is enough to scare away any new blogger. But inexperienced members of the blogosphere shouldn't fret. 2014 is set to bring exciting things, even for those who aren't well versed in the skills of coding or design.
Code-free site builders have taken huge leaps and bounds into the realm of professional web development. The notion that bloggers and designers must either learn how to code or hire a professional to get a site that's aesthetically on-point is no longer true. Platforms like Webydo, Barley, and Wix give bloggers and professional designers a solution that includes an integrated CMS, clean code output, and WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) functionality. Webydo in particular has quality, mobile-responsive code. These easy CMS systems make site maintenance simple, and their clean code output allows users to edit code to their ability (unlike old code-free platforms that produced atrociously-written code).
There's no doubt that 2014 is going to be an exciting year for web professionals, bloggers, and the social media world in general. Try implementing some of these hot design trends on your site as they gain popularity this year.