Another year means new and exciting developments in the world of web design. But what exactly can we expect to see in 2018? Our web design team have listed what they see as the key trends to emerge in 2018…
Big, bright, and bold typography
Typography is, and always has been, a powerful visual tool, bringing a website to life while also conveying its key messages and tone of voice. With device resolutions getting increasingly sharper and viewable across multiple platforms, it’s no wonder that several designers are predicting a huge spike in the use of big, bold font styles and bright colours to grab the user’s attention and stand out from the crowd.
Engaging photographic content
With cheesy corporate stock photos becoming increasingly suited to the meme world, it’s no surprise that many designers are predicting 2018 to see a huge spike in the use of authentic, diverse photographic content that is actually relatable, relevant, and real to consumers.
VR will become increasingly popular
With VR set to become a $30 billion industry by 2020, there’s no denying it has an exciting role in the future of web design. The low cost, easy access, and experiential aspect of VR headsets make virtual reality an increasingly exciting and lucrative industry for designers to tap into this year.
Scroll triggered animations will take over
Research has shown that 94% of visitors have stopped trusting websites with a degrading web design, so it makes sense that web design is evolving to become more engaging and interactive. Scroll triggered animations are highly effective in that they create a truly interactive experience for your users, encouraging them to scroll through each page, while also cleaning up the look and feel of your website.
The rise of progressive web apps
There are a staggering number of apps out there. However, as app development is expensive, there are still many websites that require you to use a mobile browser to make full use of its functionality. Progressive Web Apps are a cost-effective way of achieving this by essentially turning websites into mobile apps. We can expect to see these grow in traction this year with animated page transitions, push notifications, and splash screens likely to increasingly hit our screens.
Chatbots will leave their mark
Many websites and online services are already using chatbots and voice search functionality to connect with consumers, including the ever-popular Amazon Echo and Google Home, and others will undoubtedly be jumping on the bandwagon in 2018.
Animation
In today’s fast-paced and highly saturated digital world, animation can play a huge part in telling your brands story in an engaging, informative way, in just a few seconds. Designers are expecting to see a rise in animated logos, backgrounds and menus to drive better engagement this year.