Digital Trends That Are Making An Impact

Do users even care about web design? That’s easy. A recent study in showed that 75% of your web visitors will judge your credibility based on web design. So yes, staying on top of web design trends is important.

In the early years of websites, digital experiences and design really weren’t on the forefront of an innovator’s go-to-market strategy. Technology, research, testing, and the delivery of data all took center stage. Maybe that’s where the saying “Data can help make a good design great, but it will never make a bad design good” came from.

Today, design’s role in websites and the digital experience is just as important to the user’s experience the technology itself.

Here are a few web design trends where aesthetics and technology come together like never before.

Mobile-first

Mobile-first thinking isn’t brand new, but it’s more prevalent today than ever before. In 2015, mobile searches overtook desktop searches overall, making mobile search the highest search form worldwide. This is why Google has changed which sites they index first (mobile-first indexing) – they now prioritize mobile sites over sites that aren’t mobile friendly.

With mobile sites taking priority away from desktop sites, it’s no wonder that Mobile First design has become a trend and still first on the list.

Mobile-first web design is about changing the way that websites are designed fundamentally. The standard used to be that a site would be designed for a desktop and a mobile design would follow. Mobile-first design does just the opposite: it starts with designing the site for the mobile user first before creating a version that will also work for a desktop user.

The result is something that will first and foremost enhance the user’s experience with the website on the device that they will most likely be searching from.

For example, the hamburger menu. A hamburger menu is the three lines, stacked on top of each other that resembles a hamburger. This is something we have all seen on our mobile device, nothing new. Taking this icon to the desktop is a perfect example of mobile-first thinking.

Responsive Logos

If you’re in tune with web design, you know what responsive websites are and now you know what mobile first design is. A common challenge was paring down the logo to still be fully visible, but not take up so much real estate on the screen that it affects the message. As a result, we’re beginning to see not just responsive web elements, even responsive logos. 

Using a simplified version of your logo in a responsive nature, like an icon, can be immediately free up much needed real estate, especially on a mobile device. And if you think your full-sized logo looks small on your phone, wait a few years when it’s crammed into the screen in your Augmented Reality (AR) app. 

Vivid, Bright Gradients

For years, a color has been the easiest way to create an eye-catching design. The contrast of light to dark and use of complementary colors to create a vivid contrast. There’s a bit of a shift recently, where there’s less contrast and more natural gradients.

While not shying away from bold color, a more natural gradient between two colors provides an easier view and help move users’ eyes along the page.

Over the last couple of years, flat design has been a preferred web design trend over dimensional colors, but vivid gradients are making a big comeback. With the better resolution displays, bright colors are starting to get the proper respect they deserve.

Duotones

A duotone is a halftone image using two colors bringing out middle tones and highlights. Black plus blue, or black plus brown... typically, a muted and subtle. But what happens what when you make a duotone from a yellow and magenta, or purple and chartreuse? You achieve incredible effects, that’s what happens.

duotones today are bright and bold colors. This trend is particularly great for websites that want make an average city scape not so average. Or get the user to read your message with impact. Duotones mixed with gradients are big, loud and full of color. This most popular and recent trend is a great way to make images look even more intriguing.

Big, Bold Typography

Typography has always been a powerful visual tool to convey your message. And now, because device resolutions are getting sharper and easier to read, we are seeing an increase in large fonts.

The trend of large letters, contrasting sans serif and serif headings can create dynamic parallels, improve UX and best of all, keep the visitor reading your website.

Another type-related trend is typography cutouts. The technique uses a block of color over a moving image that appears through the letters. The right font and number of characters is paramount to making this work.

And finally, serifs are back! Thanks to Google Web Fonts and Adobe’s Typekit, serifs have clawed their way back to the forefront elegant titles and sophisticated headlines.

Conclusion

By incorporating any of these ideas can bring a new, fresh vibe to your website. Quickly, your clients will begin to link your business to being tech-savvy leader. An updated look will also increase brand trust, giving your audience confidence that you are relevant and able to meet their needs.

Between the bright colors, bold gradients and big typography, this year is gearing up to be one of the most fun and exciting years in the world of web design. Is your firm ready to keep up with the trends or push the limits?