The world has gone digital, and technology is what holds everything together. However, technological and digital trends are changing fast. Web designs and features that were once trendy at a point in our lives can and will become obsolete within a short period of time.
Which begs the question; what does one do to make sure your consumers don't lose interest in your site overtime or on their first visit?
According to research by WebFX, 66% of users prefer to stare at a gorgeously designed website if given a few minutes to consume a website content notwithstanding the quality of the content. WebFX further added that, if there's one thing to know when it comes to web design, it's that users desire a beautiful and engaging website.
When a particular style of design becomes overused, it loses the conversion factor it once had due to the uniqueness; what you don't want on your website is for leads to walk away from your business because of the design.
2021 will bring a lot of new design trends for websites. More of the current designs will become washed, and you have to keep up, else you will be left behind.
So you won't be left behind, we have come up with a list of web design trends that will rock it in 2021. The common factors about the listed design trends are easy navigation, high level of functionality, user friendly, and a great look.
Some of the current trends keep their place, but several design trends shoot up to the top.
1. DARK MODE
Dark Mode has a lot of advantages to it. This web design trend will grow in popularity in 2021. As awkward as it may sound, or maybe not entirely comfortable to you; I have met people who prefer dark themed websites to bright ones.
I remember when Twitter rolled out the dark mode option on their mobile app, a lot of people moved immediately and ever since refused to go back to the 'white' themed Twitter.
Facebook likewise implemented the dark themed option on WhatsApp, which received wide adoption amongst the users.
These are mobile application, but it can be implemented on website design likewise. Our website is one example of how attractive a dark themed website can look after design.
The functions of the dark-themed website are both practical and aesthetics. Website designers must learn how to apply this trend if they want to create better-looking websites.
At a time when a lot of people spend more time on the internet than ever; users are also alert to what bright lights could do to their sight. For this reason, users spend more time on eye-friendly websites. Dark Mode helps to reduce strain on the eyes, and this means users will spend more time on websites with this design element.
Aesthetically, the dark mode design gives a website an ultra-modern look. This look appeals to more users, and they want to spend more time on the website. For designers, it also increases the chance of showing off other elements in the design. All you need to do is to darken the features around it.
2. PROFESSIONAL PRODUCT PHOTOS
Visuals are the most prominent communication element in digital space. Users are influenced by great images more than anything. The time spent scanning through an image is less than reading a piece – at a time when users have a short attention span than ever, it is essential to communicate through photos.
In 2021, designers need to know the professional power photos carry. Because of the attention span of modern users, you should pass your message or promote your business through images. Professional product photos help to quickly promote the product, as it easily gets the website user's attention. Once they are drawn in, it means you can now communicate what your product does better than ever.
Also note, it has to be professional product photos and not low-quality ones. The better the image quality, the higher the chance of holding them down on your website, and you have an increased chance of selling your product.
You can either DIY or acquire the services of a professional photographer.
3. HAND-DRAWN ELEMENTS
Hand-drawing is a popular style used in website design. Hand-drawing helps to convey an individual tone more than any other element. Hand-drawn elements give a unique view to design; it also helps to provide an organic look to your design.
More websites are adopting hand-drawn elements, and it will grow more significant in 2021. Hand-drawn elements pass a message through design on a personal level and portray a lot of emotions. The tone is informal, and it appeals to the users by connecting with them.
The users now see hand-drawn elements as a break from the norm, which is blending a lot of colors. Hand-drawn elements give a website a more inviting look, as it gives it a funky feel. Besides, hand-drawn elements complement great written content on a website. Well written content with hand-drawn elements helps to convey the message better than plainly written content.
When it comes to friendliness, hand-drawn elements convey this more than most elements. It gives a website a close look when perfectly blended with the site's theme.
4. ASYMMETRIC LAYOUTS
Asymmetrical layouts are one of the emerging trends in the world of web design. Asymmetrical layouts are going to be one of the leading web design trends in 2021. It challenges a part of the essential foundational elements in the user interfaces part of web design, which is the grid system.
Asymmetrical layouts come from designers' experimentation with unbalanced, yet dynamic composition. It is a result of the movement away from the usual, entirely created symmetrical designs.
Collapse gutters, overlay multiple elements, and embracing empty spaces are the trends in asymmetrical layouts.
In collapse gutters, the space between the columns or rows in a grid is for eliminating gutters—this spacing help to give structure and an adequate level of consistency to the design interface.
Overlaying multiple elements helps to increase creativity in design. The typography, imagery, and other elements in the design are overlaid – this gives the user interface layout more character and dimension. This gives you the room to exaggerate with your design – you can combine bold Andrew large font headings with images that are small in size.
Another one is embracing empty spaces. White spaces help to transform designs. You do not need to fill up every area on your interface. You only need to use these spaces to your advantage.
There are other ways to apply asymmetrical layouts. But these three are part of the top expected trends under asymmetrical designs in 2021.
5. SOFT SHADOWS AND FLOATING ELEMENTS
Soft Shadows gives your design a 3D look that adds draws in the user and immerses them. You can easily magnify this effect by using photos and text – this is a trend that is expected to become even more popular in the website design world, come 2021.
Borrowing material design principles, web designers can add some shadow to 2D layouts, and give the image a 3D look. Designers can now combine these shadow elements are with the floating effect. The result is a sharp, crisp, and classy design. It eliminates the usual flat look that could have being.
6. INFORMATIVE DESIGN STRUCTURES
Before you create a website, you must have a design structure in place. Web users are hungry, and they need to be fed. Every layer of your website must educate the visitor and make them want to go further. This trend has always been significant in web design, and it will not change in 2021.
Your website design must show that you understand your audience. You must have your user in mind, rather than what you want; they need to have easy navigation on your website.
No web user wants to enter a website that feels like a maze. You have to avoid website user fatigue by creating something for your users to find their way easily.
7. BLEND GRAPHICS AND IMAGES
The trend of blended graphics on images is getting a lot of love on social media. It is a design trend that has infused a lot of creativity and funkiness to stock photos. This trend will spread its wings even further in 2021.
This trend has moved on to website designs. In 2021, web designers must adopt the template of the mixture of photography and graphics – this will help to keep their branding on point, as well as increasing visitors' engagement on the website.
8. BOLD TYPOGRAPHY
The most significant websites of top corporations have adopted bold typography. The use of bulky and bold fonts means the users get the message instantly. The use of neutral colors with bold fonts will emphasize headlines, which registers as an image in the mind of website users.
Truth be told, users are already fed up with overly simplistic designs, with boring white websites and stylish subtlety. At the point, trends like the bold typography are making designs most especially turn towards boldly designed websites that will pique the readers' attention and in the process, keeping them glued to the website. That implies using colorful design, modern animations – and not to forget one of the most critical, bold typography!
9. VOICE USER INTERFACE
The style of accessing information is fast changing. Users can now ask search engines question by voicing, rather than type it – this shows the trend in web design is fast moving towards voice user interface and away from typing.
Web designers now have to move towards using virtual assistants and voice chatbots. In 2021, this trend will increase, and more websites will go this route – this doesn't mean traditional texts will go away; instead, both will be used side by side.
10. MOBILE-FRIENDLY- FAST LOADING TIMES
An essential element in web design is high-speed load time and a mobile-friendly website. Fast loading times have always been an important factor in web design for years. It remains as important as ever, as it is a vital element in websites ranking well and converting better.
According to a number of studies, it shows that over half of web users believe a website needs to load as fast as only two seconds when they click on the URL. These studies have shown that a slow loading speed will make you lose your audience, and they may never return.
Conversation rates for businesses correlate with their website loading speed. The higher your loading speed, the higher you rank on search engines, which means you will get more people on your website.
CONCLUSION
Web designing is an industry that operates at a fast pace. Web designers have to continually educate themselves and get accustomed to the latest trends in the industry. It is easy to be out of touch in such a sector that requires constant creativity.
2020 brought a lot of trends. 2021 promises even more and more significant trends in the world of web designing.
Usability and search engine ranking are the common grounds of every design element. These are the factors that lead to a better conversion rate that will help your website and business.