This 2023, web designers can make use of trends to unearth new inspiration. With this, they can create websites and projects that enable their clients to connect with the current society and modern audiences. The theme that stands out is the shift towards immersive experiences.
Web design is a part of web development that focuses on its aesthetics, such as the visuals, UI, and layout. The process generally involves various different stages, including site planning and development, content generation, interface design, and visual styling. Companies can achieve great and responsive web design if they hire web designers to do the job.
Great web design aims to deliver user-friendly solutions that seamlessly work on various screens. Website trends pertain to the current popular design elements, techniques, and styles. Listed below are the web design trends for 2023 that project managers and companies should be aware of.
1. Advancing of Interactive Features
With the proliferation of personalization, there are now more websites that will deliver customizable viewing options. More customers now enjoy personalization provided it is based on voluntarily shared information with a company. In fact, VentureBeat shared that around 84$ of online shoppers agree that their purchase is impacted by personalization. Personalization, combined with gamification, has now become a cutting-edge strategy.
Vivid examples of this are sites-as-games and interactive elements. Gamification creates a “wow” effect that drives more visitors to the page. The excellent part is going beyond the games to incorporating other features like interactive maps, infographics, quizzes, wheels with prizes, and other completion processes that match the website’s brand identity.
2. Minimalistic and Clean Designs
Minimalism has currently become quite popular in various industries. It is classic and never goes out of fashion. The “less is more” approach has been the guiding principle in arts, such as in architecture and fine arts, and has been seen as applicable in daily life. Examples include a lack of clutter, clear lines, and choosing fewer but higher-quality items.
Web design that observes minimalism is well-structured, readable, and clear. A sense of minimalism also provides a convenient, faster-loading, and user-friendly experience. However, project managers and companies must keep in mind that going for the “less is more approach” should not eliminate necessary information from the viewport that may drive people to find the needed pages themselves.
3. Intensified Animations and Micro-interactions
This trend revolves around enhancing website engagement and interactivity. Animations and micro-interactions have long been an active part of web design, allowing developers to include gamified elements in the website and maintain their visitors. For this year 2023, there will be increased usage of loading of animations, 3D illustrations, and clay morphism.
Loading animations, also known as “loading spinners” or “progress indicators,” are little animations displayed on a web page or in an app when content is loading. They can be in the form of spinning wheels, progress bars, or short-loading messages. Such animations grant visual feedback, notify users of system operations, and make the waiting experience less annoying and burdensome.
Micro-interactions, on the other hand, are interactive, small elements inside the user interface that give feedback to the viewer in reply to a specific action. Examples are the hover effect on a button, the pull-to-refresh gesture on a mobile app, or the “like” button on a social media post.
Such micro-interactions have become more meaningful this year 2023 and beyond. They do not only add to the visual experience but more importantly, they add to the user experience as well. Listed below are various applications for this strategy:
- Pointing in the right way
- Assisting the users as they navigate a website
- Making necessary navigational features more noticeable
- Simplifying unclear elements
- Showing changes
- Facilitating enjoyable and intuitive product search
4. 3D Models and Claymorphism
Google says that AR/VR serves as the bridge between the virtual and physical world. It is also a trend to consider in web design. One particular way it can influence web design is by giving users more interactive and immersive experiences. Websites contain virtual or augmented elements to establish a more personalized and engaging environment for visitors.
Going further, it also inspires new design trends, like claymorphism, 3D, and holographic elements. 3D features have already been incorporated into the websites. Although this trend has already existed for a while, the use of 3D illustrations will continue to arise again this 2023.
The 3D effect is fitting for logos, icons, hero images, cartoonish human figures, and even the entire web pages to ascertain perspective and depth. This allows the website to appear more professional while still keeping its original style intact.
Claymation is a technique used to make sculptures from clay that has a life-like movement when animated. Claymorphism creates a 3D, floating appearance with two inner and one outside shadow.
5. Bold and Bright Solutions
Every design should incorporate a particular color palette as a distinguishing factor from the rest. Neutral colors were the golden rule in the past. While still evident, they encounter new competitors: bold and bright colors. These colors challenge the conventional approach and stand for the future of web design.
Digital maximalism is permeating the web industry now. It comes in various forms, such as custom fonts and lettering, pixelation, experimental typography, and unique cursors
The Bottom Line
Wrapping up, web design is constantly evolving, and web designers should keep up with the current trends and technologies. Adapting to change and foreseeing customer needs are keys to establishing successful websites.
