Some of the biggest web design trends of the past year aren't just passing fads. Add some of these techniques to your design now if you've been waiting for a great, and trendy, website makeover that will last well into 2018.
1. Bold Color
Bright color, bold accents and hues that are anything but neutral are the norm for today's website designs. From backgrounds and images that almost scream with color to more subtle accents, the brightest elements of your color palette can help your website stand out.
Pantone solidified that point even more with the recent announcement of the Color of the Year – Ultra Violet (Pantone 18-3838). The color evokes all the things that have made the bold color trend work. It's saturated, intense and interesting all on its own.
If you aren't sure what type of color to use; many of these palettes are inspired by Material Design.
You can incorporate bold color as an overall color theme for your website design, such as Cori Jacobs (above). Color sets a great mood and pace for the website. This is a good option for new products or brands that might not have a loyal following yet.
The other option is to add touches of bold color to a layout through an accent color for text, buttons or other calls to action. This is easy to deploy – just change a secondary color – and is a good alternative if you aren't ready to add magenta, lime green or electric blue to the design.
Pantone solidified that point even more with the recent announcement of the Color of the Year – Ultra Violet (Pantone 18-3838). The color evokes all the things that have made the bold color trend work. It's saturated, intense and interesting all on its own.
If you aren't sure what type of color to use; many of these palettes are inspired by Material Design.
You can incorporate bold color as an overall color theme for your website design, such as Cori Jacobs (above). Color sets a great mood and pace for the website. This is a good option for new products or brands that might not have a loyal following yet.
The other option is to add touches of bold color to a layout through an accent color for text, buttons or other calls to action. This is easy to deploy – just change a secondary color – and is a good alternative if you aren't ready to add magenta, lime green or electric blue to the design.
2. Video
Video is the new must-have image element for many websites. The trendy option that's really caught on is to use a few short clips in the hero image area, much in the same way photo sliders were popular a few years ago.
Moving images are engaging and can help connect users to what your site is about more effectively and help them stay on the site a little longer.
StayJax does this perfectly with short video clips layered below an easy to understand description of the product and call to action, “SHOP STAYJAX." The video loop is succinct enough that users will likely watch it all and the action is interesting and engaging. (Bonus point since it does not require sound.)
Moving images are engaging and can help connect users to what your site is about more effectively and help them stay on the site a little longer.
StayJax does this perfectly with short video clips layered below an easy to understand description of the product and call to action, “SHOP STAYJAX." The video loop is succinct enough that users will likely watch it all and the action is interesting and engaging. (Bonus point since it does not require sound.)
3. Geometric Elements
Website designs that use geometric elements – polygons, squares and circles – to add emphasis to information, and direct visual flow are interesting to look at and easy to create.
The trend has been to use geometric elements as part of simple log designs, such as Heartsleeve, but also to help move users through content. Heartsleeve also does this with oversized buttons on top of images to lead users through content.
The outline geometry is more visually appealing than just a colored button and might encourage more users to click. It's a fun way to spice up a simple homepage with a trendy element.
The trend has been to use geometric elements as part of simple log designs, such as Heartsleeve, but also to help move users through content. Heartsleeve also does this with oversized buttons on top of images to lead users through content.
The outline geometry is more visually appealing than just a colored button and might encourage more users to click. It's a fun way to spice up a simple homepage with a trendy element.
4. 3D Concepts
Layered elements and three-dimensional style designs are only going to grow in popularity. With more designers looking to create more realistic interfaces with touches of virtual reality, the more real a design looks, the more likely users are to engage with it.
Humble Pie does a great job with a layered logo over a video header. What's nice about the 3D effect is that the layer almost jumps out of the design. (There's no question who this website belongs to.)
The depth of field concept is one that's not new. It's borrowed from the principles of good photography and videography and helps create visual direction and focus. What's nice about the trend is that it is rooted in theories of good visual design.
Humble Pie does a great job with a layered logo over a video header. What's nice about the 3D effect is that the layer almost jumps out of the design. (There's no question who this website belongs to.)
The depth of field concept is one that's not new. It's borrowed from the principles of good photography and videography and helps create visual direction and focus. What's nice about the trend is that it is rooted in theories of good visual design.
5. Small Animations
Tiny animations can make the design easier for users to understand. Elements such as hover actions and other small movements can draw attention and help users make interaction decisions. (This is why many button styles may change color or expand when the mouse hovers over them.)
As users scroll, Bowen House has a second level of navigation that animates into the page. This movement tells users where to find key information as they move through the design. (Plus, the second level of navigation includes search and cart features.)
And while you might think adding animations is too hard, many of these features are built right in to Weebly tools. You don't have to do any coding to add simple animations that can make your website appear trendier and create more user conversions.
As users scroll, Bowen House has a second level of navigation that animates into the page. This movement tells users where to find key information as they move through the design. (Plus, the second level of navigation includes search and cart features.)
And while you might think adding animations is too hard, many of these features are built right in to Weebly tools. You don't have to do any coding to add simple animations that can make your website appear trendier and create more user conversions.
Conclusion
The best way to incorporate trends into a website design is to pick one element to include. The rest of the design should have a modern feel, but doesn't have to be on the cutting edge of every new design technique.
This combination of trends and classic styling will make the website design last so that you aren't having to redesign constantly. You'll also have a website that is modern and fresh. The best trends are elements that feel new but have some sticking power. Try one to make the most of your design in 2018.
This combination of trends and classic styling will make the website design last so that you aren't having to redesign constantly. You'll also have a website that is modern and fresh. The best trends are elements that feel new but have some sticking power. Try one to make the most of your design in 2018.
Carrie Cousins Carrie is a designer, writer and content marketer. She works full time in college media at EMCVT and has more than 10 years of media and marketing experience.