What Are The Latest Website Design Trends?
Retro fonts
We've seen many old things become cool again and then, in turn, become even more uncool. Think handlebar mustaches and mom jeans. Irony has a short shelf life.
Retro fonts have experienced this same ebb and flow in their popularity, and many designs featuring vintage typography haven't aged well.
However, throwback typography has gone through a bit of a resurgence. We do not see the same tired fonts. Instead, stylization and a bit of artistry are reimagining what retro fonts can be.?
Parallax scroll animations
Parallax scroll effects have been a trend in website design for years, and in 2021 we hope to see more subtle and creative explorations of what can be accomplished with parallax.?
Remember that too much movement in parallax effects can be harmful to people with vestibular disorders because the illusion of depth and exercise can cause disorientation and dizziness. Here are some guidelines we see more designers taking into account to ensure they incorporate parallax minimally and without causing harm:??
?Horizontal scrolling
Previously regarded as a web design faux-pas, horizontal scroll is having a comeback.?
We're seeing more web designers continuing to experiment with horizontal scroll. Those who do it best break the pattern not for the sake of being different but as a practical way to disclose secondary information progressively, like in an image gallery.?
Designers employing horizontal scroll successfully in 2021 will keep in mind these considerations:
Don't force users to navigate through horizontal content: allow alternate ways to navigate, like arrow buttons with clear labels.
Use clear visual cues to indicate where content uses horizontal scroll, and hide these cues behind hovers.
Be thoughtful about what content would benefit from being displayed in a horizontal scroll — a photo gallery is a good contender as a horizontal scroll would show users a small preview and allow them the option to view more or keep moving down the page.
Avoid requiring a horizontal scroll for a text that needs to be read.
3D visuals everywhere
With the advent of higher resolution screens, 3D design has come a long way from the blocky and beveled edges of Geocities.
We've seen high-quality 3D visuals weaved seamlessly into web designs. Instead of being flashy distractions, they're adding to the overall user experience.??
The creative agency Sennep throws in dashes of depth with 3D elements throughout their website. There's an excellent sense of harmony here between all of the design elements.
This is a perfect example of how 3D can make an even bigger impression in more minimalist layouts.
Multimedia experiences
With most people having access to faster internet speeds, multimedia web experiences are popping up everywhere. Bringing together visuals, text, video, and audio makes for a rich user experience.?
Successful designs in 2021 will use constraint with multimedia experiences:
Prioritize simplicity, like when combining motion and audio. Too much going on can be distracting or overwhelming to people with cognitive disorders.
Use different media formats thoughtfully as a way to maximize the accessibility of content.
Include closed captioning and transcripts for all pre-recorded multimedia.
Include alt text for images, and accompany complex images with longer descriptive text.
Ensure that all text is made with HTML rather than rendered inside images.
Avoid autoplay video or motion content: instead, provide a precise "play" button that affords the user the option to play and pause the content.
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?Augmented reality (AR) experiences
And with multimedia experiences, let's not forget all of the fantastic immersive experiences using augmented reality (AR).
AR means more now than just hunting for Pokémon on your Apple or Android mobile device. New technologies like the WebXR API and software made by Wayfair Technologies have opened this realm up for almost everybody.
Jeep utilizes AR for this "Build & Price a Jeep" page. For those who hate stepping foot into car dealerships, this makes for a breezy and pressure-free experience.
More retail and eCommerce websites are tapping into the power of AR to help sell their products and empower potential customers in the buying process.
A focus on grain
Rigid grids and flat blocks of solid color can drain the personality of a web design. Grainy textures can give them a more natural feel.
We see the beauty of graininess in this website for Studio Gusto.
It uses lo-fi design elements for a rougher user experience that feels more natural than the smooth perfection that's commonplace in many web designs.
Designs based on preference
Web development has made great strides in offering more personalized experiences.
This can be anything from including a toggle between dark/light mode and other ways of changing a site's appearance and navigation to offering content custom-tailored to one's taste like the custom playlists generated by Spotify.
New design practices and algorithms are making the internet less of a passive user experience and more user-centered.
The future will bring even more of a focus on meeting the needs, wants, and tastes of those navigating through websites.
Gaussian blur
Gaussian blur works so well in providing a swirl of soft focus to images and gradients.
This effect has been around for a while, but designers have been using this in more prominent spaces in web designs.
Moment House begins its homepage not with a hero image but with a pleasing gaussian blur of color.
This lends an atmospheric feel and ties directly into the Los Angeles cityscape photo that follows it. It perfectly captures the lens of the golden light and haze that Los Angeles is viewed through.
Scrollytelling
We've seen a growing trend in designers telling stories through web experiences. This is where?scroll telling comes in — visual storytelling that heightens the story and hooks you into its narrative.
The best applications of scroll telling practice restraint:
Keep motion within a small area.
Provide interactions on the user's terms: provide obvious playback controls to play / pause/stop interactions and actions.
Make sure that any scroll-telling elements help to emphasize the story rather than distract from important text.
Cartoon illustrations
Not that long ago, there was a time when websites were just text and a few images or graphics.
Web design has evolved, with designers now creating work that connects with people more personally.
Cartoon illustrations have gained popularity as a way of transforming websites with a healthy dash of humanity.