8 Cutting-Edge Web Design Trends

About 8 out of 10 people say they would stop interacting with a site that doesn’t look good on their device.

Knowing how important this is to users means a business’ site needs to look sharp. But because website design trends constantly change, it can be hard to keep up.

But keeping up means a site also keeps their users. Knowing the newest design trends can keep clients happy.

Read on for the eight cutting-edge web designs of the year.

1. Illustrations: The First of the Website Design Trends

In the age of photography and video, illustrations reign supreme. Photography and video are still important,

But designers are enjoying the use of illustrations as well.

Illustrations make the site feel more welcoming to the user. A strong illustration can clear up any confusion for a potential client.

Illustrations also help a user visualize what they are reading. This is especially important for abstract topics. illustrations can provide a user with the information they need to keep reading.

2. Circles Stay Spinning

In the early ages of the internet, almost all design was straight and blocky. In recent years, designers have pushed back on this.

On social media sites, everything is either a circle or rounded. Profile pictures took the biggest change when they moved from square to circle.

The oblique shapes give users an organic feel. A blocky site turns people away, but a soft page will help a user feel at ease.

3. Break That Grid

This asymmetric design is breaking every rule. Using polygons and geometric layers to leave the ordinary behind.

Broken grids are hot right now. Traditional sites are not jumping on the bandwagon yet. Many start-ups and young companies, though, have taken the leap.

Designers love broken grids because it gives them an opportunity to be creative. And users love them because they’re interesting to see.

Using a broken grid will help a website stand out from formulaic content on the web. A user will remember their experience on that site.

Entirely breaking out of the grid is a hard step to take. Unless a site constantly has someone updating it, designers may want to only break out part of the way.

4. Out with the Old, in with the New

For some time now, minimalism has been the most popular design trend. Website, interior, and exterior design all worked to see who could do the most with the least.

Not anymore.

This is changing too. And, like most artistic movements, the exact opposite, maximalism, is taking its place.

Because financial markets have been up, people feel more willing to embrace maximalism. This change also may come from a stagnation in minimalism.

Ironically, maximalism design is starting small. Designers expect that designs will become bigger and bigger as time passes.

Like minimalism, it may take some time for all business to accept the change to maximalism. But soon, all companies will embrace it.

5. Keep It Mobile

2017 was the first time mobile web traffic surpassed desktop traffic.

Mobile optimization has always been important. But with this information, it’s now more pertinent than ever before.

Mobile had 51.2% of all traffic while desktop had 48.7%. These two numbers are close, but experts expect 2018 to grow more than that.

With these numbers, businesses have no excuse. They must optimize their website for mobile.

A website’s decision to become mobile first may not mean much to a user. If they are not paying attention, it only means they can use the site differently.

For designers, mobile first means a lot more. Designers have to optimize their art. They may even have to recreate layouts. It may take some work, but it is absolutely worth it.

6. Better Than Saturday Cartoons

Mickey Mouse would be so excited.

The next website design trend is the trend of using animations on a site. Before, users saw animations as tacky, but if done well, they can transform a user’s experience.

Like illustrations, animations allow designers to visualize difficult concepts. It’s much easier to see something happen if it’s illustrated.

Animations also make a user feel welcomed to a site. They get a break from the roughness of life and watch a peaceful animation.

For businesses, users may be able to see themselves in the animation. Showing how a business can work for them through animation might make a sale.

Designers can use them to give the accent the site might need. A neat illustration may make a user remember the site and come back.

A designer should be careful with animations though. Too much distraction could lead the user astray.

7. The Longer, the Better

This change stems from a change in a different filed. Over the past few years, journalism has seen a boom in long-form multimedia content.

This boom works as a relief for short, social media optimized stories. Readers don’t click on long form as much as other articles, but the ones that do are often pleased.

Long-form journalism used to be very popular, but digital storytelling wasn’t an option. Now journalists can use media to tell their story.

Videos, interactive graphs, design, and more take digital storytelling to the next level. This helps both journalists and users to understand the story.

8. Type It Up

Because of SEO, titles are growing in importance. A good title can decide whether or not someone sees your business.

With this focus, designers are starting to have fun with it. 2018 will see a growth in this trend called typography.

Typography is designing the words on a site. Instead of creating a boring headline, a designer can arrange it with color and style. Some designers may even draw the words they want to put on the site.

This design trick gives designers an opportunity to be creative. And, although it is a simple addition, users may also be more likely to remember your site for it.

Design Away!

As mentioned before, keeping up with website design trends may be hard sometimes. The payoff for doing so, though, is worth it.

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