Top 6 Web Design Trends for 2021
The right web design determines the first impression that your business makes in the digital world. This enhances trust and increases your entire online footprint. Using the right web design trends can make all of this so much easier. Now, these trends constantly evolve to meet the conditions set by the ever-evolving market. As the online community and the web design industry landscape grows, people get saturated by the available offer, making them look for designs that stand out. Here are some trends that are expected to be huge in 2021.
Dark Mode
As most people browse the internet in the darkness, high screen brightness is quite unpleasant. This is why dark mode is one of the most logical trends in website design. This is a low-light user interface that usually comes in either black or a darker shade of grey. It is specifically designed to avoid putting strain on the user’s eyesight. For websites that use long-form content, this difference is even easier to notice.
Another major perk of this concept is that it increases visibility. This way, the designer can get away with smaller front sizes and have a greater selection of font styles. An increased number of black pixels in these web design trends ensures lower battery use. This makes it into both user-friendly and even eco-friendly (indirectly) trends.
Greater Use of Whitespace
The main reason whitespace is so important for all the 2020 website design trends is that it’s both aesthetic and pragmatic. Whitespace is not necessarily white; instead, it’s the term used to signify all the empty space on a page. For this reason, it can be combined with the above-discussed dark mode and any other trend on this list. Since every new element adds a HTTP request to your page, using more whitespace can make your page load time quicker. This is just one of many ways to make your page more responsive.
By closely following practices of some of the top digital agencies, it seems that both designers and developers greatly benefit from the use of whitespace in design. The key thing is that they’re both on the same page regarding this new website design. Before the project starts, they need to discuss the HTML-to-text ratio, the margins, and several additional (purely technical) issues.
As far as the advantages of whitespace go, the first and foremost one is the increased content legibility. The site itself appears tidier, and it’s much easier to draw attention towards the CTA button. It helps separate elements which otherwise might be quite hard to distinguish between. Simply put, it makes a web design easier to digest.
Oversized Elements in Web Design Trends
The use of oversized lettering is vital for headers, body copy, navigation, call-to-action, and banners. When used correctly, it can draw attention and maintain a longer connection with your audience. Some web designers agree that the use of oversized letters can sometimes completely replace images. Since images are more resource-intensive than these letters, the entire website becomes significantly faster.
Oversized letters and elements in general aren’t something you can use in every scenario. While oversized images do have their place in modern web design, using them on every page might be seen as overkill. The use of bold, oversized fonts on a page filled with images will make them seem out of place.
Remember that you want your website to be mobile-friendly, which is why a larger font could help with readability. In fact, one could argue that mobile-friendliness is an integral part of the anatomy of a perfect homepage design. Just make sure to focus on the font ratio for different screen sizes. All 2020 website design trends emphasize mobile-friendliness, and not much has changed in 2021.
Minimalist Navigation
In order to be effective, navigation needs to be simple and intuitive. In theory, it would be quite effective to allow everyone to find the exact page they’re looking for from your homepage. The problem is that with large sites, vendors with numerous categories, or those offering multiple services, this would overcrowd the homepage, making it look messy. It would also make it take forever to load, which is a disaster of its kind. This is why keeping navigation systems minimal is one of the hottest trending website designs in 2021.
With fewer options to choose from, it’s more likely that people will make a choice. This results in a higher CTR (click-through-rate) on the page. One study from 2006 showed that when presented with 24 options, people are ten times less likely to actually decide than when faced with only six options. In other words, this type of indecisiveness grows exponentially, and minimalist navigation can help you out.
Retro Touch
The majority of current website design trends is adding a retro touch to your web layout. Nostalgia is a powerful tool in the hands of a skilled marketer, but how far back in the past are we talking about here? For most people, the ‘good old era of the internet’ is the early 2000s.
Sure, people only remember the good stuff which is why they forget how ill-optimized and clunky the use of the internet was in the past. Still, we’re not talking about a full-retro design but a retro touch. In other words, we’re talking about web design styles and not techniques. A font from back in the day is more than enough to take the majority of users down memory lane. Evoking this kind of sentiment in one’s target audience is invaluable.
Augmented Reality (AR)
One of the primary roles of web design is to be immersive, and it doesn’t get any more immersive than AR. Some may argue that VR takes it even one step further, but they forget one major technical problem with this technology. VR requires a headset that the majority of people still do not possess. AR on the other hand, simply requires a user to have a smartphone or a webcam.
Web design trends in 2021 are supposed to be tech-savvy, and AR is the embodiment of this idea. In some industries like fashion and retail in general, this technology and its features may turn out to be completely game-changing.
In Conclusion
While the landscape of the web design industry may be ever-changing, there are some trends that are either evergreen or more resilient than others. So, in 2021 we can expect a crossover between innovative website design and tried and tested old-school methods. To be classified as good (or efficient), the design needs to be both aesthetic and functional, and the above-listed six ideas check both of these boxes.
If you want to combine functionality and aesthetics – you know who will be in charge of reWiRing these two. Make sure to schedule a meeting, and we will make the design work for you!
FAQ:
What are web design trends in 2021?
Dominant trends in 2021 web design need to be both aesthetic and pragmatic. Minimalist navigation, dark mode, better whitespace management, and oversized fonts are just some examples. Anything that results in a simpler, sleeker design, as well as a better user experience, will keep going strong throughout the year.
Is Web Design Dead 2021?
Professional web design is not dead in 2021, nor are there any indications of it slowing down anytime soon. It increases revenue, boosts credibility, enables better SEO ranking, and creates a strong first impression for all its users. As long as all these benefits are present, web design will remain a high priority.
What is the future of website design?
Technologies like AI-based analytical tools and big data will control the future of website design. Most of the time, even the users have no idea why they feel stronger about some designs than others. This is because a lot of this decision-making process happens on a subconscious level. With the help of a large enough number of test subjects and sophisticated analytical tools, we may finally be closer to getting the answers we lack.
What are the latest trends in website design and development?
Some of the latest trends in web design are retro fonts and augmented reality experiences. Like dark mode, oversized fonts, etc., the rest have been dominant for quite a while now. Still, there are always some tweaks that can subsequently introduce massive changes to the industry.
What makes a good website in 2021?
A good website in 2021 is responsive, mobile-friendly, and fully functional. The aesthetics are important for making a great first impression, but the functionality always comes to the forefront. Intuitiveness and resource-friendliness are two relevant factors to keep an eye out for.
What Makes a Good Website Design 2021?
Great web design trends are those that make an excellent first impression on their target audience. This is either achieved through intuitiveness of design (minimalist navigation, oversized fonts), by offering something new and unique (AR), or through the sense of nostalgia (retro design). While some may label this entire category as something subjective, it’s a fact that some trends give consistent results.
Anatomy of the perfect website and attractive homepage today: Stats, facts, and a survival guide
Are websites still a thing today? The answer is yes, yes, and a million times more yes. Websites are important in so many different ways, especially now in the COVID-19 aftermath. A great website is an interactive business card that can help you build trust, establish your online presence, and convert.
What we are about to witness is the rapid expansion of E-Commerce sales and websites continuing to complete their way to the top. We will let Google be the judge of who wins that race.
But it is not a typical race that is just a flatline from start to finish – well, you will be surprised by that rollercoaster, to say the least.
What makes a good homepage design?
Building a website and positioning it on the market is a rollercoaster ride. You collect your achievements and try to find a balance between what your users want to see and what Google wants to see. It looks easy, but don’t let the SEO and web development team fool you because it is far from easy.
Giving your brand a voice and helping the users get a better picture of your products and services are ways we can assist you.
So what is crucial for your website anatomy today? Well, everything. Lucky that you stumbled upon our piece because we will give you useful insights into what we found important about crafting an effective website.
Now let’s see some numbers to back us up!
Our top picks for the most intriguing website statistics
- Be quick or be stagnant: one of the most important website elements is site speed. It takes only 50 milliseconds for a user to form an opinion about your website. So, provide the content that will make users engaged. A certain amount of content, precise information distributed, and eye-candy visuals.
- Mobile-first, please! Believe it or not, the websites that switched to mobile-first increased their sales by 68%.
- The attraction gives traction – 38% of the users will immediately stop browsing if the layout of the website is unattractive. Beauty goes only skin deep on the internet!
- Currently, there are 543 million active websites and 6.3 billion Google searches per day.
- 4.13% of all websites have valid HTML and CSS. Web development indeed works in the most mysterious ways.
The goal of a homepage
People will often say that the main purpose of your website is to sell… or lead you to a place where the sale will happen.
But that is just the one dimensional way to look at the mission of an amazing website. Your website is there to educate.
To entertain. To inspire.
Having an immersive and responsive website could help the users find the right information, make a quick purchase, and most importantly come back for more! It is not enough to make a website, put it online, and just leave it that way. Websites should always be in a state of constant changes and updates, keeping up with the latest trends.
Wasted potential to connect with your audience
Imagine that you want to make a purchase and find yourself on some strange website with a design from the 90s and navigation that even the Pirates of the Caribbean will scratch their heads. Of course, we are exaggerating but you will be amazed at how many people are unaware of their online potential. Especially in small businesses.
In 2017 almost half of the small businesses didn’t have their own website. We guess that no one faxed them the memo that websites are much more affordable nowadays.
Statistics have also shown that websites can help you build trust by utilizing web design. It takes approximately 10 seconds for the user to decide if it is going to trust your mission. Almost 95% of users won’t trust outdated and/or plain websites.
In the post-Covid 19 era, digital transformation accelerated tremendously. Since quarantine took its toll, a lot of users are looking for more of a personalized approach which leads to the importance of finding your voice, speaking your message clearly, and understanding the specific needs of your target audience. Strategically positioning personalized CTAs could increase the conversions.
What are the main ingredients of an awesome website?
If we dissect the website anatomy we will see that the key elements remain:
- Loading speed is the main factor. The longer it takes to load, the later you are to show your audience your products.
- Mobile-friendly design. Almost half of the world’s traffic comes from mobile devices.
- Responsive design and simple interface. No one likes to be stuck in a maze of links or confusing menus popping up from everywhere.
- User experience. Users will easily find something better if you don’t grab their attention instantly. They will be the best judges if things are working out great.
- Content that could be easily digested. Forget about large chunks of text and forget about large images. Think in the form of video production, image positioning, and about longer yet well-formatted content.
- The color palette that ties together the entire website. Believe it or not, blue is the color. There is just something calming and trusting about the blue color, so don’t feel blue because no one visits your website. Paint it blue and see what is happening.
With these in mind, you can think about a redesign, starting a website from scratch, or do a rebranding. Chances are endless and it will not break your bank but instead could provide a quick return on your investment.
What can we expect from the web design evolution in the near future?
We already mentioned finding your voice, but what do you think about optimizing for voice search? Imagine driving home from work and remembering that it is your anniversary at the last minute. You are in a rush and getting anxious about not wanting to disappoint your significant other for those unique presents you still need to get.
Alexa would be here to remind users about their wedding anniversary but if your website is optimized for a voice search, it is most likely that Alexa would probably find you and make that perfect match. It is also great for local and small businesses – help your users find you.
So, local flavor and global reach. Spice up with some tasty content ideas and speed up your way to the top.