Introduction

Web design trends are always changing. It seems that designers have endless technical possibilities. They play with extremes, reinvent previous styles and experiment with new techniques. No doubt, there are some popular styles that cannot be replaced, such as the ever-present minimalism and colorful flat illustrations.

If so, what will the new web design trends in 2021 be? You will find below some of the most popular trends based on the experience and knowledge of web designers.

Examples of Web design trends for 2021

1. Dark mode

Placing light-colored text, icons, and UI elements on a dark background is powerful. Which allow the designer to reach a high contrast. Dark mode is one of the most popular web design trends for 2021 and has undoubtedly dominated in 2020.

The color-scheme’s popularity has its benefits. First of all, it is offering users an elegant working environment.

Secondly, it is positively affecting the life of the devices battery and of course the energy consumption. Finally, The effect reduces the use of light pixels, reducing the overall brightness of the screen, causing less eyestrain, and easing reading.

Tip: Mixing dark mode with minimalistic, white elements, clean graphics, and typography help the designer to create a visually stunning website. For more stunning results, add some accent color schemes, glowing neon typography, and vibrant elements.

2. Minimalism

Another exciting web design trend for 2021 is minimalism. Simplicity is going to become more desired and popular as it allows more focus on the content that matters.

Key here is using a lot of white space with limited color palettes, allowing every element of the design to breathe.

Having lots of room prevents any elements from over-dominating the design or distracting attention from the visual hierarchy.

Another great benefit of minimalism in design is that it not only enables the creation of aesthetically interesting websites but also helps in improving the speed of the website or the page loading time, especially while using mobile.

There will be newer developments in this style such as the use of strategic imagery to impress the users at the first encounter. Large scale photos and videos with a bare minimum of text will be pulled to the foreground to use it as a powerful visual to draw attention to your business objective. (leidsens, 2020)

Navigation cannot be less important than any other feature in this web design style. It is great to make the navigation simple.

Navigation has been already experimented to be simpler over the last few years to accommodate smaller attention spans as well as smaller devices. In 2021, The devices are getting smaller especially wearable devices such as smartwatches so the navigation needs to be simpler. It is important to help the user move around the website without having to wonder how and get an easy and usable experience. User should not be lost in the website. 

Personal Opinion

Being a UX designer. I always put myself in the user’s shoes. I imagine that the Application is a building I am walking in and of course I never want to be lost. Because of this, Navigation is very important. The designer has to facilitate the way for the user to reach what he wants to make by using the application. Minimal designs helps a lot to make the navigation easier.

 
3. Luminous color schemes

No doubt, people are different and the aim of projects too.

At an opposite extreme from minimalism, luminous color schemes are a totally different step in web design trends.

Glowing colors such as blues, pinks, and purples will make the website look futuristic and modern.

Mixing the stunning colors with darker and deeper shades will make these luminous glowing colors pop out from screens, forging a bold and daring appearance of the website. 

Tip: Neon-colored elements can go well with any of the above-mentioned web design trends (dark mode and minimalism), as darker, non-colorful background makes these luminous colors stand out even more. (Medium, 2020)

4. Organic Shapes

The grid concept is like a language between the designers and the developers which allow them to put the elements of the web page in a structural format. The organic shapes web design style will break the grid free.

Designers now are playing with smooth, fluid lines and using organic inspirations to design websites that have less of an ‘ordered feel’. This natural vibe can make the design more comforting.

The organic shapes make the elements pop off the page. It is important to put the concept of balance into consideration while using the organic and asymmetrical shapes.

The main goal is to make the designs feel alive, the user can feel that the designs are moving while scrolling though pages.

5. Mixing photography with graphics

Creativity makes a design unique. Mixing elements can help achieve a creative design. Overlapping original graphics and illustrations can make a unique design but if we try to overlap them on a top of real photographs it can become very interesting.

This collage-like trend is a versatile one; you can use it to add a special cuteness and charm to otherwise bland product photos (TSP stoneware, above), or you can use its more serious attributes to better communicate complicated or abstract concepts like tech or finance. It’s a way to customize your imagery and add more personality to your web design. (99designs, 2019)

Every brand has its identity which should be respected by designers. Illustrations and graphics should match the style of the brand personality. This will allow the designer to get the flexibility benefit of this style. This trend can make the design more playful when the designer uses a photograph-cartoon. It is really very interesting but be careful not to lose the personality of the brand.

 
6. Black & white

Minimalism is a dominant style for 2021. In that vein, black and white website color schemes, paired with a very narrow spectrum of grayscale can be very elegant, modern, and beautiful.

To avoid your website getting boring, add black and white photographs or illustrations but keep them in very high quality.

Tip: 50 shades of gray might be a literary bestseller, but in website design, it’s a flop. If you opt for a black and white website with grayscale-colored elements, stick to two to three shades of gray. (Medium, 2020)

Personal Opinion

The dark mode is the best way to apply the contrast. Contrast make the eye easily distinguish everything and feeling comfortable. Black and white always reach the most contrast. As a designer, I have to make the call to action very clear and easy to understand.

7. 3D elements

Adding 3d elements seems to be one of the most promising web design trends for 2021.

Thanks to technological advancements in recent years. 3D elements add interest and fun which keep visitors longer on the website.

3D elements give a sense of realism and add depth to the website page.

Which will achieve benefits for ecommerce websites.

When the user views the product as a real one and can see it from various perspectives they may be more inclined to convert to purchasing.

Tip: 3D elements can be quite heavy to load, so don’t get overexcited while adding them to your website. Moderately employed, they can do wonders; excessively, they can sink your website’s SEO efforts. (Medium, 2020)

8. Typography

Typography will see a lot of modernization and innovation in 2021. Here are the typography trends to watch out for –

1. Text-only Heroes:

In the hero area of the website designers will experiment more with text-only elements. The typical background image can be removed and typography incorporated making for compelling message delivery. Typography can also quickly express personality and load quickly.

2. Outlined Typography:

Outlined typography is expected to spread more in 2021. It is an emerging typography trend. There are many fonts for designers to work with but the outlined typography has a distinctive effect to the website. It is more visually interesting by adding animation to the text. For example, there are animations which pull out the fill of the letters and leave only the outline as the viewer scrolls downs the website page.

3. Bold and Heavy Fonts:

This type of fonts creates a visual starting point to the design like a focal point which draw the attention of the users. Designers have the power to make or break the design by choosing the right font family and using it the right way. Always, use the bold and heavy fonts for a few words, titles, or a short phrase and use thinner fonts to make the desired contrast to make the design more attractive.

4. Maxi Typography:

Maxi typography trend began in 2019 and has taken center stage since then. This type could be the focal point for a lot of websites. But, designers should be careful while using it there is no room for 3d elements or gradient to be used. Just keep it always flat.

5. Oversized Fonts:

It is one of the hottest trends. Increasing font-sizes on a web page can allow visitors literally read from across the room. It is used by brands like nearly half of the home page to display their name. Some brands prefer it as a style of navigation to take users to different pages of the website.

Personal Opinion:

Designers know well how to make the user’s eye move from section to section. They determine what to see first. No doubt, the most important thing like the title should be noticed first to allow the user to realize what he is going to read below. Typography is a very important part in UI - UX design.

References
99designs. (2019). 99designs. Retrieved from www.99designs.com.
dribbble. (n.d.). dribbble. Retrieved from www.dribbble.com.
leidsens. (2020). leidsens. Retrieved from https://www.leidsens.com/.
Medium. (2020, February). Medium. Retrieved from www.Medium.com.
smarterdigitalmarketing. (2020). smarterdigitalmarketing. Retrieved from https://www.smarterdigitalmarketing.co.uk/.