Top Web Design Trends of 2022

Web Design

By creating a unique, visually aesthetic, and easy-to-use website, your visitors will prefer you over your competitors. 88% of polled users said that they were less likely to return to a website after a bad experience and 85% of adults feel that a company's mobile website should be as good as or better than their desktop website.bluespace The pressure is on. Not only does your desktop site have to go above and beyond, but your mobile site has to be even better.

As a web design and development company, we must stay on top of the UI/UX design. So, we've compiled a list of the top web design trends that you should keep an eye out for when you redesign your website. These trends will surely set you apart from your competitors.

User Interface

Dark Mode

As people spend more and more time on their devices, dark mode is becoming more and more popular. There are a lot of conflicting scientific and personal opinions online whether dark mode is beneficial for your eyes and circadian rhythm. Many websites and operating systems are offering dark theme options. Windows and MacOS rolled out dark mode options in 2018. Falling behind by two years, Facebook released its dark mode, in 2020. Chrome and Google have pushed out a dark state that mimics your desktop settings. YouTube and Snapchat have also enabled a dark mode (although not available for Snapchat on all devices.)

Dark Theme

Darker colors tend to be considered more moody, elegant, and clean. You will need to consider how the dark theme will affect how your users interact and interpret your business. Regardless, the theme can save battery power, and has amassed many fans. Approximately 82.7% (out of a total of 201) polled use dark mode instead of the default light themes. Few websites utilize a dark theme, so by using dark colors and light text you will set yourself apart from your competitors and ahead of the curve.

Digital Minimalism or Maximize

What is minimalism? Minimalism is a concept that embodies "less is more". There are a few different ways to utilize minimalism for your website design. Based on weight, size, and tones components such as white space, color, shapes, and typography embody minimalism. Embrace the white space on your website, just because it is called "white space" doesn't mean it has to be white. Color and shapes will make an even larger impact with fewer elements.

Neuromorphism a branch off minimalism, is flat design combined with soft shadows and highlighting. When utilizing minimalism and neuromorphic design it’s easy to look professional when compared to your competitors. Individuality will be dependent on color and other visual components. We have all seen minimalistic websites, a new trend that has been on the rise, however, is the complete opposite.

Maximalist design trend has seen a recent surge in popularity. It is dominated by creative expression, using larger-than-life fonts, graphic elements, photos, overlapping layers, and abstract shapes. When picking this design, be careful not to overwhelm your audience. The busy designs should uphold a consistent level of cohesiveness. With many layers, shapes, and bold colors your website will be visually interesting and recognizable in the sea of your competitors.

Color and Visual Elements

Color choice is crucial to the success of your website. Color expresses emotion, creates desire, customer loyalty, and drives conversions. A minimalistic design trend that’s been on the rise are muted colors. Muted colors add softness and elegance to your design. Utilizing gradients for the background of your page or as a color overlay on a photo have been rising in popularity. These effects give your website a more dynamic feel, making your website visually interesting.

Geometric Grids are a great way to break up space while staying true to minimalism. Utilizing a grid with different sized cells provides dimension and visual interest. Concise grids can help visitors sort through information, prioritize, and easily understand your business. Another trend is asymmetric layouts. Adding dynamics and creative freedom to your site and ensuring a better user experience. This layout works best with websites looking to host a larger volume of visual assets as opposed to text, with less content overall. Asymmetric layouts are mostly used for portfolio websites and bold brands.

Make your website more tangible by using grain, texture, and blur. Grain and texture can add a more interesting and natural feel to your website design. Break up the grids and muted colors with some personality; gaussian blur and a frosted glass effect can create a soft look for your background while helping important elements, such as text and buttons to stand out. A soft look for your background contrasts nicely with sharp edges, bold typefaces, and grids.

Multimedia

Abstract art uses shapes, forms, colors, and textures to create art. Abstract art on a website's homepage can present a level of creativity with visuals and luxury. Geometric elements and circles create a simple abstract feel. Circles are an uncommon element when it comes to website design. When executed properly, they can create an elegant concentric pattern, exclusive to your brand. Play around with unique shapes and different colors to evoke the desired emotion your customers or users should feel when browsing your website.

Utilize a video for your webpage header, providing a creative and dynamic element to your website. Videos are one of the most engaging forms of content on the web today. Users spend up to 88% more time on websites with videos. [Renderforest] There are too many websites using stock videos and assets as headers and marketing products. The purpose of web design is to create a platform engaging and unique to your brand, allowing you to stand out in the sea of your competitors. Make sure your video serves an obvious purpose while maintaining a creative look and feel.

Micro-interactions and micro animations offer interaction feedback to visitors of your site. An example of a micro animation or micro interaction would be a color change or animation in response to a user clicking or interacting with a button or menu. Animations can guide a customer through your site, subtle nudges in a direction to direct them to a button or CTA. Try using 3D elements to add depth to your design.

Organic shapes lend themselves to many of the trends on this list. Abstract art, vector art, minimal or maximal design, and even animations. An organic shape is any shape lacking straight lines. These elements are a great way to break up large sections of a website without utilizing a grid. Organic and natural shapes make your design more dynamic. Coupling natural elements with sharp lines, geometric shapes, bright colors, and textures will create an interesting visual contrast with differing weights.

3D elements are another great way to add depth to your website design. Balancing 2D and 3D components can be tricky though, but the payoff is worth the effort. These visuals are unique and forward-thinking, setting yourself apart in your industry. 3D elements fit into minimalism or abstract art categories, depending on the way you incorporate these elements into your website design. Try utilizing 3D elements and graphics for animations and aesthetics to create a visually appealing and engaging effect.

Typeface

Your font is an integral part of the user experience and interface. Your font needs to be legible and interesting. 70% of online businesses fail due to bad usability. [Uxeria] Your choice will affect the effectiveness of your content, whether your customers will read and stay on your page and can even have a psychological impact on your visitors. Minimal fonts are typically highly legible, making it easy to browse and sift through your content. Pairing a minimal font with an experimental typeface or a retro font will create an interesting and distinct look for your website's content. "Retro fonts" or "throwback typography" are making a resurgence, with interesting stylization and experiments that keep the typefaces interesting. An example of this is Spotify's Carnival promotion page . The stark contrast between the different weights and styles can add a level of creativity memorable to your visitors.

User Experience

Augmented Reality

A wave of augmented reality is sweeping through retailers and eCommerce shops. What is AR and how would it apply to website design and development? AR adds virtual elements to the real world through camera lenses. Allowing for personalized experiences for your customers.

Wayfair and Ikea allow shoppers to visualize what furniture pieces will look like in their home spaces. Ensuring their furniture will fit physically and stylistically of their existing space. ASOS introduced a virtual catwalk to their mobile app in 2019, like Gucci's try-on shoes.

AR is extremely beneficial to retail businesses; customers can have a more tangible look at clothes while online shopping. Augmented Reality experiences amaze your customers, setting you apart from your competitors. There are dozens of examples of the different uses of AR in marketing and brand personalization.

Scrolling

Scrolling effects are a minimal way to add some depth to your website. These animations draw attention to highlighted elements and particular pieces of information. Two great examples of storytelling via scrolling effects are Apple and Samsung. Their mobile device pages scrolling through pertinent facts and specs, showcasing certain hardware of the devices while utilizing animations. Parallax scrolling reached the height of its popularity in 2019. The effect is a technique wherein background images move past the camera slower than the foreground images creating a sense of depth. Non-traditional scrolling has many different effects and animations that can improve engagement. Perspective scrolling rotates an element horizontally, creating scales, and can be used to showcase a product. More popular examples are blur on scroll, scroll drawing, horizontal scrolling, and even background change on scroll. Bashooka curated a full list of unique scrolling effects for websites.

UI/UX

Visually Impaired Inspired Design

What is web accessibility and why is it important? Simply, web accessibility allows visually impaired people to comfortably and more easily perceive and interact with your website. With the ever-growing climate of equality and inclusion, it is especially important to consider the needs and effect your product or business has on others. UX designers must understand and develop designs with the disabilities of others in mind. Visual data is processed 60,000 times faster by the brain than text, [Mainstreethost] and websites are primarily visual tools, with colors, shapes, photos, scroll effects, and different fonts, many websites are unusable by those with impairments. As a business owner, you need to be aware of how your choice in color combinations and brand affect others. Many combinations cannot be differentiated by the colorblind.

What happens when one of your potential customers is visually impaired and cannot use your website? They move on and will do business with your competitor. 53 million Americans have some visual impairment, and 18% of those are legally blind. [Prevent Blindness America] The WHO estimates that 285 million people worldwide are visually compromised. Do not alienate your potential customers, when you could easily champion inclusion. Here are a few simple ways to ensure your site is easier to read, along with some tools to help you.

Color Safe provides color palettes based on the WCAG guidelines . Color Contrast Analyzer is a chrome extension that will look at any open page, PDF, or image and highlight elements that are not compliant in terms of color contrast. NVA is an Australian-based nonprofit free screen reader. WebAIM: Wave is a tool that will analyze your website and give you a list of accessibility-related errors and alerts. A few examples of websites that exemplify accessibility settings and options are the Hilton Hotel, Belkin, the Florida Bar, DC shoes, and Glasses USA. When you turn on the accessibility setting, the contrast increases, font sizes increase, colors slightly change, and the number of elements is reduced. [Convince and Convert]

Conclusion

At the end of the day, consistency is one of the biggest factors in web design. Utilize branding guidelines, stay consistent, and increase your brand awareness. Upholding a consistent feel across your pages will make your users feel more comfortable on your page. Keep your site well designed and filled with insightful information about your brand and its identity. After landing on a homepage, 86% of users want to see information about products and services, 62% are interested in contact information, and 52% are looking for the about us section. [KoMarketing]

Your website is the face of your business. Users go to your website first; it is of the utmost importance that your website is not only search engine optimized, but methodically designed and laid out. 70% of online businesses fail due to bad usability. [Red Website Design]

The experience your users have on your site will determine whether they do business with you, whether they recommend your business to their friends, and if they will remember you.

Make your website both beautiful and usable, capture the interest of your visitors and provide useful information.

Check out our other blog, 6 Simple Practices to Creating Aesthetic UI.

For a free website consultation, contact us today.

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