Web design is constantly evolving, both consciously and unintentionally. Some webmasters consider the newest trends when they create their pages, while others simply model themselves on pages they like -- which more often than not have current trends prominently displayed. We have compiled ten of the hottest trends in web designer so you know what's going on in the Internet at large.

1. Infographics

The average attention span on the Internet is decreasing. Content providers adapt by creating dozens of bullet lists, top ten lists and short blurbs for everything. A long wall of text looks intimidating. Infographics are the newest technique for spicing up content, this time with pictures. Feed the information you want into a creatively designed image and it doesn't seem like much. Graphics help add visual comparisons as well, and overall the presentation helps keep attention.

2. Minimalism in Design

In contrast to the Web 2.0 fad of making everything busy and shiny, web trends are angling towards minimalism on some sites. In some cases that means an almost retro-looking layout where only the barest minimum of navigation and content is presented at once, for a clean and sparse look. In other cases, it means that the content itself is pared down to the bare essentials. While this isn't ideal for SEO purposes, it can work wonders in design.

3. Responsive Design

Responsive web design is the new hot button issue that everyone is talking about. The theory is that with so many different types of devices browsing the web, it's impossible to design one site that fits every device. A site made for one smart phone might not look good on a different model, and will look very different on a notebook or a tablet. The way each of these devices interacts with the site is different as well, leading to more customization. A responsive design enables every type of device to see the site optimized for it, through the use of multiple designs and code that determines what device is doing the viewing. Eventually, this type of design will probably become the standard, just as CSS has replaced tables.

4. Over-sized Vector Graphics

Especially prominent on the sites of graphic designers, many websites have taking to designing an elaborate top banner. These sites have designed whole mascots for themselves, suites of characters for every aspect of their page or business. Mozilla is a huge example, with every update page broken down for you in bright colors, large mascots and quick blurbs. It helps make the site memorable.

5. Content Hierarchy

Many websites these days have a column along the side or down at the bottom of every article, offering links to related articles and sponsored pages. You might be interested in these, claims the website, based on the tags of the articles you've read. A site organized by a content hierarchy takes it one step further. In all of the content on a site, a few categories emerge. Each bit of content can be filed away in one of these, and hidden until the user visits the category page. It's an application of the mindset "show me what I want, and nothing else."

6. Social Integration

Just about everything is social on the web today. Facebook is huge, Twitter is a constant source of information, Instagram allows the instant sharing of photos and Tumblr is an all-purpose blog platform for sharing just about anything. As with all things, some of these sites will fade while others grow, but the trend toward social integration for virtually every web page is inevitable. People like feeling involved, no matter how much sense it makes.

7. A Homemade Look

Many designs today, especially for sites and blogs in creative fields, are trending toward the homemade look. It's fitting given how many blogs are springing up about crafts and homemade items. Sites with simple graphics, fabric textures and stitched borders are all the rage. Subtle textures and colors, fonts that look handwritten and other little samples make a site look easy going and casual. Not every site sits in an industry that can afford such a look, but for those who can, the style is the way to go. Of course, if too many people overdo it, it can fall out of favor just as quickly.

8. Parallax Scrolling and Animation

The use of parallax scrolling in web design is nothing new, and for a while, it saturated the Internet just as any fad design. People started abusing and misusing it, and many developers shied away to avoid being lumped in with the amateurs. Now it's making a comeback with some very well designed pages, where tricks of scrolling content allow some portions of the page to flow and change while others remain mostly the same. It's not a trend for everyone to follow, but if it's used effectively, it can be quite a sight to behold.

9. Grid Layouts

Some of the very earliest layout work on any website was the addition of the grid. Lining up content in tables was a novel idea, and embedding colors and linked images to tie it all together was the norm for a long time. Large images would even be broken into chunks and set in borderless grids to load faster. The grid is coming back in style as a way to build the layout of your site. A full grid of text and images is a large, visual way to build navigation and keep fresh content always on top. It also helps cater to mobile users, who prefer the larger blocks of content to small, constant flows of information.

10. Focus on Touch

More and more mobile devices with Internet connectivity are flooding the market. Smartphones, tablets, touch screen notebooks, e-readers and even some game consoles have touch screen access to the Internet. Web designers are increasingly aware of this demographic and are designing their pages to be mobile-friendly and, more importantly, touch-friendly. Tiny text links and inconvenient, labyrinthine navigation is falling out of favor to make room for larger images with links, headlines that lead to mobile pages and a deceptively simple layout. After all, the easier it is for a mobile user to navigate your site for the content they want, the more likely they are to stick around.