Vibration and color experimentation

[mouakter13]

Web design is constantly evolving . As technology becomes more powerful and designers experiment with new styles, each year brings a unique set of exciting trends to the online world. From the designs that have emerged in recent years, as well as the new technology that is being developed, it is possible to predict what is to come over the course of 2020.

Let's recap the past few years in web design and examine emerging styles, so you can know what to expect in the coming new year and beyond.

Why follow trends?
Not every web design fad is viable, that’s for sure. There’s a time and place for everything, and overhauling your website for no reason can do more harm than good, especially when it comes to the cost of usability and UX .

But while you shouldn't go about giving your site a facelift without serious consideration, there is definitely some merit in keeping up with web design trends, especially those based on advances in technology.

For example, if you haven’t heard of AI chatbots , progressive web apps, or CSS grid yet, you could be using outdated technology that’s causing you to miss out on conversions. Think about how revolutionary responsive web design was – you don’t want to be the last one on board the next time a development like that happens again.

And even if trends are purely aesthetic, it is still wise to keep up with the times. For example, a white, clean and simple website can be functional. But with the more avant-garde style that web design has adopted in recent years, users also find it quite boring.

Even small changes like adding more color, broken grids, or micro-interaction animations can go a long way toward keeping your site relevant.

Plus, as web designers grow, learn, and adapt to new technologies, some of these advancements and trends are very positive in terms of beauty and functionality. Think about how sites looked and functioned 20 or even 10 years ago… we’ve come a long way, and we still have a long way to go.

If you see a modern web design trend that fits your brand, and helps or at least doesn't hurt usability, it may be worth getting on board.

Recapitulating: Web design trends 2018
With 2020 already here, 2018 seems increasingly distant. But its trends continue to impact the web, even as new styles emerge, and since many of them remain relevant to modern design, it's nice to look back and see how far we've come.

Web design has been moving away from minimalist simplicity and towards bold individualism for a few years now, but it all came to a head in 2018. We can still feel the effects, and the internet is sure to continue to be populated with original and unique styles.

2D Illustrations, 3D Animation
An example of a 2D illustration
An example of a 2D illustration (Source: Nomadic Tribe)
Illustrations are one of the best ways to convey personality and 2D drawings have been popping up more and more. They are great for branding and make your website much more memorable, so it's no surprise. A website with amazing illustrations is not likely to be forgotten.

3D background animation also became more popular, thanks to the increasing power of browsers, animation technology, and devices like computers and phones. Especially common on portfolio and agency websites , 3D animations instantly grab attention and provide opportunities for fun UI interactivity.

In the future, hand-drawn illustrations and animations will continue to grow in popularity. They show off your brand’s personality in a way that nothing else can (and have been proven to work as a strategy ).

Subtlety, flatness and minimalism
webflow
Flat design was quite popular (Source: Webflow)
Despite moves toward more original and standout styles, minimalism continued to dominate the internet. Clean simplicity is undeniably appealing, and even on sites that featured brighter colors or experimental elements, it was often accompanied by flat design.

However, “Flat 2.0,” or semi-flat design, took hold with its use of shadows, gradients and other slightly more complex elements. As long as minimalism exists, designers will find a way to put a spin on it.

Subtle animations were also a big part of 2018, with light parallax and smooth hover effects appearing everywhere. This allowed minimalist websites to maintain their simplicity while making the overall design much prettier.

Geometric Design
Most sites include polygons and geometry to some extent, but geometric design was a big part of 2018 trends. Sites were made solely around simple shapes like squares, rectangles, and lines, and also featured smaller details like buttons or decorative boxes.

A big part of this was organic geometric shapes, or those that are somewhat irregular and imperfect. They often feature soft corners and asymmetry, and their unusual appearance is quite interesting. The sharp corners of polygons and the rounded edges of organic geometry were often combined to create a visually appealing contrast.

Geometric designs dominated the day
Geometric designs ruled the day (Source: GiftRocket)
Bright and bold colors
The once plain and white internet is now bursting with colorful, vibrant and adventurous palettes at every corner. The days of one or two muted shades in every color scheme are fading away, bright and bold palettes are quickly taking their place.

Gradients popped up everywhere and remain a popular choice even today, their intense, vibrant colors filling the headers of many prominent sites.

spotify
The bright colors speak for themselves (Source: Spotify)
Along with brightly colored animations , there are also distortion and glitch effects, as well as the bright and flashing animations that appear in many designer and developer portfolios. Although their popularity has somewhat waned, they can still be found all over the web.

Supply network design
startup lab
All hail the broken grid (Source: Startup Lab)
Most websites are built on a simple grid-based layout, with elements neatly divided into sections. The broken grid design breaks that expectation, layering elements and throwing symmetry out the window. This unconventional layout is one of the most notable ways to break the mold and stand out.

Another style that attracted a lot of attention was the split-screen layout, a technique that divided the screen into two panels, each with its own content . Overall, layouts became much more interesting.

AI and machine learning
Chatbots are a big deal . These clever programs dynamically respond to customers, partially or fully automating the support or purchasing process. Machine learning allows them to sift through data and learn how to respond to questions and comments, taking some of the workload off of your human support agents.

But this is just the beginning. As technology continues to advance, AI and machine learning are set to become even more integrated with online systems.

The rise of Brutalism
the outline
Brutalism is hard on the eyes but makes a statement (Source: The Outline)
Brutalism isn’t pretty, but its strange appeal has won the hearts of many. Characterized by garish colors, anti-UX choices, and design everywhere, brutalism encourages designers to go crazy and create a site that defie s austria phone number data expectations. You should expect to see more of this non-uniform style in the future.

Storytelling with web design
atlassian
Design can be used to tell a story (Source: Atlassian)
Visual media is one of the best ways to effectively convey information, whether it involves telling a story or making a lot of data human-readable. Web designers tell their stories through charming illustrations and data visualization , with interactive and visual designs that make their message more engaging and easier to understand.

The biggest web design trends of 2019
2019 shared many web design trends with 2018, such as broken grid design and bold color palettes. But things have gotten even crazier, with plenty of experimentation by bold designers.

The theme of the race for 2019: breaking the rules. White, flat, grid-based minimalism out, bright and bold asymmetry in. While clean design and white space will always be a big contender, designers are more willing to try new things lately. We’re seeing many of them continue in full force into 2020.