Keeping up with Website Design Trends
Online presence is a game of agility and a dynamic environment. With incoming upgrades and new website design trends, it is imperative all your social media platforms are well in tune with them. In the case of websites, the design trends for every year and even decade set the tone as to how they adapted to user needs and changing times. The importance of website design trends has been given is due to their deep connection with the audience and conversions. As you know, the website is as good as its visitor, engagement, and conversion rate, all of this depends upon what the audience expects from the website, be it content or from a design point of view.
Although, not every design trend goes out of style. To name a few, minimalist layouts, video backgrounds, and animations have been consistent, widely loved, and accepted, but there are always new additions to the game which website developers must take into consideration. But then suddenly some trends come and compete in the race of being classics, like light and dark mode.
As and when it was introduced in early 2018, it created a rush. We saw it making its way to websites around 2020 and with an ongoing pandemic, working hours being erratic and beyond the norm, this mode eases the experience for working professionals and overall, smart and necessary. In this article, we will be discussing the trends that are going to stay or become the highlight of 2021 design trends. Let’s get into it.
Five website design trends we can see thriving in 2021
- Retro fonts
One can’t put enough stress on the design language that speaks and screams your persona. In the past few years, we saw too many old trends coming back and making a debut and sweeping the audience off their feet. Be it crop top and baggy jeans in fashion or Retro Fonts on website forums. Spotify Carnival Promotion is a great example of how they used retro fonts, bringing a breath of fresh air to the whole look and feel.
Design Trend of Spotify Carnival Promotion in Retro Style
What is a retro font style? Retro font style is characterized by bold yet fun and flowy. Under retro-futurism, the whole genre is making its strong foothold as they still appear refreshing and appealing.
- Horizontal scrolling
What generally came across as a faux pass in a website design, is now a design trend. Horizontal scrolling is on the rise and you will see them often used as a simpler way of unraveling secondary information beneath. To explain what horizontal scrolling is, it is defined as a navigation method that allows the user to scroll from left to right to disclose content from the window above or the container.
If you’re to use this website design trend, you must keep in mind the following things:
- Don’t force the horizontal scroll, you elements like arrows for users to proceed.
- Clear cues of horizontal scrolling
- Have a thought behind using this design trend, assess if it fits the nature of the content
(add a horizontal scrolling video of a client work)
- Augmented reality (AR) experiences
We were made familiar with AR in virtual reality games but during the lockdown in 2020, it became popularized via Instagram filters as major brands dived into the trend, making content and brand experience more engaging and immersive. Similarly, now websites of brands are going ahead and giving realistic, at-home experiences to their audience via Augmented Reality experiences.
- Scrollytelling
With them, the revivalism of storytelling is a great advantageous tool for marketers and brands. The same essence is now conveyed on websites with design flow and content, often video and animations are also taken into play. Also known as Visual Storytelling, the format brings in the narrative in a more experiential manner, hooking people into the storyline, message, or narrative.
Scrollytelling tips are:
- Restrict it to a smaller area
- Give controls to the user like rewind, replay and pause
- Make sure the message that is being conveyed is not overshadowed by scrollytelling elements.
- Dark mode
While dark mode might seem like an important functionality, it is also proven to be more helpful from a design point of view. Having said that, when it is incorporated in the design, it makes other elements pop, especially if they are set in dark mode. As a design element, it also makes the appearance of any given environment sharper, sleeker, and more sophisticated, uplifting everything to its highest potential on a website. Such a website is trendy to attract and hold visitor’s attention.
There are way more trends than the five we listed but these five are the ones which are going to be a lot around you this year. However, as a cherry on the top, we have three more trends – if you are a website designer – to look forward to in 2021. They are No code, Web inspired by print, and Colorless design. Hindsight behind every trend being popular is heavily dependent upon its placement. What is to be understood is that, as a website designer, you are here to take risks, believe in your vision, and create a masterpiece that has never been made before. These trends are here discussed to inspire your thoughts and help you develop websites that stand out in every sense.
Website designs are a dynamic field hence, trends even change at their peak and some get revived after ages. You must be on the lookout for what is fresh and more importantly what fits your client’s need, to make sure you are always ahead of your game!
Cubeight:
With a team of talented specialists, Team Cubeight takes pride in being the best when it comes to designing websites for brands. We believe in crafting a custom made website, suiting to your needs and goals, that leads to conversions. Upbeat with all the latest technologies and trends, we put hard work, dedication and conviction in your vision along with our expertise. If you are looking for a combination like ours, let’s have a conversation and we will help you make your next best website!
