In the world of marketing, nothing stands still for long. Keeping your website up-to-date and embracing the latest design trends can ensure you stay head and shoulders above your competitors.
Experts recommend that your website should be overhauled every one to three years, but the truth is that there are no hard and fast rules. Below, we’ve pulled together a few web design trends and techniques for the year ahead to give you some food for thought.
In the past, web designers were limited to using basic fonts that were easy to read. Nowadays, designers have the freedom to experiment with various typefaces that match the tone and style of their websites. In addition to using different fonts, designers can also use bolder, more striking typesetting to make elements stand out. Creative Bloom has highlighted the importance of accessibility when choosing a font, but also puts the spotlight on Geometric sans, nostalgic fonts, and the value of custom typefaces for your brand.
Bold typography is especially important in minimalist web design, where there is less clutter on the page and individual elements need to be highlighted. However, it’s important to use bold typography sparingly and not overuse it, as too much can make the website hard to read. Use it to make certain elements, like headlines and call-to-action buttons, prominent.
Dark mode, which displays light text on a dark background, is becoming increasingly popular in web design. It offers several benefits, including reduced eye strain and longer battery life on devices with OLED or AMOLED displays. It’s certainly not a new concept, and it’s been growing in popularity in the app development world, but it’s now easy to replicate this online.
Dark mode can also give a website a sophisticated, modern look. However, it’s important to ensure that the site’s content is still legible and that the overall design is consistent with the brand’s identity when using dark mode. The “prefers-color-scheme” media query feature is supported by all major web browsers across desktop and mobile and could help you offer a Dark Mode experience to users who’ve turned on Dark Mode at a system level via their OS.
Ensuring that a website is accessible is important for providing a good user experience and for being inclusive This is not only good for user experience and business, but it is also the right thing to do. One shocking study recently revealed that 90% of websites are inaccessible to people with disabilities who rely on assistive technology – that must change.
Read also: 5 ways to increase the accessibility of your website
One way to make a website accessible is by choosing the right colours and contrast. Some colour combinations can make it difficult for people with visual impairments to read the text on a website. It is important to choose colours that offer sufficient contrast levels to allow everyone to see and read the content. You can also support accessibility by adding transcripts to videos. This is a great way to ensure that everyone can follow your content.
Including alternative text for images is also important for accessibility and offers an SEO benefit to boost. Alternative text is a description of an image used on a web page and is essential for individuals with visual impairments. Using headings and lists can also help make a website more accessible. Breaking up content into smaller sections with headings, bullet points, and lists can help users with cognitive disabilities follow along better.
Read also: 10 things to consider when building an accessible app
In addition to these tips, there are also several excellent accessibility testing tools available that can help determine if a website meets accessibility standards. Some examples include WAVE, aXe, and QualityLogic. It is worth noting that data security, fast loading times, and user-friendly navigation are all important aspects of website design that contribute to overall functionality. A recent survey at Digital.com found that half of users will abandon a shopping cart if pages do not load fast enough – in this case, “fast enough” means less than six seconds. Therefore, it is essential to make sure that these aspects are not only covered but also meet web accessibility standards. Regular testing is essential in this regard.
Virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) are becoming increasingly popular in the world of web design. While designing immersive worlds and AR experiences may not be within the scope of most web designers, this may change in the future as companies like Meta promote immersion as the next step in the evolution of the internet. Apple, too, is expected to launch its first AR/VR headset in 2023, which could change the way consumers and brands communicate forever. Being an early adopter could help your business stand out online.
Read also: The benefits of augmented reality apps and websites for your business
Although it may not be suitable for all situations, VR and AR have numerous practical applications for businesses. And there are so many benefits in doing so: 71% of consumers say they would shop more often if they used AR, and brands can achieve a 40% higher conversion rate when using Augmented Reality. Amazon is the latest brand to embrace AR in eCommerce – following in their footsteps could help you increase sales and engagement.
Small animations, also known as micro animations, are expected to become more popular in web design in 2023. These subtle movements can bring a website to life, providing visitors with a more engaging experience. Micro animations and designs can also be used to highlight important areas of a page and guide the user’s attention. UX Design has put together a few reasons why developers should consider adding more micro-animations:
In the early days of web design, website footers were often neglected in web design, but now there is a new trend called ‘footer boosts’ that is gaining popularity. Where footers were just used to display contact information or a sign-up form, but now they are being utilised more creatively to improve accessibility, boost conversions, and offer more value. WebFlow has put together examples of the best footer designs for the year ahead to give you ideas.
Incorporating videos into your website homepage is a popular trend in 2023. By drawing attention to the videos, users are more likely to continue scrolling down the page. If you are designing a site in 2023, consider using videos on your homepage and focus on creating original footage where possible – people want to see people when they’re buying online.
Now more than ever, consumers favour authenticity and storytelling when buying online – with the right design, you can tell a story about your products or services and boost sales.
One of the easiest ways to do that is to incorporate visual elements, such as animations, images, and large text or titles, to engage the reader. Storytelling websites are often single-page designs, with the user scrolling through the story. They can also be used for branding and to sell products or services, known as “storybranding.” When designing a storytelling website, it is important to consider the target audience and whether a simple or complex design will be most effective. It is also important to keep in mind that a more interactive and visual experience may be necessary for certain audiences, such as children.
If you’re looking for help implementing any of these web design trends for 2023 into your new site, reach out to the web designers at Zudu today. Call 01382 690080 to get started.
