Parallax Isn’t Passé

Web development and design techniques are constantly in flux. Within a single year, a multitude of new trends will pop up to phase out the “old” ones.

In the case of parallax, it’s been incorporated in web design since 2011. Yet, this design technique is still picking up steam with the mainstream public.

BUT FIRST, WHAT IS PARALLAX SCROLLING?

Parallax scrolling is a visual design technique that creates the illusion of a multi-layered background. This strategy intends to immerse the viewer, giving the impression that there is content behind the front website layer.

Although this technique is great for visually based companies, such as those in the travel or jewelry industry, it can really be applied to any industry. Here’s an example of a website with a parallax scrolling effect that we recently created.

WHY IS PARALLAX GOING STRONG?

One of the key reasons for this could be due to the frequency of website redesigns. Although many large corporations are on the cutting edge of these techniques, small businesses generally don’t choose to focus their time or capital on creating a brand-new website experience.

For businesses that aren’t directly dependent on their website to earn a profit, this makes perfect sense. Web design (and sometimes, even marketing as a whole) are shoved into a peripheral bucket until there’s an apparent need.

Now that maintaining a sleek and professional website is more commonly accepted, business owners are looking for the overt design choices that will immediately captivate a viewer, hence the widespread usage of parallax scrolling.

While search trends for parallax scrolling have been in decline since 2014, that ultimately hasn’t stopped website builders like SquareSpace, Wix, and even WordPress from promoting parallax templates to attract viewers.

And it works, too.

In spite of other design trends coming and going over the years, parallax, plainly put, just looks cool. In a world with so many different businesses, websites, and other content floating around, it’s grown increasingly more difficult to capture a user’s attention for an extended period of time.

Unless you’re a designer or developer who spends all day looking at websites, parallax does that almost instantaneously. And for the small business owners aiming to give their brand a fresh coat of paint, it could be just what they need.

For guidance on implementing a parallax effect on your website, send us a message at RizzoYoungMarketing.com.