Design is dynamic. The shirt that you wore in the 90s is now out of fashion. The same thing is true even for website design. The layouts of the websites, the aesthetics change with the tastes and inclinations of the generation that reigns the era. But, funnily sometimes, old designs come back too. In this article, let’s examine what web design trends are popular among cyber citizens.
1. Designs Made for the Smartphone Screens
A few years before, web design professionals would keep the desktop in mind while developing a website. So, what used to happen is, the website would appear fancy and smart on the desktop. But the same website would display a bare minimum of design elements and the texts/images for the website to ‘just work.’ The ‘design’ of the web design used to remain missing.
The reverse is happening in 2021. With Google introducing mobile-first indexing, every web development company has realized that they have to focus on making the mobile version of the websites more attractive. Yes, responsive themes and designs have reduced their workload. But even with responsive web design, web development companies have to fine-tune the mobile versions to make sure every element looks good, and none of them are too crammed up.
2. Stylised Texts
Rounded texts, wavy texts, intentionally uneven texts are the new norm. Even the latest Elementor update - versions 3.2.3 - has brought to the web designers stylized text support. This feature is specifically important when you realize that in 2021 another trend is to use fewer pictures of humans. So, websites are using texts instead of human models to ensign their websites these days.
Example - https://www.wavelab.io/
3. Header that Doesn’t Gobble up the Screen Real Estate
When it comes to web design, the more screen real estate, the better. The traditional web design paradigm involved hiding the header while the user scrolled down. Today, along with that hiding feature, the web development company makes the header transparent so that the images and the webpage's background remain visible.
Example - https://limnia.com/
4. Dark Mode
The craze for dark websites has been increasing year by year. And rightly so. Dark websites look classy and polished. The color has an inherent smartness in it. However, the contrast between the elements and the dark background must be set so that the texts remain readable. The website visitors should be able to read the texts without straining their eyes.
The smart thing to do is offer the website visitors the option to choose either the light mode or the dark mode. This is because most websites these days gauge the system settings. And if they see that the visitor is using dark mode in his phone or laptop, they will render the website in dark mode.
Example - https://duckduckgo.com
5. Minimalism and Whitespace
People are bombarded with so many websites today. So, how can web design professionals ensure that the visitors' focus remains on the website's theme? - By removing the clutter. What are these clutters? - Fancy backgrounds, too many elements, redundant images, and texts. This method will ensure that the visitor sees the things that the web designers want them to see.
The best example of this is the website of Apple - https://www.apple.com/
6. 3D Effects
3D images and designs have been gaining popularity for quite some time now. In 2021 this trend is getting stronger. With 3D images, the products look much more attractive. Psychologically speaking, a 3D image of a smartphone will make the viewer want to grab it as soon as possible. Products in 3D look real life-ish. Along with that, 3D designs with depth effects make the website look smart.
Here’s a website that offers a sense of depth - https://mypaynow.com.au/
7. Illustration Instead of Actual Images
Animated pictures and illustrations are getting huge popularity this year. Perhaps, illustrations carry with them a sense of intimacy. Instead of using the picture of a man working on a computer, using a stick figure doing the same thing creates a sense of lightheartedness. The brands use illustrations to reduce the “big corporates” feeling that people have about them.
Example - https://chrono.tech/
Honorable Mentions
Apart from these web design trends in 2021, some other trends need a shout-out. We left them out because you already know about them. Some of them are -
Parallax scrolling: Where the text and the background upon which the text is written don’t move in sync when a user scrolls down. This feature creates a unique effect.
Blurred Background: This has been in the trend for quite a long time. We are now seeing an enhanced version of this which is known as the frosted glass effect.
Dependence of Templates and Website Builders: More and more web developers use templates and builders to build websites. It has its pros and cons.
Lazy Loading of Images: To please Google, websites, these days, first load the important elements and texts and then load the images and other media. This feature makes sure that the readers see the main elements and texts of the website within seconds of clicking on the link.
Web design is a mixture of art and science. Art never stays the same. And science keeps on getting advanced. So the world of web design is ever-changing. That’s where the beauty lies.