The Corona Virus outbreak could not have been predicted, and it caught us all by surprise. The impact on our lives has been substantial, and we have witnessed a huge shift towards developing the virtual world. People have been forced to adapt to remote working, online ordering of products, and the insanely common Zoom meetings. Remote web design company are far more available as well.
If you happen to work as a designer or a developer, you have most likely been on the front lines of change incurred due to the pandemic. We didn’t only shift the way we purchase food, how we shop, or how we navigate the web but also manage our health or fight injustices.
We will go over some of the digital trends taking over and look at just how innovative this last period has been for design beautiful website.
Retro Fonts
We’ve witnessed sudden popularity of a certain trend that later on became uncool. Trends that are born due to irony tend to have quite a short shelf life. We suggest looking into web design courses for a better understanding of the trend concept within web design.
Retro fonts have had the trajectory mentioned above, and most of the designs that were featuring vintage typography didn’t age all that well. However, when it comes to throwback typography, we see quite the resurgence lately. This is all because a little stylization and a bit of artistry have also been thrown in, resulting in an agile reimaging of the retro fonts.
Let’s take Spotify’s Carnival as a promotion example. They are managing to breed new life into the tried and tested fonts, and we don’t feel like it’s stale or cliché even one bit. This is a prime example of using traditional fonts and altering them with a cool and trendy spin while still having everyone be capable of reading them instantly.
Horizontal Scrolling
In the past, it was considered a web design no-go, but now it’s becoming more and more popular. Many web design companies are currently adopting the horizontal scroll. The purpose of this adoption is not to simply break the pattern or in an attempt to be special. It has a clear advantage over the vertical scrolling method of feeding the target information progressively, just like an image gallery. Free web design software is also one of the driving factors to the implementation of horizontal scrolling.
If you want to successfully implement horizontal scrolling to your work you should keep these considerations in mind:
- Do not implement it as the sole navigation method – alternative methods of navigation should also be made available, arrow buttons that have clear and intuitive labels upon them.
- Make sure that there are no hovers where the method of scrolling could be obstructed.
- Visualize the content you are attempting to convey in both horizontal and vertical scrolling – if you have a photo gallery, it’s much more suitable to op for the horizontal scrolling options.
- If the text you want to convey is essential to your business, avoid having them forced into performing a horizontal scroll if they want to read it
The Rise of 3D Visuals
Higher-resolution screens have enabled 3D design to greatly evolve from the old blocky edges we were used to. We have all stumbled upon very high-quality 3D visuals on various websites we visit often. Instead of confusing us and misdirecting our attention, they are actually improving the overall user experience.
The design elements better harmonize when 3D visuals are present. They are a perfect example of how a minimalist layout and 3D visual can leave a lasting impression on the visitor while bringing the overall design to life. Suppose you have a creative outlook on life. In that case, you should design your own website a shot, especially given just how large the average web design salary is at the moment.
The Multimedia Experience
The speed of the internet is what dictated the availability of multimedia web experiences. Now that the speed has greatly improved worldwide, we can see how visuals, text, and video enrich the user experience.
If you want to provide a successful and modern web design that includes multimedia experiences, we suggest you pay closer attention to the following:
- Keep it simple, like you would when you combine motion with audio. If your visitors are suffering from cognitive disorders, you might overwhelm them by having too much going on on the screen.
- If you want to maximize the number of users that will have access to your content, try choosing as many media formats as possible.
- Having an auto-play option is generally frowned upon; make sure that the “play” button is clearly visible and highly responsive.
- Playback controls and a beautiful background are both keys to a healthy multimedia experience. Make sure the videos you embed can be paused using a highly visible button and have an animation that clearly shows how far along the video the user has gone. You can use multimedia experiences in a broad spectrum of areas.
Augmented Reality Experiences
Another immersive experience that can improve the multimedia experience is definitely the use of augmented reality – AR for short. New technologies offered by companies like WebXR have made AR an option for everybody willing to pay their price. A custom web design approach using their service can be achieved with ease.
The famous car manufacturer Jeep makes great use of AR in their “Build & Price a Jeep” campaign. If you don’t have the time to visit a dealership, then you can use this as an alternative and remove the pressure that comes with the visit in person. More and more eCommerce websites have realized the potential behind AR and are featuring it to attract potential customers better and make a sale.
Focus on Grain
If you want to dampen the personality of your website, it’s best to opt for rigid grids coupled with flat blocks of color. Grainy textures are advisable because they can confer a more natural feel to your website.
Studio Gusto showcases the beauty of graininess like no other. Lo-fi design elements make for a rough user experience, making it more natural compared to the slick perfection we are used to from most web designs. Taking a web design tutorial could be the path to achieving such great results on your own.
Focus on Muted Colors
The same principle applies to muted colors as it has for grains – they offer a more natural feel to your website. A light color palette can be used along with dark blocks of color, creating a strong contrast and better delimitating between sections. Muted colors make for the perfect backdrop if you want to add hand-drawn style text and illustrations. If you want to make the design feel more vivid, we suggest a subtle distortion between light and dark backgrounds. You can achieve this by tapping into the power of web design templates and tweaking the colors until you reach the perfect product.
Bobby Rowe’s marketing portfolio is a great example of just how much you can achieve if you choose muted colors. The design is also complemented by witty writing that is also informative about his work. Achieving such well-rounded awesomeness isn’t such an easy task, but the website above is the perfect example of just how good it can look when it is reached. The key is achieving the perfect blend between subdued colors and the ones that are bolder.
Outlook for the Rest of 2021
We are living in exciting times for web design where we can see continuous improvement and the emergence of the no-code movement. We are also eager to see what you will be able to create in the remaining months of 2021. Affordable web design also plays a huge role in the emergence of so many great websites. Post your latest work in the comments, take a look at what others have created and leave a supportive message wherever you see fit. We hope you can tap your inspiration for your future designs!
Jenny Amaya is a full-time blogger and digital marketing officer. She shares tips and tricks to improve your website’s SEO and get more traffic to your blog, affiliate marketing and web designing.
She helps newbie bloggers, how to build a better blog & turn their passion into profit. As a Marketer, Jenny has also helped many businesses to improve their digital presence through SEO, social media and branding.