6 web design blogs you should be following

The standard for good web design shifts constantly. New trends emerge, old conventions get retired, and the baseline for what users expect moves with every major technological shift. Responsive design is the obvious example: once smartphones became the primary browsing device, a site that ignored small screens was a site that felt broken.

Keeping up means reading widely. These six blogs are worth bookmarking if you want to stay across the latest ideas, techniques and design thinking.

Smashing Magazine

Active since 2006, Smashing Magazine has built a strong reputation in the web design industry. It is aimed at web developers and designers, so the content goes deep on current styles, techniques and practical implementation.

Topics range from making global audiences feel at home on your site to setting up custom handwriting fonts for a more personal touch. There are also longer thought pieces on the direction of the industry, which are worth reading even when they are not directly actionable.

Web Designer Depot

Web Designer Depot covers current web design trends alongside a solid library of tutorials. If you read about a technique and want to try it yourself, there is usually a walkthrough to follow.

The articles tend to be thorough, covering both the pressing questions of the moment and the enduring principles of good design. A useful combination if you want context alongside the practical detail.

Envato Tuts+

Envato Tuts+ has been around long enough to have covered several distinct waves of design trends. The focus is on tutorials, which makes it particularly useful if you are building skills rather than just looking for inspiration.

What sets it apart is that the tutorials do not stop at showing you what to do. They explain the theory behind the finished result, so you come away with a broader understanding of why something works, not just how to replicate it. The writing is accessible, so the jargon does not get in the way.

Awwwards

If you are looking for inspiration rather than instruction, Awwwards is the place to go. It recognises and promotes designers, developers and agencies producing exceptional work, and showcases the sites that earned them that recognition.

Each site is rated across design, creativity, usability and content. There is a site of the day selected daily, and you can vote for the designs you find most compelling. Browsing it regularly is a reliable way to see where the leading edge of web design actually sits.

CSS-Tricks

If your site relies heavily on CSS and you want to push what it can do, CSS-Tricks is worth adding to your reading list. The blog covers a wide range of techniques for working with cascading style sheets, including approaches that are not obvious until someone points them out.

Beyond the articles, the site includes polls and community features that connect you with other designers and site owners. It is a good place to find out how others are solving the same problems you are working through.

1stWebDesigner

First launched in 2008, 1stWebDesigner has an active community of designers and the entrepreneurs who work alongside them. The articles cover a broad range of topics: user experience, graphics, social media integration, blogging, marketing and hands-on tutorials.

The mix of creative and business-focused content makes it useful whether you are working on the design side or trying to get more from your site as a business owner.

Reading across these six blogs regularly will give you a steady feed of ideas, techniques and examples to draw on. Design trends move fast, but staying informed means you can make deliberate choices about when to follow them and when to hold your ground.

If your site needs more than a design refresh, take a look at our WordPress hosting or website builder options to see what fits your setup.