Biggest Web Design Trends 2021

The internet has become the best way for businesses to get more eyes on their products. This fact is supported by Statista which reported that the current digital population reached a whopping 4.66 billion users. That number is almost a 15% increase from the stat reported two years ago. This certainly means there are more people to service and as a result, more capital to be earned through e-commerce.

Although the market is big enough for so many businesses, it is also a very competitive one. So having the right tools and incorporating them into your website can help you attract the right target audience. Additionally, staying abreast of any new technology and design trends will make business easier and more profitable. If you wish to give your current site a refresh or attract more customers, here are the 2021 web design trends.

Top 8 Design Trends You Should Pay Attention to in 2021

Web design features tend to be quite fluid. This means something that worked two years ago might not necessarily do the trick today. If you want to stay in front of the herd, you have to be able to identify these trends and use them yourself. By doing so, you keep your business on the correct path of steady growth.  

According to Inc., 38% of internet users will exit an internet page that has poor content or a terrible layout.  Let’s see how you can prevent your site from contributing to that statistic in 2021.

1. Go Easy on the Colors

Choosing the right color pallet is a very crucial step in web development. This usually makes up a huge portion of the initial allure of the website and can decide whether the user chooses to continue exploring the site or not. A lot of sites use bright and bold colors and this can work in many cases. However, as people are beginning to spend more and more time on the internet this can be an issue.

Staring at screens for extended periods of time can be quite detrimental to the eyes and this should be taken into consideration during the initial design. So, what is the best way to go around this? Many sites have adopted more user-friendly and muted colors as shown by sites like youtube.com/trends/report:

2. Incorporate Parallax Animation

Parallax animation still remains one of the biggest web design trends for 2021. Before we can understand its importance, we need to define it:

Parallax animation creates an appealing 2D visual effect in which the background and foreground images move at alternate rates.

Although this trend has been used in previous years, it will continue to dominate in 2021. There are, however, a few things to take into consideration:

• Include an option to disable them
• Do not let them distract users from other features
• Keep everything to a minimum

Here, you can click and check a few example of parallax animation from Dogstudio and Drinkcann:

3. Additional Navigation with Horizontal Scrolling

Scrolling options affect the way a user navigates a webpage with further determined UX. And because you want to keep your users engaged, focusing on this feature must be a priority.

A good trend in 2021 is horizontal scrolling which has been used on various websites to help users go through information such as web galleries. Horizontal scrolling should be used wisely because it could be a bit annoying for some users. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Use additional navigation options (not just horizontal scrolling)
• Make sure users know exactly where horizontal scrolling is applicable
• Don't use horizontal scrolling for text

Momentomultimedia is a good example of this trend put to practice:

Here is another horizontal scrolling example with an interesting twist released by Homesociete. It shows a unique concept where you can absorb the home design from different angles:

4. It’s All About 3D

The use of 3D in web design has come a long way and is one of the best ways to showcase creativity. Nowadays, 3D technology is everywhere and websites are no exception. So, what makes three-dimensional graphics a good fit? Well, in order to captivate your users, you need to provide something eye-catching. And what better way to do this than 3D.

You can showcase numerous features or just one centerpiece in 3d just keep in mind that your site must be unique to separate it from the competition. Le-voyage-azarien is a good example of a website with an impressive 3d feature that will surely turn heads:

5. Abstract Art or Cartoon Illustrations

Sometimes, all it takes to increase the traffic to your website is to provide a minimalist web design. Abstract art uses geometric shapes and bold colors to create a clean and user-friendly look on a webpage. Another advantage of using abstract art is that there is no limit to creativity.

Another interesting trend is adding cartoon illustrations. Like abstract art, you can achieve a minimalistic yet appealing look. These features give your website a personality and this makes it stand out. A good example of the use of this minimalistic approach is Shapefest:

6. What About Neumorphism

Neumorphism is a relatively new feature in UI design. It primarily focuses on two features which are minimalism and realism. A minimalistic design uses simplicity to get results. It does this by preventing users from encountering any distractions during the navigation process.

The feature of a realistic design improves the website’s appeal, the webpage generally looks professional and demands attention. The popularity of neumorphism will likely continue to grow and you might want to jump on the bandwagon while gaining speed. A good example of the use of Neumorphism can be seen on the NeoSpotify app:

7. Adopting Retro Fonts

Trends can be inspired by so many things and many of them can be recycled from the past. As the fashion industry has proved time and time again that old-style can be mainstream and cool again. This logic can also be used in web design as well.

Retro fonts have become quite popular and this trend doesn’t seem to be losing momentum. What is it about retro fonts that make them popular?

• Many websites are using them to offer a sense of authenticity.
• Modern fonts are all over the internet so this makes older fonts more unique and this can take how you display information to another level.

A good example can be seen with Goliath entertainment and Bigelowchemists:

8. Thinking of Tiny Details: Custom Cursors

Probably, some of you will never know the joys of custom cursors on Windows 98. However, today's design trend is bold black geometric cursors that may look as an insignificant element of a site. But it turns out to be something amazing and entertaining. We described the usage of geometric grids, but up-to-date cursors may switch its form/appearance depending on the elements it is hovering over, for example:

We also want to mention that one of the best web design services for small businesses in 2021 could be provided by custom sites development professionals. They help business owners to create e-commerce sites without having any knowledge of coding. You can also use no-code platforms that are usually a cheaper option for small businesses and startups. They provide a sense of control to the owner and usually provide upgrades to ensure that you have all the features that suit your site’s needs, including design templates.

However, professional developers and designers are a valuable asset when creating a great web design. First of all, you can create something unique and according to your requirements. But if you are trying to start small, you can also use no code platforms, it could be a great solution for you. No code is also a good example of many SaaS trends in 2021.

Final Takeaway

This year offers another opportunity to business owners who want to refresh their sites, bring innovation and improve their services. While it’s obvious that websites are the way to go in order to achieve this, knowing what features to add is something else entirely.

We have highlighted a few effective trends that can take your website to the next level. You can easily hire a product development agency to help you implement some of these ideas. You will surely be amazed by the results!

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