With so many design trends out there, it’s hard to tell the good from the bad. And no one wants to waste time investing in trends that will hurt their brand. So here’s 4 good design trends you should adopt ASAP. And 1 bad design trend to avoid! Follow my advice and your site will be turning heads instead of turning them away.
1: Gradients
Gradients have started making a comeback, now that our memories of 90s banners and corporate slideshows have faded away. Gradients are an effective way to provide color and contrast to your web pages. Just remember to use them in moderation and never let them get in the way of the user experience.
2: Illustrations
Hand-drawn illustrations have become increasingly popular in web design. In a crowded landscape with more brands than you can shake a stick at, illustrations are an attractive avenue for developing a brand image. As such, don’t be surprised to see more illustrations in the future. And if illustration is one of your skills, don’t hesitate to market it to potential clients – just so long as you remember to charge them what you’re worth.
3: Animation
With recent improvements to browsers and mobile phone performance, this trend harkens back to a dark age of performance-draining Flash animations. Thankfully, more efficient technologies allow for animations that have a negligible impact on the user experience. But use correctly, animations can engage and entertain users.
4: Asymmetry
Just as flat-design has started to fade out, so too have traditional symmetrical web layouts. While responsive design remains a high objective, some web designers have sought to buck tradition in favor of more creative designs. This comes with the benefit of aesthetic appeal to draw users in and hook them with unique experiences.
Bonus:
Hiding Everything Under a Hamburger Menu
Hamburger menus are great for uncluttering mobile websites. They hide navigation bars while remaining easily accessible. But with the prevalence of mobile devices, it’s easy to forget that hamburger menus weren’t made for desktops. In fact, desktop hamburger menus on desktop websites can result in reduced user engagement.
On desktop, hamburger menus obscure vital navigation. They leave users wondering where to go and click next. Users who can’t find what they’re looking for – and quickly – are likely to “bounce” off your website and look elsewhere for what they need. Even if you think a navigation bar makes your site looks cluttered, remember that an uncluttered website serves no use if no one can find your content.
What Next?
These are just 4 of the top web design trends (and 1 bad trend) you’ll want to be in on. For more reading on trends, I recommend 12 huge web design trends for 2018 and The 8 Biggest Graphic Design Trends That Will Dominate 2019.
