10 Breathtaking Web Design Trends

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Web design is constantly changing. Year after year, we follow different trends and improve websites towards them. 2020 started only two months ago, but it has already shown us how much the web has changed. At the same time, some styles are so awesome and never go away, such as the ever-present minimalism and colorful flat illustrations we are seeing for some time now.

What are the web trends for 2020, you will ask? New tendencies are a mix between colors and white or black spaces, extraordinary fonts, innovations and exceptional visual elements. As a web design agency, we at Grind, are so impressed by all the breathtaking latest changes, and we want to give you some insights about them.


Dark mode

One of the main trends of 2020 is the dark mode for websites and web-based apps. Dark background colour makes design elements stand out more, contrast colour and catch user attention to important parts of the web page. It is not only a modern and elegant trend but caring for the eyes too.

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“Dark mode is not only a trend. It helps the person to use the website more and satisfy the eyes. Opposite to white backgrounds, it doesn’t tire out the eyes and helps the user to feel more from the product”. – Ivo,  Senior Web Designer at Grind Web Studio

The dark mode also saves battery life. Google confirmed that apps using a black background are a huge help for battery life. Honestly, it is breathtaking. While most products and web sites are white, black feels mysterious and gives a unique experience to the user. 

However, don’t use the dark background on all costs. There are certain times in which the black background is not suitable. Our designers’ advice is never to use it for websites for kids or brides. If websites are spreading happiness, don’t use dark mode.


Imperfections that add a personal touch

Imperfect designs, hand-made drawings, design flaws more and more are left on the websites. Perfect lines and images that the user was used to seeing for years are left behind. The personal touch is becoming part of every web product to highlight the purpose of the designer in its success.

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One of the most breathtaking trends in 2020 will be hand-made drawings. They are full of emotions and give a glimpse over the creative process through which the web solution is born. Why not brighten up our days and include at least one not so perfect element in our website? Scratchy-edges and mess-looking icons will give positivity to every web page. Use them in 2020.


3D elements

3D elements are an inevitable part of graphic and web designs these days. Elegant and delighting they give extra value to a website. Ones believed to be an expensive pleasure, nowadays 3D graphics can be made by every designer. Imagine interactive elements for immerse experience for e-commerce shops.

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Interactive 3D elements are not an advantage just for a visual part of the web solution, but also help the UX. They encourage the user to stay longer on the site and engage him with the product. Adding depth creates a greater sense of realism for a design. Three-dimensional imagery is an extension of that idea. 

Passive 3D elements also could be part of a website. They impress with smooth shapes, graphic concepts and fascinating colors. Mostly used to add a final touch to a landing page, static 3D elements are well-balanced, trendy and modern.

Expect to see more breathtaking 3D graphics in 2020.


Solid frames of white space

Full-page designs with little to none space between elements were a trend, but now the picture is changing. To emphasise important text or to give attention to visual details, solid spaces of white are left unused. In 2020 designers will shift from too many elements to less.

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White spaces are actually part of the minimalist trend that has ruled web design for several years. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication and pleasure for the eye. This breathtaking web trend simply throws away all not needed elements and leaves the space white. Simple, right?

“White spaces are elegant, simple and great for the content. They drive the user’s attention exactly when we want it, on the content.” – Mira, designer at Grind Web Studio.


Mix graphics and photos

Mixing photographs with illustrations is a creative way to communicate brand products. With the help of graphics, photos give more value and represent the company’s goods better. Creating an overlap between a photo and a piece of art gives special cuteness to the brand.

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The collage-like trend is strongly recommended for communicating abstract products and companies. For businesses such as tech or finance, the mix of graphics and photos is a need. Another aspect of the trend is the charm that gives to retailers in the fashion industry. It is changing the traditional way of showing clothes and creates a remaining in mind visual that users love.

Use it wisely and think for your brand before applying abstract illustrations to your website. The web trend is the best fit if it is combined with company colours, fonts and style.


Web design patterns

The pattern is a human-made or natural-made repeatable element. In web design, it could be all the links to be in one colour or all text elements to be at the right part of the page. Patterns make a comeback this year and we couldn’t be happier. Patterns are great and refreshing. This year they will mostly affect backgrounds and give the user a retro 80s feeling.

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 Also, patterns are great for UX and navigation. They intentionally show the user where to expect a text field, where to look for a picture and which is a link. 

If you are enthusiastic about patterns, you should most definitely check out these 370 wonderful seamless patterns. 


Minimalistic websites and maxi fonts

What is minimalism in the web industry and why less is more in your website? When employed correctly, the goal of minimalist web design should be to present content and features in a simple, direct way by providing as little distraction from the core content as possible. This strategy often involves removing content or features that don’t support the primary goals of the interface or its users. 

Part of the minimalistic strategy is using maxi font sizes to illustrate better the message of the brand. Removing all the unnecessary details and by this catching the attention only on photos and texts. This year’s trend makes websites even more minimalistic by using maxi typography that catches the eye from the first visit. It makes the statement of the brand stronger and more powerful. Get inspired by thеsе maxi typography examples:

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Retro style in modern

Retro is modern again. More and more websites are starting to use black and white photos, retro fonts, old elements in a mix with modern ones. Colours and designs for the 50s and 60s are influencing the web design and sooner than expected a huge retro blast will be seen. Effects that remind us of retro such as dust, noise, black-and-white photos, duller colours, will be present in web design trends 2020.

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Abstract illustrations

The perfect way to make a brand stand out is by using custom illustrations. Great designers know when to use them. Also, abstract illustrations are hard to copy. Competitors can copy the font, the colours, the model, but they never can make the same design. 

In 2019 we saw the tendency for a lot of tech companies and start-ups to use them to simplify the explanation of the complex technology they usе. Some of the companies that applied abstract illustrations in their websites are Shopify, Mailchimp, Google and more. As you see, not only are they a strong and exciting trend but also give an extra value to your customers.

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“However, an important aspect when working with abstract illustrations is to set boundaries. Do not make things too abstract, after all the point is the user to understand them.” – Jivko, Web Designer at Grind Web Studio.


Innovations

Technology is a part of our everyday life. So what stops it to be a part of our websites, too? Some of the most interesting innovation that will be used on websites in 2020 are:

Remember the chat box at the right corner of almost every website? Yes, you can chat with the company 24/7 now. Chatbots can be used every day and night and answer all the user’s questions and navigate them through the website.

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  • Voice User Interface & Automated Assistants:

Nowadays, it is easier than ever with people to have voice assistants to do tasks for them, more and more products and services are migrating to the cloud, and being controlled by voice. Shortly, more and more web sites will start using voice user interface technology. These automated voice assistants will help customers make the best choice and also will simplify web shopping and search for people with disabilities.

  • Artificial Intelligence:

Instead of using Google or another search engine, many customers prefer to search directly into the website. Successful e-commerce companies actively implement innovative web development technologies in their work, such as voice searches, chatbots, and other artificial intelligence solutions. AI has become a huge trend that helps the user and the company at the same time. 

AI in web design has two main aspects. The first one is companies such as Shopify, Wix, etc., which helps the user to build a website without hiring a web designer. The second one is the help AI gives to e-commerce solutions. By analyzing the behaviour of the customer, the AI provides to the user a customized list of products.


Final thoughts

The web industry is always changing and trying different ways to engage users. We, from Grind, believe that now is the time to show how great the websites could become. Keep an eye on the trends, try them out and find out which is the best one for your company. Don’t forget that the most important ones are the customers – satisfy them and be awesome.