It seems web design trends change every year. If you have a website or interact with customers through the internet, you’ve likely seen several changes in your business in 2020. Customers are ordering online more than ever, online interfaces are changing and long-distance communication is becoming more personalized and value-driven.
The best way to maximize your success is by keeping on top of what’s going on in your customers’ minds: This includes how, where, and when they want to view information on your website. Here are five web design trends for wise business owners to look out for in the upcoming year.
If choosing a color scheme based on website trends makes you panic, don’t worry! Though choosing web colors can feel a lot like trying to decorate your living room, keep two things in mind. First, there are several great ways to combine website colors, similar to furniture and fabric choices. Second, unlike with interior design, you have the advantage of being able to change your color scheme as often as you want.
You may have noticed that black paired with pastel colors is popping up quite a bit lately. Darker websites can seem sleek and sexy, but paired with pastels, it can give the impression that your company is sophisticated and courageous. Choose sky blue, soft green, or even pastel pink to go with black for an upscale yet calming theme if you go this route. Dark mode, where everything on your site is in a darker tone as if they were using your website at nighttime, is also popular. You’ve likely seen this option on your phone or computer, and now you can use it for individual websites as well.
Some experts predict that while these trends have not completely emerged yet, there are certain aspects of design that are looking toward the future in the way that smartphone and other technology have. For example, voice-activated interfaces have yet to become popular on websites, but they may in the new year.
We use our voices to access information on Google, through Alexa, and ask for assistance while we’re driving with Siri. Voice chatbots, virtual assistants, and voice-activated query systems could be the defining trend of 2021 — only time will tell whether website owners will be comfortable going that route yet.
The most eye-catching websites of 2021 may combine design aesthetics by blending photography and graphics. It may be because we’re more socially distanced than ever, or it may just be our perpetual interest with other human beings, but overall, people want to see faces. They want to see other people enjoying your brand and your product like they may in the future.
How you utilize this blend will be a mix of your style and what you want to say to your customers. Combining real people with your own graphics — and these graphics could be illustrations, charts, or graphs — will give you a simple yet timely update in 2021. If you aren’t used to using graphics, be sure to work with designers to create them specifically for your brand. Implementing eye-catching graphics could be a great way to start the new year, and it could even help you re-brand if necessary.
2021 may be the year of retro when it comes to website design. Hand-drawn graphics, large letters emphasizing your brand’s name and identity, and bold colors paired with black, white, or pastels can bring to mind either the roaring 20s or a mid-century modern vibe that we’ve seen make a comeback in other design.
It will be your discretion as to how much of this to utilize on your own website, and it will depend on who your audience is. Basically, what you’re trying to do, is show your audience that you’re on the cutting edge of creativity and that you are the trend- setter — not the trend-follower. Choose a unique combination of your favorite vintage fonts and colors, keep your home page’s interface simple, and let your creativity speak for itself.
Overall, you’ll want to remember the basics of website design: Make your site as easy to use as possible. It doesn’t matter if you include a dark mode, a choice of color schemes, and 12 graphics — if your audience cannot find what they’re looking for, you may as well just tell them to call you on the phone! Enlist family, friends, or employees who haven’t worked on the new site to test it out before you launch to make sure it’s user-friendly and accessible.
Choosing a new design scheme and trying to chase down next year’s trends can be nerve-wracking, but as long as you remember the above tips and allow simplicity and clarity to be your guides as you enter the new year, your website will certainly draw a crowd. Get in touch with State Creative for more advice and tips on how to revamp your website for the new year.
