The post-pandemic life is entirely different. People are shopping, communicating, learning, working, and doing everything online and the virtual world is becoming more important. Thus, a brand must exploit this opportunity and target its audience.
A well-designed website can largely increase the chances of making a visitor stay. According to Steve Jobs “Design is not just what it looks like. Design is how it works”. Hence, the website design must be both, aesthetically appealing and functionally sound. An up-to-date and up-to trend website really make a difference in the digitally crowded world.
Let’s explore the latest website designs consolidated by Awesome Sauce Creative.
1) Parallax Scroll Animation
It is one of the best trends in website designing for some time now. In parallax scrolling, website designers create an illusion of depth by making elements, that is, an image moves at a different speed in comparison to the foreground elements. When users scroll the website it creates a 3D effect. Web design art history (https://webflow.com/web-design-art-history) is a noteworthy example of a parallax scrolling website. One must remember not to add excessive movements. It can be harmful as it may cause distraction and dizziness. The designer should use this effect creatively and in a subtle way.
2) 3D Visuals
It is a hot User Interface design trend. 3D Visuals are great for e-commerce websites. It is appealing as well as useful, 3D graphics add depth to a product and show it with a better understanding to a customer. It is eye-catching and photo-realistic. Sennep (https://www.sennep.com/) is a website that uses 3D effects to display its products. Designers believe 3D Visuals give a futuristic touch to a website. 3D is also beginning to include sensory engagement. Adult Swim (https://www.adultswim.com/) is an example of a 3D website that mixes audio and visuals and takes it to another level. 3D graphics bring novelty and realism to a webpage.
3) Retro Web Designs
Old school is the New Cool. Retro design refers to the new design which inculcates the traits of old times. The designers are borrowing the ideas and concepts from old eras. They evoke nostalgia as well as offer comfort. Big Block fonts with detailed strokes and coloring, the cursive style with bold lines, flat designs using bright and bold colors (especially red, yellow, orange), gradient texture, pixelated style, all these are again in vogue.
Vintageria (https://www.vintageria.it/) a clothing brand is a great example of a Retro design website.
4) Horizontal Scrolling Design
The way users navigate through a website and how they browse content affects the user's experience strongly. Vertical scrolling is a safe method but to add freshness and charisma to a website one must opt for horizontal scrolling. It is an unforgettable experience for a user to scroll the content horizontally. Some websites also give an option in horizontal scrolling, that is, left and right. Horizontal scrolling is a great option for story-telling, displaying artwork, and works well with bold typography. However, it needs proper planning and execution. Users are less familiar with this design so proper indicators must be included to guide them. The option of switching to vertical scrolling should also be made available. Home Societe (https://homesociete.ca/en/) is a fine example of a Horizontal scrolling website that uses an arrow to indicate in which direction to scroll, and it is a good blend of images and content.
5) Augmented Reality experience
As people are shopping more online, the brands are providing their customers a great experience. Augmented Reality(AR) is a technology that creates programmed layers that are, computer-generated images on top of the real world. People who shop online can easily try the items sitting at home, like a watch or a dress. Even automobile websites use AR technology to give their customers an inside tour of cars. The website of Jaguar (https://www.jaguar.in/jaguar-range/f-pace/gallery-interior.html) uses AR technology to show the interiors, IKEA App uses AR to let shoppers see furniture in their homes.
6) Grainy Textures
Grainy texture gives a tactile effect to a web design. The texture like grain gives a natural feel to the elements. Solid colors are replaced by rougher details. The grainy texture finds beauty in reality rather than creating a false perfect atmosphere. DayTrip website uses a grainy effect in the background header to make the view more real. (https://godaytrip.com/).
7) Multimedia experience
A website needs to be interactive in all aspects to compete with others. Including audio, images, video, and text makes a website more captivating for the users. One must use different media formats reasonably to avoid distractions. MyProvence Festival website shows the highlights of the festival and plays a video in the background. It is appealing to users to stay on the website and browse through.
8) Personalised options
Web designers are giving options to users to choose a personalized version of the website. The dark/light mode, the appearance of a cursor, changing the appearance of the site, scrolling options (vertical or horizontal). With the help of AI, the websites are now more user-centric, as they provide personalized content too like Spotify.
9) Muted Colors
In 2021, websites are focusing more on muted colors. The colours that have low saturation are muted colors. These are soothing for the eyes and comfortable to look at. They are subtle and allow designers to create depth, it is easier to read text on a muted color background like rose quartz. Winc a wine website uses a palette of muted colors, simple images, and minimalist design. ( https://www.winc.com/)
10) Gaussian Blur
It is an emerging trend. Websites use blurry backgrounds to focus on important content. Websites often use it to reduce noise and sharpness. The blurry background easily mixes with web design. It is a smooth blur resembling an image. This helps in directing the eyes of a viewer to a particular point. Goodbooks ( https://www.goodbooks.io/) is a great example of a gaussian blur.
There are many more website design trends, stay tuned for the second part. Follow us on Instagram. Until then, tell us in the comment box, Which is your favorite website and why?
