Web designs never remain constant. They keep shifting, bringing in new techniques and elements to impress the audience. To ensure that you always have your target customers’ attention, you need to keep up with the latest web design trends.
To help you out, we have compiled a list of the hottest trends in web design here, in this article.
Now, advancements in technology have made it possible for web designs to be taken to the extremes while reinventing existing designs and styles. Additionally, there are still a number of web design styles that are so popular that they are sure to continue beyond this year.
So, without further ado, here are the major web design trends that you need to focus on. We’ll get into details in a while.
- Dark Mode
- 3D Elements
- Imperfections
- Graphics and Photo Mix
- White Space
- Depth
- New Colour Schemes
- Increased Minimalism
Dark Mode
Most web designers are of the opinion that 2020 is going to be the year of dark mode design. There is already an increasing focus on UI designs that allow users the option of enabling a dark theme.
Now, dark backgrounds are actually great as they allow the design elements to stand out and be more prominent due to a higher contrast ratio when used with other colours. Despite this, they still end up improving the visual ergonomics as they end up reducing the strain on the eyes. Of course, dark mode designs also end up looking extremely modern and impressive.
It is interesting to note that dark mode was born out of practical necessity rather than any creative designing. To reduce power consumption in mobile phones, many apps, spearheaded by Google, chose to deploy a dark mode or a dark theme. Apart from saving power, it also increases the lifespans of the screens.
Of course, the dark themes also had the benefit of looking great. For this reason, dark mode designs began to be employed more widely as it improved the visibility of other colours, resulting in some incredible dynamic web designs and mobile app designs
3D Designs
In the coming days, you are sure to see more usage of 3D in web design and graphic design. There are many reasons for the development of this particular design trend.
One of the major reasons is the advancement of technologies that have made it easier to create 3D designs. Nowadays, it is significantly easier to develop interactive 3D designs that make the fullest possible use of interactivity on a screen. This results in a powerful user experience that your users are sure to enjoy and appreciate.
The fact is that 3D visuals and designs have always been fascinating to people. Unfortunately, the limitations of technology made it difficult to truly embrace 3D designs on the web. This is no longer the case. Now, creative web designers can create interactive 3D designs for your site with ease.
The popularity of virtual reality has also contributed towards the growth of this trend. It brought about renewed interest in the 3D and the importance of immersive experiences. Of course, such experiences are certainly better for your brand and company in the long run.
Imperfections
Another interesting web design trend that is quickly becoming popular is that of imperfections. However, these imperfections are neither unintentional nor do they have a negative impact on the overall design. Instead, these imperfections come with their own personality which improve the overall design and make it more impressive. How is that possible? It is through hand drawn elements, of course.
Design elements that are drawn by hand tend to be imperfect. However, they also end up injecting humanity and emotion into the websites. This is something that users and viewers are looking for. After all, they have been seeing perfect but impersonal graphics dominating the internet and web designs year after year. As such, they are ready for some real graphics drawn by hand. These web design elements bring in some much needed heart to the website which users tend to find extremely appealing.
For this reason, hand drawn designs and icons are going to become a major trend in the coming days. They are more emotional in a positive manner. These design elements are stylized and completely unique. As such, they are much better at conveying the personality of your brand and help your website stand out from the competition quite easily. Morevoer, it also makes your brand feel human which is sure to be appreciated by your customers and audience.
For these reasons, we are sure to see more intentionally imperfect web designs that make the sites more interesting.
Graphics and Photo Mix
The use of real photographs mixed with graphics or illustrations can communicate a truly customised and personalised messages. It does not matter what the subject of those photos are, they are capable of being more effective in supporting branding and in helping websites stand apart from the rest.
This web design trend is certainly a versatile one. For example, it is possible to create a memorable visual by overlapping graphics on actual photographs. In other words, web designers can really unleash their creativity and make amazing and unique visuals that support the needs of the company.
Moreover, it is easy to adapt it to give the effect you desire. For example, you can take a boring photograph of a product and add some much needed charm with some cute and exciting graphics. By customising the imagery as you see fit, you can add a lot of personality to your website and brand.
However, that last point is vital. While this web design trend is certainly a flexible and powerful one, it is extremely important that you pay attention to how it matches your brand. The style and aesthetics of the graphics and illustrations must mesh well and support the personality of your brand. After all, they can have an impact on how your audience and users interpret the resulting image. For example, you cannot use cartoonish graphics if you are trying to give your brand a sophisticated or elegant personality.
White Space
Full bleed layouts are one of the most popular styles of web designs. However, their time seems to be coming to an end as more and more web designers are beginning to move away towards white space. In fact, there are now many fantastic applications of white space and in extremely creative and interesting ways.
Used correctly, white space can give designs and graphics a lot more structure. This trend is being accompanied by the use of framing to allow the image to pop out more and really make an impression on the viewer. Frames provide a lot of stability while helping to draw attention to the image or graphic.
You are sure to see much more of this trend going forward. Frames made of white space allow the web design to enjoy a solid structure. Giving each element of the page or design an ample amount of space results in the perfect foundation for letting the visuals shine. Moreover, properly structured frames create a sense of order and purpose which is satisfying. It also helps improve navigation since the different parts can be easily prioritised, separated and organised.
Depth
This trend involves the creation of an illusion of depth. As discussed earlier, 3D is fast becoming popular among the audience and users. As such, creating a pseudo-3D effect can go a long way in impressing them.
Unlike the 3D effect we discussed above, this trend goes about it in a more muted and softer manner. To get that kind of an effect, web designers opt for floating elements and soft shadows. These also help in capturing the interest of the viewers while adding depth to the overall design. The great thing about this is that it can be easily applied to photos and text in addition to graphics.
This is also a great way to make material designs stand out. With the help of layer elements, floating elements and soft shadows, it is possible to transform boring 2D layouts into something with more depth and interest. Moreover, these effects end up giving a lightweight feel to the design making it an interesting counterpart to flat web designs.
New Colour Schemes
Material design was known for the use of pastels and softer hues. However, like all web design trends, a change is now taking place in the choice of colours. In this year and beyond, you may start noticing colour schemes and even web designs that are futuristic. You may start noticing more colours such as purples, blues and even hot pink that result in a futuristic feel when used in designs.
In fact, there will be an increased used of exotic and bold pairings of colours. Employed strategically, they can end up making the web designs really impressive and even pop out. This is a part of an overarching trend in web designing in which bolder and more daring steps are being taken to create attention grabbing designs and elements.
For the same reason, there is an increasing use of neons, especially of the glow in the dark variety. More designers are starting to combine highly saturated colours with muted and darker shades. This lends a more luminous effect to the designs, which is a marked difference from what has been in use so far.
Some of the best applications of these trends can be seen in web designs that follow a duotone pattern. In fact, this is one of the reasons why duotone as an aesthetic never seems to die out. It is still a popular choice among web designers and with good reason. With the application of colors that are futuristic, neon and even highly contrasting, duotone can be used to create absolutely powerful and catchy visuals.
Moreover, duotone lends itself rather well to branding purposes. In fact, it is possible to transform and refresh any image into the branding of your company, making those images more impactful and impressive.
With the rise of other trends like dark mode designs and extreme minimalism, this trend of futuristic and luminous colours is the best way to take advantage of them. After all, it works perfectly well with those trends, allowing you to create something truly impressive and interesting.
Increased Minimalism
You may have already noticed the subtle shift to video as the main form of content consumption in recent years. Social media such as Facebook has even emphasised on visual content like video in their feeds. This is something that the internet is following as well. Instead of text, more and more websites are getting videos with voice scripts and animations. Videos do have a few benefits such as being more interesting and attention grabbing.
However, this trend is also affecting web design. After all, if there is lesser text on a webpage then it is possible to simplify the web design to a greater degree. This will make the navigation easier as well which is great news for user experience and user interface.
Then there is the rise in popularity of wearable devices such as smartwatches. They have forced web designers to think about design on a smaller scale. The most affected aspect has certainly been navigation which is critical to the usability and success of any website. For this reason, web designers are making it a point to simplify the navigation as much as possible.
This is only going to go further, resulting in extreme or increased minimalism. This will also benefit the users by significantly decreasing the difficulty in usability. After all, users are more likely to spend more time on a website if they have to think about navigation less, to the point of being intuitive. After all, they don’t have to waste time figuring out how to move around.
As mentioned earlier, visuals are becoming more important than text. For this reason, your website must include lots of large photos and videos in order to impress the users and make them stay on your site longer. Larger videos and photos have a lot of benefits as they draw the attention of the users and hold on to it. Moreover, there is now lesser text which puts the images and videos in the foreground.
What’s Next!
As you can see, web designs trends are certainly getting bolder. There is more emphasis on elements, colours, effects and visuals that can capture the attention of users and hold it there. As such, surprises are surely possible in the coming years as web design ventures into places it has not gone before.
If you want to take advantage of all the possibilities offered by web design trends, contact Cogito Software Solutions now! We offer comprehensive web design services along with creative designing, web development and digital marketing services. We can help you ready your site for the future! Contact us now!
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