Web capabilities are changing and evolving every day. We can’t see the day-to-day changes when they are occurring, but it is easier to look back and see what has all transpired. Web development is a fast paced, ever changing industry, so it is important to try and predict why lies ahead.

The following is a prediction by some people in the design industry for future web development. The prediction is that there will be less demand for PSD to CSS/XHTML conversions. Basically, this means the current design process of first designing in Photoshop, slicing, and then converting it all into HTML code might be going out the door. Rather, with new design tools and web standards like HTML5 coming out – it may be possible to build entire sites with incredible functionality, without ever opening up Photoshop.

Something to ponder.

As technology makes design easier every day, a lot of people tend to get away from the basic principles that make the web design work. These elements of design are important to understand to create an effective design. Trends in design change all the time, but these fundamentals have been unchanging and will likely never change, so they are important to note and remember.

A great design has good balance and proportion of the design elements. It also has contrasting elements, either in size or color, within it. There is a clear focus that establishes the point of interest for the viewer and their attention, but directional forces are also used to direct viewers to where their eyes should be looking. Repetition and rhythm can also be used as directional forces and provide a continuity. Variety is important, but there must be some sort of unity among that variety to give it an appearance of oneness.

While trends continue to change, these basic elements of design are often forgotten. These principles should be considered and followed no matter what kind of trendy design work you are embarking on.

The background is one of the most important, easily changeable elements to consider in web design. The following are some things for web designing beginners to remember when styling the body of their web page.

A single background color can be very effective when creating a web site. Browsers default to white, but it is easy to specify a single color that goes with the theme of your site. Repeating patterns and textures are also another approach to the site background. These repeating patterns and textures come in a variety of styles ranging from simple patterns to complex ones. Though one should be careful not to overdo it too much.

Both large and small graphic images can be used in backgrounds as well. With careful image compression, large and small images can be an effective tool in web site design. Larger background images should fade out to a solid color to create the desired seamless transition, for instances of vertically long pages.