Web Design Trends This Year

Every new year brings with it new trends in web design, and this year is no exception. You might be wondering what new wonders web designers have in store for you. The traditional way of doing web design is long gone. It is not only about a beautiful website; today, what matters is the experience the users get from it. Next is a glimpse of some of the trends to look out for this year.

Web Animation

Use of animation helps users understand concepts and interfaces better and easily. Many people want to understand what your web interfaces mean without having to spend endless hours since time is of the essence. What a better way to explain complex ideas than by using animations. They also make your website catchy and playful. One of such animations to look out for this year is GIFs. First, you might have seen them on Facebook and Twitter, but they are also gaining popularity in web design. The most important thing to remember is to add them in moderation because overdoing it will make your website heavy, thus take too long to load. Their main aim is to attract your readers’ attention. They also help you create richer content, explain how to guides well, and elaborate the workflow. You can create GIFs using the many creation tools like Photoshop and Giphy. Other animations include:

• Parallax scrolling
• Mouseover effect
• Transition between web pages

Variable Font

The web today is filled with a diversity of beautiful typefaces that lead to great levels of interest in the typography of fonts. With the release of variable fonts, this is bound to get even better. This joint project between typography and the hugest names in technology, including Apple, Adobe, Microsoft and Google seeks to bring a new form of typeface design. In simple words, variable fonts mean one font file that is able to go from Thin to Black instantly without the need for 16 other fonts in your CSS.

It has always been a rule to always play safe when trying out many font types but typography will change everything. It will not only serve as text but as an image as well. Ensure you display this masterpiece above the fold. What you might see include:

• Broken up spacing words
• Blending different font families
• Experimenting weight of the letters and spacing

As soon as you get your preferred fonts, upload them directly to the Editor. Remember that mixing typography should only be for aesthetic purposes and must be avoided in paragraphs and blog posts that require readability.

Artificial Intelligence

In the previous years, you might have seen the use of conversational UIs and chatbots in websites. Most of these are not currently being driven by Artificial intelligence (AI), but that is likely to change this year. You are likely to find more articles and case studies on the combination of AI and UX design, especially in robotics.

Decorative Details

You are likely to see geometric shapes and icons this year. These help vamp your site by capturing the attention of the readers instead of distracting them. You can also use them to decorate your website and make it more appealing.

Increased Use of Drop Shadows

Apart from broken layouts and parallax, the use of drop shadows is the in-thing. They are not new to web design, which is why they are getting popular every day. Drop shadows have continued to be refined and developed to make more exciting new versions. Since they have been there for a long time, it is only wise to make good use of them as they come in various styles and forms.

Bold Colours

In the past, you might have only seen web designers using web-safe colours, but that is no longer the case. Today, you will be able to see more web designers embracing more vibrant colours that have over-saturation hues and vitality in the use of gradients. What has played a great role in making this possible is devices with screens that are able to reproduce richer and more vibrant shades.

Using richer colours in web design not only helps in attracting more attention to your website but also shows that you are bold enough to try new brands. It is always good to try new things and not get stuck in the old-fashioned ones that always force people to play safe. For example, if your website is about children, it is not expected to be in dull colours. Such a site should have vibrant colours that are bound to capture the attention of your readers.

Use of Videos

It is said that a single picture helps paint a thousand words but a video does more than that. Just like with animation, any moving image tends to capture a reader’s attention and keep them hooked and craving for more.

Although this is not a new trend, videos are used in telling stories, for vlogging and marketing purposes. They are more advantageous than traditional photography as the conventional way has still images while videos are dynamic and incorporate sounds and movements that are more appealing to all the human senses.

In this year, it is possible that 79% of internet traffic will consist of videos since around 50% of mobile traffic already is video-based. If you do not want to be left behind, it might be the time you started using videos on your website as this is no doubt going to increase traffic and keep your readers hooked. You will agree that videos have become a great deal in social media and people can even stream live, which shows that you can also create your own videos, in addition to viewing. Videos are bound to dominate the internet this year, and the online content at large.

Interactive Content

This is going to be the year of interactivity as readers are always looking for more personalised experiences when connecting with brands and content like quizzes and games and polls will do just that. With everything getting crazier online, these might be the right things to help people maintain their sanity.

These are just some of the many trends that you should expect to see this year. As technology is advancing, you should also move with time and make the necessary changes. If your website is also a source of income, it would be wise to make it as much reader-friendly as possible.