Design

Top 19 Web Design Trends

2019 has been a remarkable year in terms of web design trends. We have witnessed a rebirth of old trends that seem to be giving the industry a new breath, and more is expected.

Web technology has been evolving tremendously over the years, and to keep up with the demands, there have been some notable trends. It remains prudent to assess the patterns used in web designs and to effect changes where necessary. New technology comes with its demands, more especially in the IT sector. Elements of designs have become essential, and in this article, we highlight the top web design trends 2019.

Ideally, the most significant trends talked about range from the choice of color, use of texts, typography, the overall interface, voice, and UX, among others. Trends define culture in so many ways, and keeping up them ensures that you can relate and possibly be a part of the system.

Emotion in the Design

emotions design
Notation

The only way you can create a first real connection with your prospects is through crafting an emotional design. The best websites 2019 are based on that emotional appeal where they tend to subject users to either joy or sadness, create a sense of surprise and anxiety, or build instant trust or distrust from the onset.

The choice of colors used to portray any of the above feelings should be one to create that connection, and must also resonate with the content in both text and images. The overall look of the interface brings out a striking emotion to the user, and that dictates the outcome of the next step. It is all in the visuals that determine the customer’s next step. If the first thing they connect with on the website or app is one that appeals to them, then the chances of taking the appropriate action are high. Coming up with an emotional design captivates users, and instantly creates a lot of interest in what you have to offer as a business.

Colors Speak Volumes

Colors in web design
Dice Berlin

There is a difference between bright colors and vibrant colors. If you can draw a line between them, then you’re halfway done. A combination of dynamic image overlays and colored animations has become huge in popularity, a trend in web design that is not expected to relent. However, the choice of colors must gel professionally with other items on the website to relay the targeted message.

A look at the most popularly used colors indicates that bright blues and gentle purple are becoming easy choices for new websites and app themes. It is not the first time website design trends have been hinged on the choice of color or colors, but it is adequate to say that previous designs have played a significant role in evolution.

Amazingly, with colors, you don’t have to dismantle an entire web design to accommodate color. Provided you have a palette, deploying your favorite color becomes easy.

Objective Animation

animation web design
X Company

Animation is not anything new, but it remains a trend in web design, and it has to be done objectively. The main idea behind animations is to drive users to specific points in the design and to engage them interestingly. Necessarily, they should not take away the main objective behind the design, but instead, inject more power in its perception by users.

Even in real life, animations were designed to grab attention quickly and to make the user want to see beyond the pictures. This is a good time for web designers to take full advantage of the growing technology to come up with striking animations that draw users in droves.

Voice with a Difference

It is deep in 2019, and web users are looking at the easiest ways of accessing web content. They are the customers here, and they must have it their way. If, as a web designer, you can be able to capture how users interact with voice commands during keyword search, then you are not badly off.

However, in addition to including the voice command option, the content available must be plenty, and top-notch. Voice interfaces were created mainly for data and information, and therefore, to maximize on this popular trend in UI design, avail the content and make it easily accessible through the voice command.

Reverting to Single Page

single page websites
Goods

Gone are the days when scroll was presumed void, times have since changed. The new 2019 web design trends are slowly embracing the single page design featuring a conspicuous scroll where everything appears from the front page. It is perhaps the most engaging feature where users can easily access a lot of page features through navigating the menu.

Ideally, it eliminates the long-form approach where users look like they are doing the searching themselves, in a congested page. Following the growth of mobile use over the years, the single page design fits best for mobile users who have already been used to scrolling. It facilitates ease of access to different content as indicated on the scroll bar. Given how website users can be impatient, a single page offers them the opportunity to view what your website is all about and whether they are likely to find whatever they need quickly.

Going for Surrealistic Designs

surrealistic designs
Gyor Moore

Let’s face it, it’s a crazy world, and you have to come up with a web design that is composed of surreal elements to make it this 2019 and beyond. People are looking at designs that appear more dream-like than real but still, create an even more significant impact. Though previously tried out in website trends, abstract designs have never been this relevant in web development.

Creating a working technique gets you back to creating the targeted emotion for easy connection with your prospects. The advantage is; these surreal designs tend to bring out a unique relationship with users in a manner that they can feel a part of the design completely.

For example, most users find animations, cartoons, and weird illustrations a bit engaging, and hence appealing. After all, the main objective is to get users engaged throughout the experience and to give them something fresh. It is expected that a lot of surreal designs will be used in the future to an even bigger impact.

Shifting to Vintage Typography Designs

vintage typography web design
Haus

Probably the most obvious and the mostly adopted trend in web design for the year 2019. Web developers have gone back to basics, shifting from the modern designs to the good old vintage typography styles. The serif style of typing, the circular slabs, and the old-looking texts are seemingly rolling back the good times. Typically, these styles come in bolder and more appealing lines compared to the popular sans serif style. It explains why big players are adopting this vintage style.

Amazingly, the vintage typography style has a far much better screen resolution on all devices, making it one of the most easily adaptable trends even for years to come. Sans serif was arguably the most common style thanks to its readability on all devices, but it has come to pass; it is a downgrade to vintage typography styles.

The Focus Shifts on UX

ux web design
The New Yorker

With the advancement of technology, users expect an authentic web experience. Hence; the growing focus on UX writing for the best UI design. Text is inevitable in any good design, and the future is reserved for copy that not only connects users with the product but also engages them even better. It makes selling much easier as it is more concrete and practical.

It can be argued that writing in UX brings out some sense of respect to the user in the manner at which it gives them exactly what they want. Precision is the name of the game, and UX leaves no space for filler, but only content that makes absolute business sense.

Variable Fonts

variable fonts web design
The Unseen

The last few years have witnessed a grueling shift in the use of fonts. Developers have not got a grip on the most formidable fonts yet, but a little bit of variance can do the trick. It is about more than getting readable fonts on all devices, but settling on fonts that gel well with the overall website UI design. To many web users, OpenType variable fonts is a somewhat intimidating concept, but there is a justification to why it has become so popular. Regardless of the screen size, their design is responsive in a manner that enables projects to appear complete.

Some of the examples you may want to try include; Silkscreen, Roslindale Variable, and Dunkel Sans.

Split Screen Could be the Next Big Thing

split screen web design
Dropbox

The growth of split screens can be attributed to the increased use of mobile phones. Suffice to say; web design trends must factor mobile users in every perspective, from size to themes. Modern technology is looking at options where design content is accessible on all devices with a seamless UX. That includes even smaller devices where content can be collapsed into vertical blocks.

We are all too familiar with side-by-side screens which have become too common for the past couple of years, but more designs are today looking at asymmetrical splits for content. With this kind of website design trends, every form of content is perceived crucial as opposed to previous designs where larger items or items appearing on top were perceived to be more significant.

Need for Even More Text

typography styles in design
Kinfolk

The old adage ‘content is king’ never gets old. We are witnessing new dawn of more text. There was a slight dive in the way developers utilized text, but there is a considerable shift from stacked headlines and wordy designs to more text as the main featured element. If you can come up with the right typography style, this is a trend to look out for as it is sure to provide a lot of valuable information to users in a short time. Similarly, with the wrong choice of typography, it certainly will backfire on you.

Want ideas for text-rich designs? A triple or double-stacked headline on the main page is the way to go. It accords you, even more, texting space, and the outcome is smaller text size as compared to previous large fonts that have been used before. However, for the text to work, it has to be valuable. Readers can be a critical lot, and if they cannot relate the well-designed text to what they are looking for, it all counts for nothing.

The trick; for the best results, make a beautiful design and make every word in the entire text valuable.

More Focus on Visualized Data

visualization design
Google Cloud Showcase

It is a no-brainer; infographics seem to be the catching point in every design. The only way to effectively present complex data to users is through data visualization as it is not only interesting, but also easily comprehensible. The formatting is what users love, from the way they translate simple numbers to sophisticated algorithms. Primarily, it helps them understand what the corresponding content is all about, and is also helpful in a variety of ways. Visualized data can be used as still image or as an animation, depending on the platform, and the intended purpose.

For the best UI, data can be turned into a compelling story, where users are taken through the introduction, the body, and the end to the story. Everyone would love to be taken through that particular journey where no detail remains unclear. That way, understanding becomes easy, following too is almost instinctive, hence more time on site and eventually; high conversion rates.

Adding More Gradients

gradients web design
Zef Cherry

Gradients can be argued to be a versatile trend that can be utilized on virtually every design type. Today, so many projects are employing gradients to bolster their web design as they add a different dimension of color on different patterns.

Gradients are primarily used to distinguish color elements or give strength to a specific element by highlighting the intended content. They can be used successfully for designs considered poor art-wise to give them additional radiance and to improve the overall appearance of the web background. This 2019, gradients have been hugely featured as techniques for pairing with other choices of bright colors. That comes as a shift from the previous trends where they were used only as photo overlay tools. It is widely expected that with the popularity of gradients as one of the modern web design trends, the technique is only going to grow.

Use of Mobile Animation

emotional design
Camberwell Festival

Videos on mobile website versions may not have worked well according to web designers, but timed animations certainly have a place in the future of web designing. That follows a strong movement pushing for the inclusion of animations on mobile versions of websites. This could not be the only year we see it trend, but it certainly is the breakout year when the push has gained popularity.

The need to center business on mobile is growing stronger by the day, and it is expected that we will see scroll animations on mobile very soon. It is only the most relevant move right now, given how many people are using their mobile devices to access websites. That leaves web designers with the single option of doing everything possible to make designs mobile-friendly.

Use of Flat Design for 3D

using 3d web design
Prior

3D is nothing new in design. Actually, it is very commonly used by top web designers. However, there is a massive impact when it is used to boost the appearance on a flat design. The intended purpose for three-dimensional renderings is to present a visually compact and exciting interface that appeals to the user from every angle.

It can be viewed as addition of virtual reality touch where there is nothing special to look at. This new trend has adopted deeper layers in addition to animation to make it work better. It may sound a little more technical for a novice, but once you get the grip, it is one of the most amazing trends this year has brought.

Considering the flat design is an ordinary trend for many years, 3D flat design is certainly an upgrade coming with a lot of promise. It won’t be any surprise if more additions were made on the same in the future, but as for now, let’s enjoy what we have.

Going for Deeper and Real-like Design Elements

real design elements
Brand.Squarespace

We are still witnessing the growth and adoption of virtual reality, but there is no question about how influential it is today. Not everyone has access to VR yet but at this rate, it is soon going to be a household in web designing among other faculties.

New website UI designs are adopting more depth in their designs, as well as other design elements that tend to bring out a more real touch to their projects. We are talking things like illustrations, 3D look on shapes and moving objects, or basically, any product that users can identify with. It is only the beginning; more designers are eventually going to use these new techniques and sooner or later, it will become a normal thing.

Going for Natural Shapes

natural shapes design
Studio Exchange

Website UI pages may be set up for grids that appear systematically, but new trends dictate that designers use natural, organic shapes. Regular shapes such as squares, triangles, and rectangles tend to create a feeling of stability thanks to their sharp corners, but that doesn’t seem to be all. What about comfort and accessibility?

Organic shapes, in their irregular and asymmetrical shapes add depth to a design, and they are what makes a page stand out. The idea of designers adopting this trend is to make their projects feel more alive through the adoption of real-life structures. These are shapes that draw inspiration from nature and spontaneously capture the attention of the user.

Use of Micro-interactions

micro interactions animations in web design
Grand Image

The main purpose of micro-interactions is to create surprise and anxiety to the user in an appealing manner. This happens when a user takes a specific action on a website, and there is an instant response to go with the action.  For example, in most cases when you refresh a page, there could be a beep, or notification to display an action, that amounts to micro-interaction.

It is a trend that has been used previously, but 2019 has witnessed significant growth among other website design trends. They come in chimes, scrolling animations, hover, and so many others where they target to get your audience involved.

More Video On-The-Go

video in web design
Outrider

More videos? Among the website trends 2019, it is easy to overlook the use of videos. They have been around for quite some time. However, there is a growing need for even more video content for the users on the go who find it less appealing to go through written text.

Video usage does not only simplify content, but it also diversifies the page to contain a lot more relevant information that captures more than what your audience is looking for. It is prudent, however, to include videos with the proper message. The user needs to find real value in every piece of content provided, therefore, purpose to deliver meaningful videos that will not culminate to wasted time for your audience.

Conclusion

It is the different cultures and new lifestyles that have been dictating web design trends over the years. However, in line with what counts as effective designs, developers aspire to move with the trends that make economic sense in the eyes of businesses. Most importantly, choosing a design that resonates with your business is what counts in the end, in addition to being trendy. If you can find a balance between both, then you’ll be in for a great digital career.

Similarly, among the web design trends 2019 featured above, you’ll notice that the majority of them are upgrades of previous trends. It is a fast-moving industry, where every effort is seemingly geared towards eliminating the guesswork in doing business, and adding value to the same. The projection is; we will witness a lot more trends in the near future, with some of the current ones giving way to more inviting trends.

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