User experience, nowadays, has become one of the most significant aspects of doing business online. Your audience must be served with an immersive user experience while they are browsing your website. Trends have always been a variable segment in terms of web design, development, sustainability, and functionality. These trends keep on emerging and changing with the time goes by. Thus, the web design trends influence us to discard the unsuitable elements and make the best possible changes.
AI, conversational interfaces, and creative layouts rose in the last year and promptly became the center of attraction and the viable trend-setters. Well, while these are the things of the previous year, 2018 will witness them nurture and become trendier. We have jotted down and organized the top 15 trends in web design and web development which are doing wonders in a global prospect. Whether it’s a corporate business website, an eCommerce store or the marketplaces, these trends are going to revolutionize each kind of websites present on the web.
Also Read: Top Web Development Trends in 2018
15 Web Design Trends in 2018 that Have Taken the Market by Storm
Following are the trends which are ruling in 2018 and will rule further when the web design and development are in concern. So, make sure that you are abiding by these trends in order to come up with the best website ever.
1. AI and Chatbots
Last year, the AI and chatbots have emerged with an utter pace and significance. Website owners, designers, and developers were using them promptly and effectively on numerous websites. Just like the last year, the AI and chatbots are continued to be utilized in this year also. These smart elements are now incorporated by the technology in order to offer the users a seamless experience on the digital platform. We have already seen the Google Home and Apple Siri do wonders in terms amalgamating the AI with the voice assistants and conversational interfaces. And the journey has only begun.
Now, on the other hand, chatbots are becoming smarter day by day with the continuous development of AI and machine learning. The better, smarter, and more efficient chatbots are helping users and the website owners by bringing a better communication to the table. People can ask their questions and the chatbots are always available to answer those. And thus, the reliability of a website increases to a great extent. Thus, the AI and Chatbots easily secure the first place in the list of the top web design trends.
2. Bold and Better Colors
Today is the day of bold color schemes. The bold color schemes are progressively being employed across all the digital platforms for quite a prolonged period of time. Designers around the world are implementing the flashy and vibrant colors while designing a website. The use of the flashy and vibrant colors creates a stunning combination and effects. With the flashy and vibrant colors, designers are targeting to interact with every kind of individuals browsing online including the individuals with disabilities.
3. Illustrations are Everywhere
Both the product design and marketing fields are now expected to be overpowered by the illustrations. The prominence of illustrations has gone to the heights as the form of design has the capability of bringing life to any abstract concept. And this is the sole reason why both designers and audience are adoring illustrations. The illustration comes in rescue when the photographic representational challenge occurs. Designers can craft the digital products with the help of illustrations which are equipped to cater to a much diverse audience while the others are not able to do that. That’s the reason why illustrations are seeming to be ruling the web design market in 2018 and the coming years being one of the most viable web design trends.
4. Organic Backgrounds & Shapes
Earlier in time, card-based UI dominated most of the designs found on the web. This trend was up and running for quite some time but the trend changed with the arrival of aggressive and organic designs. Since the past year, the aggressive design and organic design have occupied a plethora of apps and websites. As 2018 is going towards the end, it has been filled with the backgrounds with minimalistic shapes, amoeboid blobs of bold colors, straight lines, dramatic diagonals, and other spherical shapes.
5. Typography
When the topic describes the web design trends, typography always rises in the discussion above the others. Typography is no more considered as a separate element, rather, it has become a part of the design. Typography is amalgamated with the design to create a robust impact on the users and they easily grab the user attention. Though the non-grotesque san serif fonts are still in fashion, the designers around the world are moving ahead of the fonts and jumping into the humongous variety of the other different typefaces present on the web. The future may offer us a splendid synchronization between the serif and sans serif fonts which will eventually result in a dynamic user experience.
6. Single-Page Website Rocks!
In 2018, we are seeing multiple input channels conquer instantaneously and working in the best harmony with each other. The businesses with a modern futuristic approach are now exploring the further dynamic access points. They are now leaving the traditional approach of having a homepage on the website.
Today’s websites are not only regarded as the traditional pieces of information showcasing platforms. They are now considered as the amalgamations of conversational interfaces, mobile apps, and social media profiles! The website development is made with the primary (if not solely) consideration for the touch and voice functionalities. Thus, it’s quite certain that we are going to see more single-page websites along with the time and that will also end the hassle of complex navigation that hugely hampers the user experience.
7. Motion UI
Motion UI will let you play around with your own animations just how you want them to. Not only can you experiment with the animations but also can use the animations just the way you want. Moreover, there are also several transitional effects to choose from when you are creating your dream website. Your website will be way more interactive with the use of the CSS image hover effect which is just one example of the plethora of the effects Motion UI can offer you.
Motion UI has become one of the major web design trends in 2018 as you are equipped to tweak and transform almost any component of your website with this technology. Also, you will be able to create a range of animations from the given parameters and they will behave just how you want them to behave. So, Motion UI will get the job done with the precision.
8. Progressive Web Apps
The m-commerce has witnessed a great upliftment by the PWAs (Progressive Web Apps). In fact, the PWAs have taken the market of m-commerce by storm with the immense functionality and usefulness. The latest web design trend was born back in the year 2015 and its immense functionality and usability never let it turn back. The similar UX like the mobile apps in PWAs allows the users to experience the websites just like their mobile apps. The most fascinating part of the whole thing around PWAs is that they are not required to be installed on the mobile devices; rather you can access the sites through your browser just how you normally do.
You can also achieve a great customer engagement, conversion rate, improved security and reliability once the smart features are incorporated into the site. We can expect to see a great battle between the PWAs and the fast, reliable, and user-friendly apps. So, it can certainly be said that the PWAs have come mainstream.
9. Blockchains
The blockchain is an innovative invention by Satoshi Nakamoto which makes it easier for the digital data distribution or sharing but a prevention of the data being copied. Originally considered for bitcoin, this technology is now used for many applications in the eCommerce sectors in the market and the eCommerce-related apps are garnering tremendous help from the technology.
You can enjoy a range of enthralled offerings from the blockchains from the likes of enabling smart contracts, supply chain auditing, glitch-free decentralized file storage. All the transaction parties are kept in a loop by the blockchain. Peer to peer commerce and Crowdfunding are also emerged by the blockchains.
10. SSL and HTTPS – Enhanced Security
An encrypted connection between the browser and the server is extremely important for your website and that is the reason Secured Socket Layer (SSL) has become one of the priorities in today’s website development since the SSL allows your website to have the connection. As the SSL prevents the cyber-attacks, phishing, provides data protection and a better search engine ranking on top of all, SSL certificates are being used and will be used more in future. Once you integrate the SSL certificate on your site, an additional ‘S’ will be added after HTTP on your website’s address URL. So, SSL has and will remain to be one of the most accepted web design trends today and in the future.
11. Image and Video Content
They say a good photo describes a thousand words. According to the human psychology, photos and videos are easier to remember for a human brain than the texts. And on top of everything, photos and videos are also immensely alluring. When it comes to grabbing the user attention and telling a story, Photo and Video contents are unmatched. Those days are long past when we used to incorporate tiresome and lengthy pieces of text content which were not able to glue a user to the websites. Now, the audio-visual contents are the latest web design trend which makes sure a user stays on the site. The authentic audio-visuals not only convey a story but they also add a value to your website and the consumers.
12. Tell a Story That Helps
Storytelling is something that will never let you leave with bare hands. Well, that applies to the websites as well. If you fail to build a story, hardly any consumer will be attracted to your site and be making a purchase. While the eCommerce stores require the storytelling more, the other types of sites also need to avail the storytelling to take a step further towards the better conversion rate. Making a product more humanlike should be your prime concern if you want to make the product sell. When the product will have a story to tell, it will promptly become more efficient than the codes and pixels. Make the storytelling in a way that it depicts the product or service as a sword and the consumers as the hero of the story. Who doesn’t like to be a hero?
13. Online Support – Helps Work
Online support is something a user will adore and acknowledge. This support can become a defining factor in making your website better than the rest of the lot. And thus, it has secured its place in the list of the top 15 web design trends in 2018. You need to find the helpful chatbots which can increase the human portion during the chats with the online users and which can answer almost all the custom queries a user may come up with. The custom queries may include finding suitable products or assistance with payments. Be it, electronics or edibles, a chatbot should always be integrated to your website around the clock in order to support the users whenever they need any help. Also, the use of chatbots will help you suppress the expenditure of employing the human resources.
14. Floating Navigation Menus
If you have a conversion focused website, you need to stick to the floating navigation menus in order to come up with a simple yet effective website for the users. Designers, nowadays, are taking the fixed navigation menus to a whole new height by making it visually different from the other design components of a website and locating it right under the browser’s chrome. Therefore, the menu keeps on floating on the website (all the web pages) throughout the usage which makes it a universal component of your entire website.
15. Readability Should be a Priority
Readability is one of the aspects that would make your website extremely usable for the users who land on your website. It’s quite obvious that there will be a lot of texts on your website along with the images and videos. Now, if the texts are not readable enough, the visitors’ experience on your website will be extremely diminished. The readability on your website may be affected or influenced by the clutter on your website which may have been caused by the less whitespace used on your website, the incorrect use of fonts, font size or font color! So, you have to keep all the aspects in mind and create a site that meets the readability standard.
Final Words
These are the few web design trends that will keep influencing the websites this year and the years ahead. Considering the kind of competition we are experiencing today and going to experience in the near future, your website should reflect your smartness and you need to see where your website stands. Always remember that the trends are ever-evolving, so, you need to keep a sharp eye on the market and technologies. What seems impossible or too difficult today, may emerge as a necessity tomorrow. So, you should always be one step ahead and pro-active to adapt to any technology that may have a chance to outshine the others.
All the trends are the benchmarks which can be followed to do wonders in your business. However, you need to understand the requirements and necessities of your business before anything else. Those requirements and necessities will determine which trend you need to follow and why. So, for now, follow these web design and development trends mentioned in this article and stay tuned for more updates in the matter.
