You can never predict what will happen in the world of web design in the coming year. So often, technology moves faster and in more amazing ways than you could ever imagine. But there are some design growths to look out for over the coming 12 months.

Vids: The way to get ahead with your website is to include video delivered by Flash. To do this, designers need to be familiar with the workings of sites such as YouTube and Viddler. Get to grips with this and your website just got even more attractive to typically fickle visitors.

Widgets: Interactive widgets are growing – and will definitely get bigger in 2009.

Social media: Hot social media techniques such as using Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, that provide more links to websites, will undoubtedly have a large presence and a greater influence. Look out for automatic distribution, too.

Design styles: Ever more exciting designs and even hand-drawn websites are likely trends for 2009. It’s good news for arty types – and a way to ensure your website stands out from the crowds.

Web design for mobiles: Mobile web use is predicted to grow so watch out for more streamlined websites that will be better suited to the smaller devices.