The web is a rapidly evolving space. Web design trends and techniques must follow suit. Successful trends tend to evolve into essential content. So staying on top of trends not only keeps websites relevant but also allows them to remain competitive over time. Including the latest styles and techniques in a website also benefits marketing and SEO strategies.
Web design trends and techniques have evolved together with the platforms that deliver their content to users. Mobile platforms lead today’s digital space. Not surprisingly, responsive design that delivers a fast and engaging user experience across all platforms is fundamental to web interfaces. No doubt this trend will extend into 2018, where innovations to utilize the full functionality of mobile are expected.
White space is not new to design. It draws attention to included elements without distraction. As such, developers should continue to find greater use for negative space in 2018. The fast mobile web experience preferred by search engines like Google calls for light-weight pages. Therefore, today’s websites tend to replace flashy imagery with white space. This web design trend not only helps loading speeds but also increases conversions: everything on the page is there for a purpose. According to AWWWards, which highlights current best web design trends, white space is key to two popular design styles: clean and minimal. Check out a site of the day that highlights both of these styles: Instrument.com.
Typography as the design element goes hand in hand with clean, minimalist pages. The art and technique of arranging type has gained recognition as a key component of web design. Thoughtful and deliberate selection of font typeface, size, and color can replace bulky images. The Unpigeon interactive visual quiz site makes interesting use of typography using colorful artistic images to decorate large font
. With a bold typography design style, logo’s and calls-to action become front and center. The growing availability of new fonts feeds this trend. Services such as Typekit and Google fonts allow designers to select the perfect typeface for their 2018 project with ease.
The push for personalized websites requires using brighter, more vivid colors and gradients. These elements of design help retain interest in otherwise empty spaces. Bold colors help companies stand out among competitors. With the growing popularity of using bold colors in web design, pallet choice becomes increasingly important. Color selection tools and even studies of color psychology help provide the best options for designers. Companies can get a fresh new look by transitioning logos and websites to include brighter colors in 2018.
Long form web pages that require scrolling are not necessarily a design element. Rather, this web design trend has evolved out of necessity for including more written content in web pages (both for SEO and user engagement purposes). So web design strategies that encourage moving content “below the fold” will continue into 2018. The following two trends speak to long form web content.
Gone are the days of creating flashy animations for the sake of flamboyance. Instead, strategically placed animations increase user engagement and conversions. Subtle animations triggered on scrolling entice users to keep going. Our Bulldog Advertising website incorporates these animations into site titles for added interest. The award winning -99 site provides another example of meaningful scroll-triggered animation. Scrolling through this long page style website educates along the way and ends at the ultimate conversion-point. This design trend trades static menus and buttons for an active user experience.
Cinemagraphs of still images with minor and repeated movement give the illusion of watching an animation without the sluggishness of a full-blown video. These dynamic images draw attention to critical points on a page. Moreover, clicking images can trigger cinemagraph motion. Thus, this design trend can provide a creative and fun way to capture user engagement. Find some great examples of cinemagraphs from the inventors of the medium here. A new photoshop plugin for photo animation (Artymate) embraces this design trend, so expect to see increased use of cinemagraphs in 2018.