We can all agree that an effective web design factors account intuitiveness and clarity of use. In an environment that’s awash with information and stimuli, today’s websites need to deliver their brand messages more clearly in order to stand out.
Partner that with that fact that web design trends and elements can instantly make your website look like a relic from the days of internet past, keeping up with web trends is imperative.
To help you out, we’ve listed 7 web design trends that break boundaries while integrating cutting-edge technologies and processes to build web experiences that stand out and catch the attention of users.
Immersive 3D Elements
3D visuals have always delighted people. What held this trend back was the lack of technological innovation and the expensive price tag. In 2020 however, that technology is now in place where you can design in 3D without NASA-tier equipment, opening this option up to more and more designers.
To create an immersive website experience, consider utilising hyper-realistic 3D that takes up the whole screen. That’s also not just an advantage for visuals, but for UX as well—interactive 3D design encourages users to stay longer.
Dark Mode
Sometimes, the most visually stunning web design features have practical beginnings. Dark themes were used for saving power and extending screen lifespans – but that utility doesn’t stop them from looking good.
Dark mode web designs not only look ultra-modern, but they improve the visibility of other accent colours for truly dynamic design. Another purpose of using a dark theme UI is the same as for coding — it doesn’t hurt your eyes as much as it would do the white, classical theme.
Thumb-Friendly Mobile Navigation
Responsive design isn’t just an option anymore, your site needs to work well and be easy to use on mobile devices. So what is a “thumb-friendly” web design?
It’s the design aspect of putting the navigation bar, menu, and even contact buttons in the space of your smartphone that your thumb can reach (the centre of the screen) making your website easier to use and improves your UX tenfold.
Combining Photography with Graphics
Overlapping original graphics on top of real photographs create a memorable visual, which lends itself to letting your creativity go wild.
This collage-like trend is a versatile one; you can use it to add a special cuteness and charm to otherwise bland product photos, or you can use its more serious attributes to better communicate complicated or abstract concepts. To make the most of this trend’s flexibility, be sure to match the style of the illustrations and graphics with your brand personality.
User-Triggered Animations
Typically when we think of animations, we see them happening on their own, independent from any action that site visitors may take on the page.
That’s why the thought of combining web user interaction with tasteful animation and tasteful type is one of the most exciting things to happen to typography. Even as web design is increasingly able to match the expressiveness of print design, putting type in motion in response to user inputs adds a new dimension to how we think about written communication.
Minimalist Design
With the rise of wearable devices like smartwatches, website design is starting to think smaller. Navigation, the most affected aspect has been consistently getting simpler to accommodate extremely small devices and even smaller attention spans.
This ideology gave birth to minimalist design. By taking away the difficulty in usability, website visitors have less to think about when moving around, which gives them more time to be immersed in the website and actually move around instead of wondering how.
Storytelling Centred
One of the most interesting and stylish web trends to dominate 2020 is the introduction of company cultures, slogans, services and products with clear storytelling plots, characters and narratives.
While designing your website, don’t forget to incorporate storytelling techniques to elevate your website. For example, instead of displaying products with boring grid layouts, you can introduce them with interesting stories, and add some cute mascots, videos and illustrations to enrich the storytelling process as well as delight website visitors.
Looking Ahead
In 2020, the technical possibilities seem endless and we’re seeing web designs that play with extremes, reinvent previous styles and ceaselessly experiment with new techniques. These come in the form of a slew of clean, bright, eye-catching websites that use animation and video to enhance the user experience. And our thumbs should get a break with thumb-friendly design!
By applying these 7 web design trends, you’ll be creating a design with cognitive fluency that provides your visitors with a reliable and positive experience that helps you boost conversions.
When traffic or conversions start to dip, it may be because a design trend has stopped working for you. This is a clear indication that it’s time to try something new.
If you’re looking to build a website of your own, or need some help with creating one that achieves your objectives, feel free to contact our professional website design and development team for a customised plan.
