A Showcase of Texture in Web Design

February 14, 2013
by Amie Pallen
Web Design
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It used to be thought of as a temporary “grunge” trend, but using texture in digital design has gone the distance. Once the preferred technique of the music industry, it’s now a valuable tool that’s used to add depth and interest to all kinds of website designs. It enhances the effectiveness of calls to action, it guides the user’s eye subliminally towards pre-selected interfaces, and it improves usability and adds structure to your templates.

Textured web designs tend to have more of a unique look that’s instantly memorable to users. Some website designs rely heavily on texture, with varying degrees of success, by using it across the entire page; other sites use texture to highlight certain elements.

Responsive Design and the Future

The internet has now become mobile, the rate at which new hand held devices are appearing is unprecedented. This is why it’s now more important than ever to have consistency within web design across all devices. Designers are now using high resolution, detailed patterns and texture to aid responsive design. With the rise of advanced technology, slow page load time usually associated with heavy web designs is no longer an issue.

The introductions to CSS3 media queries have changed the design and development process of websites; one design can be now be adapted to cater for all devices. From desktop computers, to smart phones, responsive CSS frameworks and the rise of other methods show the future of creatively textured websites look bright.

Serving a greater purpose than pattern, texture is a useful tool in your artillery to be wielded with care; here’s a quick look at how to do it well.