Web Design Trends
The trends of web design are constantly changing as they follow the technological evolutions and cultural changes hand in hand.
To date, the technical and creative possibilities are practically endless and designers can play with extremes, reinvent previous styles and experiment with new techniques.
At the same time, there are some popular trends that continue to be present, such as minimalism and the flat, colorful illustrations that we’ve been seeing for some time.
Let’s take a look at the Web Design Trends of 2021
1. Elements and 3D Rendering
While this is nothing new, in 2021 we were able to see many more 3D renderings and models.
The growth of this trend is favored by technological evolutions and by the improvement of graphics software that allow designers to work on 3D in a much simpler (and cheaper) way.
3D elements push users to stay longer on a page, are more immersive and visually reduce the boundaries between the digital world and reality.
Some big sporting goods brands like Adidas already use static, animated or interactive 3D elements.
2. Dark Mode
One of the fastest growing design trends in 2021 is probably dark mode, i.e. offering users the ability to enable a dark theme.
Dark mode is a low-light user interface mainly characterized by dark backgrounds which in addition to giving an ultra-modern look has two main benefits:
Helps reduce eye discomfort by changing the screen brightness according to outdoor lighting conditions. Extend the battery charge of devices by reducing the use of white pixels. In addition, a dark theme allows for greater contrast on the screens (especially OLEDs) and improves the visibility of other colors and design elements that need to be more evident (for example links and buttons).
You have probably noticed that many companies like Apple have added light and dark modes to their products.
3. Bold, oversized typography
To communicate clearly and immediately, many websites use very large (fullscreen) images and videos, bold typography and oversized menu icons.
This trend is constantly growing in 2021 mainly because it offers some advantages:
- They grab attention
- They reduce the number of elements on the page and the cognitive effort in using the contents
- They increase the contrast and improve the readability of the text
- They create a visual hierarchy that helps site visitors understand the content
- They increase the visual impact, especially on neutral backgrounds
4. Accessibility for visitors with disabilities
One trend that may not be particularly sexy – but it is very important – is accessibility.
Making a website accessible means allowing access to the information contained on the site also to people with physical disabilities and to those who have limited hardware and software tools.
For more details on the guidelines for making a site accessible, you can consult the official W3C documentation.
Here are some reasons not to underestimate this trend:
- Several websites and business owners have been sued for not providing accessible websites, particularly in sectors such as retail, food service, hotels, air travel.
- There has been an increase in responsible web design and corporate social responsibility.
- People are seeing good ROI and accessibility marketability, and it’s a cool thing to advertise.
We can say that this Web Design trend is not very trendy and elegant but it is certainly an important responsibility of designers when designing web interfaces.
5. Micro animations and micro interactions
Micro interactions, commonly called UI Animations, are applied to small elements of a web page but play a significant role in creating more “human” websites.
When you upload a file, clicking the upload button and you see that the status bar goes from 0% to 100%, here is a micro interaction.
The micro interactions make the user “feel” what he is doing. They let the user interact on a level that feels tangible and palpable. The user receives instant feedback and emotional validation.
For next trends, please check this article Web Design Trends Part 2