The trends in web design for 2021 promise to cultivate more minimalism in all areas: color, typography, layout… And, of course, web design will remain strongly oriented towards “mobile first” — which means that adaptability to all screens and an optimized loading speed are a must.
In 2021, clean and attractive designs are key — as well as integrating new technological innovations for a stunning user experience. You can feel an emphasis on the arts, as well as custom design in the world of web design, and that’s not likely to change anytime soon.
No matter what the trend, designers need to adapt to their target audience to be able to give people what they need.
So here are the 9 essentials for 2021 web design.
1. custom web design
2. stand out with personalized illustrations
2019 will be remembered as the year of the personalized illustration in web design — and 2021 is sure to prove equally rich and diverse in its offerings.
To better stand out online, personalized illustrations are the optimal means of communicating: at a glance, they allow you to present what makes you unique and exclusive.
In the era of UI and UX, the use of illustrations has become common in many domains, including web Design. The work of artists and designers have a goal: to make the user’s experience as pleasant as possible, while also communicating the emotions and values of your brand, thanks to a dazzling design.
Collaborations with illustrators are increasingly frequent because art is such an asset to convey a message. It really brings a new dimension to web design.
3. let typography take over
Typography has always had a fundamental place in web design, but today, more than ever, people are taking a keen interest in it. It is finally being given the place it deserves.
This has important consequences for web design.
After years of stagnation during which only a few fonts were available online because of technological limitations, we are now in a new age, with the appearance of designers specialized in typography as applied to web design.
There is a strong fashion now for beautiful fonts: fonts full of personality, which can be used not just to create harmonious compositions thanks to artful combinations — but allow designers to evoke a whole range of expression that was hitherto rare on the web. Now designers can easily call on the full range of expressiveness of typography, with its bold, italic, “outline”, ALL CAPS, serif or sans serif variations.
In 2021 web design will see the triumphal return of huge serif fonts long cast aside for the heretofore de rigueur sans serif.
4. retro: never out of style!
Retro is still a big web design favorite. It has been a winning style for a long time, and it seems it will stay that way in the foreseeable future. The only things that change are the stylistic periods being revisited.
To make retro design work, it’s simple: all you have to do is to succeed in evoking a feeling of nostalgia in the website user. Like in all domains, it is feeling that captures attention, and in the case of web design, if you combine emotion with a functional modern interface, chances are you will be able to win the user’s heart!
A retro design with a modern touch adds dynamism to a website, and also makes navigating it a lot of fun for the user. Whether it’s a blog, a portfolio, an online shop, a company site, a retro design will endow it with a creative flair that can definitely grab the visitor’s attention and help you stand out.
In 2021, the two big trends in web design retro styles are: the generic “vintage” style and brutalism.
vintage retro
brutalism
5. a perfect duo: photo and illustration
An integral part of web design, professional photographs are now an absolute must for a pro look. The picture effectively conveys a message, whether it is about a person, a product, or an event.
Right now, the big trend with pictures is to combine them with 2D “handmade” illustrations. These replace or complement a part of the photograph, giving the image a playful style, with the two realities overlapping in an attractive web design for the user.
What’s more, you can use animation to great effect in web design:
6. isometric design
Isometric illustrations have been trendy for a few years already in web design, but they have evolved.
Often used in web design, designers love isometric illustrations because they allow them to illustrate objects in three dimensions, while keeping a “flat design” look.
In 2021, “motion design” is going to play a big role in web design. Taking into consideration that isometric design is naturally evolving towards animation — engaging the user in a cool immersive experience — this trend will continue for sure in the years to come.
7. go minimalist
For the past few years, minimalism has had a special place in people’s hearts… and has consequently become a major trend in web design.
Minimalist web design doesn’t necessarily refer to a specific esthetic, but rather to an attitude. In practice, what it means is that you use only the most essential elements to get the desired result, for a sleek, classy, uncluttered user interface.
Beyond the concept of “less is more” minimalism makes use of different techniques, like for example, a very simple color pallet, mindful use of typography, and leaving plenty of room in the website’s layout.
In 2021, minimalism and simplicity will continue to be useful approaches to attractively present online content.
8. impress them with awesome animations
In 2019, there are already many types of animations in the world of web design: screen loaders, animated (or dynamic) backgrounds, whole-page “motion”, dynamic menus, integrated gifs, HTML5 animations and more…
Animations impress, entertain, and amuse: they are definitely a must in current web design user experience. Illustrations, interactive details, dynamic effects — all of these things make web design special compared to what came before.
In 2021, micro-animations or micro-interactions will be used more and more in web design, to the joy of users everywhere.
9. tell your story
Background videos are a big trend in today’s web design landscape, and they are here to stay.
The goal of your website is to tell your story and a background video is super effective to help you create the right atmosphere.
Web designers use background videos to attract the users’ attention, but also to encourage them to stay on the website longer.
upcoming trends in the new few years
Cutting edge technology inevitably has an impact on web design, but what will the big innovations for 2021 and beyond be?
vocal user interface and accessibility
Being able to have a spoken conversation with the website you are visiting will soon be a reality in the world of web design! This is an exciting development and it will also potentially help the handicapped to browse the web.
chatbots
They are already available to answer users’ most frequent questions and to guide them in websites, advanced artificial intelligence technology will help chatbots evolve to better and better performances in the world of web design in 2021.
5G
The arrival of 5G super-fast networks in the next few years could allow web design to create unique and unforgettable mobile experiences.
virtual reality
Virtual reality is no longer just for sci-fi fans. It is being used for everything from training to entertainment. Integrating it into web design is the next step.
in a nutshell
Web design has evolved a lot in the past few years.
As you can see, 2021 promises to be a super creative year in the world of web design: awesome user experience, stunning visual designs, and mind-bending technologies are all going to contribute to making it special.
So, are you impatient as I am to see all these evolutions in the world of web design?
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