Web design is a dynamic field – one that’s prone to frequent changes as it attempts to accommodate the evolving needs and expectations of customers. Every so often, there’s something new on the horizon and something new to look forward to in the context of design trends. What’s the rage this year may quickly become obsolete the following year as new trends come to the fore. For a company with an online presence, timely adaption of these emerging trends is of vital importance to keep its website current and competitive. Failing to do so can give the site a dated look and hinder its ability to attract traffic and convert.
Are you planning to take your business online or looking to bolster your existing presence on the Web? If yes, make sure you keep the following trends in mind when hiring a web design company to build or revamp your online presence. These are the design trends that we think will rule in 2023. Choose one that’s best suited to your business and use it to your advantage to create a website that not only looks stunning but also helps convert casual visitors into loyal and paying customers.
Clean, fuss-free and mobile-first designs
There’s something quite striking and refreshing about those sparse and aesthetically restrained designs, replete with generous open spaces, clear typography and clean edges, which holds a universal appeal. Maybe it’s the inherent simplicity, ease of navigation and timelessness that make minimalism a preferred design choice for brands worldwide. It’s almost as if the sophisticated designs are a testimony themselves to the fact that the brand that endorses them means business. No room for faff and a no-nonsense vibe – perhaps the very reason why they are a firm favourite with an iconic brand like Apple that is well-known for its simple and functional product designs. The idea is to keep your potential and existing customers engaged with easily navigable and de-cluttered web pages, not distract or confuse them with a heavily image-based design layout or a busy typography.
Another reason why flat or minimalist designs will remain popular in 2024 is their potential SEO worth, driven by their positive impact on a website’s loading speed. It is a fact that no matter how eye-catching a website may be with its high-resolution images and catchy design elements, it will struggle to hold the fleeting attention spans of its visitors if it takes more than a couple of seconds to load. By doing away with unnecessary bells and whistles, a clean-looking, simple website scores major mobile performance which is a definite plus when targeting the smartphone-savvy consumers of today. Moreover, a mobile-first, flat web design is more likely to perform well with search engines as site speed, responsive designs and mobile-first indexing increasingly become priorities for the likes of Google when ranking pages.
When making use of no-fuss, practical web designs, remember that going the minimalist way does not imply you cut down on key design elements that are instrumental in promoting a positive user experience (UX). Instead, it means that you retain all those essentials that enhance customer experience, even as you stay clear of fluff or extravagance to create a powerful visual impact.
Visually appealing designs with bright colours at play
A dash of colour is always welcome – even when designing a professional website. Since time immemorial, colours have deeply affected our finer sensibilities. There’s no denying the impact they have on our mood and actions. And we don’t expect that to change in 2024 either!
Used wisely, colours are not only instrumental in enhancing the appeal of a website but also in influencing a customer’s buying decision. In 2024, we expect to see more of web designs that exploit vivid hues and colour combinations to emphasise key takeaways and call-to-actions. And we suggest you don’t shy away from this trend. While it’s true that attention-grabbing bright colours can seem overpowering, flashy and distracting if used without careful consideration or good judgement, yet a skilful use of bright and bold colours can have an opposite effect on your site’s visual aesthetics.
Striking, multi-coloured gradients are highly effective in capturing user attention and diverting that attention towards the important elements of the site that you want your visitors to notice and remember. Likewise, bold colours like red can effectively drive conversions and trigger sales, besides giving your website a warm and inviting look. When opting for vibrant colour schemes and variations, clever placement of colour components can ensure your site looks anything but garish. Striking a visual balance is of the utmost importance here as your visitors shouldn’t find it hard to focus, absorb and recall crucial information. When used judiciously and in moderation, bright pops of colours can play a significant part in creating positive first impressions and effectively transmitting the right messages – aspects that influence how your audience connects to your brand.
Depending on your brand’s ethos, the audience you are catering to and the message you wish to convey, feel free to experiment with the varied colours of the spectrum, gradients and saturations included.
Web designs that convey thoughts and emotions through shapes
Another web design trend to look forward to in 2024 is the use of shapes to add depth and definition to web pages. When it comes to shapes, there’s a divide on whether geometric or natural shapes will rule the roost next year. We think it really comes down to individual preferences and what’s congruent with a brand’s identity.
If you are seeking symmetry or a sense of stability and balance in your web pages, sharp-edged geometric shapes and patterns are a good choice for you. You really can’t go wrong with those straight lines or the sharp corners of the squares, rectangles, triangles, rhombuses and the like. Case in point is the Case 3D website or the iconic MasterCard and adidas logos that aptly demonstrate how geometric web designs and shapes can be extremely simple at their core and yet powerful enough to make a strong impression on the onlookers’ minds.
While we are certainly not giving up on systematic grids and geometric structures in the upcoming year, we do anticipate 2024 to put the spotlight on natural, organic shapes. These asymmetrical layouts and imperfect shapes reflect the changing tastes of today’s customers who seek more spontaneity and accessibility in web designs. Flexible enough to manifest themselves as nature-inspired forms and free-drawn elements, organic shapes complement evolving customer needs with their seemingly more relatable and approachable vibe. Their smooth and flowing lines evoke a certain feeling of comfort and create an illusion of mobility. Besides providing depth to your web pages, they add a refreshing twist to the site with their freshness. Undoubtedly, this is one design trend that will rear its head in 2024 and continue to gain popularity in the coming years.
Animations and videos will rule the roost
The writing is on the wall – web designs with interactive and moving backgrounds are here to stay for good. Even though such designs can potentially slow down a site’s loading speed, they show no sign of any popularity wane and continue to shake things up in the world of web design. There’s not an iota of doubt that they will find a firm footing in 2024 as well. And rightfully so as they are way more successful in attracting and holding the attention of visitors as compared to plain texts and still images. Animations and videos pack a certain element of drama, surprise and action which is near impossible to achieve with static designs.
When it comes to animations, there are several ways to integrate them into your website, such as background videos, transitions or animated images that pop out from nowhere. Another rising trend in animations is the use of micro-animations to generate intuitive responses to every small action taken on a website. You may have noticed food and fashion websites leveraging small hover effects to their advantage. That’s micro-interactions at play. A professional web design company can help you make the right choice of animations based on your business and target audience. Using animations as a design tool can be tricky as getting the speed and timing right can be challenging if you lack expertise – something an experienced web design company can assist you with.
AI and machine learning-enabled web designs
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning continue to evolve and develop, 2024 will emphasise web designs that harness the latest advancements in technology to improve and enhance user interactions. You would have already noticed their use when searching for information on the Web or while shopping from home. Think of autosuggestions and personalised recommendations based on past purchase history that make sourcing of information and online shopping so much more seamless.
2024 will also be the year of “smart” web designs that focus on building intelligence into websites through AI-enabled chatbots. With the accessibility of the Internet on the rise and businesses increasingly going global, chatbots have now become the new “normal” for web pages. Whether it is about holding a conversation that sounds natural, providing customised services to users, suggesting products that address a customer’s distinct needs or offering support 24/7 and in different time zones, AI-enabled chatbots can deliver on all fronts and do more to take the customer experience to a new level. So, don’t underplay this critical design element when contemplating a suitable design layout for your website.
Conclusion
2024 looks to be an interesting year in the field of web design. Expect to see more of practical designs that amalgamate simplicity and usability with innovation and technology, without losing focus on visual aesthetics or the customer experience. Indeed, there’s a lot that you have to consider and factor in when establishing and building your online presence. Opting for a professional web design company can be a smart way to save on time, effort and money alike. An experienced company can help you identify what’s a passing fad and what’s here to stay for long. Choose one wisely as the outcome can have a telling effect on your brand’s perception and outreach.
