Featured image for 8 Innovative Web Design Trends 2021

// Trends

8 Innovative Web Design Trends 2021

Subscribe to our newsletter
Featured image for 8 Innovative Web Design Trends 2021

Web design of our time is a lot of possibilities. But not every whim is viable in a certain period. There is time and place for each approach. Overhauling a website without any reason can do more harm than good.

But in 2021 there will be more than enough such reasons. Analysis of user desires shows that they want to see something new in web design. Therefore, today is the time to track new trends and use them on your site.

What trends will bear a purely aesthetic character? What needs to be changed to improve the user experience? What trends will become a thing of the past and what will replace them? We've put together a list of 2021 innovative web design trends to keep you ready for change.

Flexible vector graphics

The main source of aesthetics on any site is multimedia. A web page that contains interesting illustrations or photos is always rated higher.

Websites saturated with content have been loading much longer, especially on mobile devices. But Google made it clear that it cares about the user. One of the ranking criteria is the results of indexing sites on mobile devices.

This made adaptability more in demand than even a year ago. The problem with GIFs and PNG images is that they lose quality when resized. Refusing them means killing saturation. Way out of the situation and a new trend - vector illustration.

Innovative Web Design Trends

Difference between SVG and other image formats. Source of the image

SVG format allows you to scale the image to fit the screen, while maintaining the quality of the original graphics. Now this format will be a critical trend of both adaptability and web design in general.

The emphasis on data

The user began to trust analytics and its results more and more. Therefore, IT leaders strive to increase the role of informative design structures. Thus, they are increasingly focused on design that focuses on project data.

First of all, such a design will help you personally compare the data of your company. So you can make important decisions faster. Likewise, this approach is a great opportunity to hold the reader on the page. Search engines want the user to spend as much time as possible on the site. After all, this way the indexing rating is increased.

emphasis Innovative Web Design Trends

Web design with an emphasis on data. Source of the image
To develop this design, your team should focus on the following areas:
  • intelligent management and data placement;
  • setting up data source.

Designing a data-driven design requires consideration of various business factors. So you can sustain analytics with specific events.

Data as part of web design is communication with your users. Accordingly, this approach can revitalize your project.

Asymmetric layouts

For many years, websites have been built on a grid. This is a great approach that helps streamline the structure and focus on key elements. On the other hand, this reduces the uniqueness of the site. Therefore, the upcoming trend is asymmetric design.

Asymmetry is an opportunity to change traditions and move to brutalism, individuality, shaky energy and just fun.

However, even here, designers need to find balance. To create a sense of balance, you must conduct user testing. The goal is to make sure that no part of the page looks “heavier” than the rest. For example, the image should not be much larger than the text block.

You are probably wondering: “How to draw attention to key elements if they are not located on the grid?”. It is important to remember here that regardless of the approach, the viewer's eyes are always fixed on the large elements. Thus, in asymmetric design, it’s enough to simply increase the size of the blocks you want to focus on.

Soft shadows and floating elements

One of the best ways to get the user's attention is to upload the video to the background of the main screen. But today, technology still allows you to combine this approach with high page loading speed. This is especially true for mobile devices. The question remains: how to use SVG-illustrations and at the same time ensure the volume of images?

The answer lies in the use of soft shadows and floating elements of images. They make web design layered and more interesting. In addition, it increases the depth of design elements.

This effect can be used for designing:

  • body text;
  • headings;
  • individual images and illustrations;
  • active buttons.

In other words, you can add shadows and floating effects to any element of web design. The main thing is that it looks aesthetically pleasing against the general background. Thanks to this approach, designers can dilute the uniformity of SVG illustrations and make the design more unique.

Mixing photos and graphics

Using real photos mixed with illustrations or graphics creates an individual message of the site. Regardless of whether you take a photo of a product or a person, it will help maintain branding. It’s also a great way to stand out from the crowd.

Overlapping or overlaying graphics with a photograph creates a special visual effect.

Such collages are universal:

  1. They can be used to add appeal.
  2. They dilute complex attributes, which allows to convey abstract concepts.
  3. This is a way to customize images and add personality.
How to use the flexibility of this trend to the maximum? Match the style of the illustrations and graphics to your brand identity. This greatly affects how the user interprets the photos. For example:
  • for playful photos in the field of entertainment, you can choose caricature graphics;
  • complex geometric shapes are suitable for an online store of classic clothes;
  • restaurant sites can be perfectly combined with retro-style graphics.

Dark theme

For a very long time the basis of the empty space was white. Some services began adding a dark theme several years ago. But then it did not receive wide recognition. Trends will change in 2021.

Dark Apple Innovative Web Design Trends

Dark Apple Landing Page Theme. Source of the image
First of all, pay attention to the design of the landing pages of large brands. Apple, Mercedes-Benz, Hublot and many others already use this dark theme. A simple color change gave the web design a completely different look:
  • makes design elements more visible;
  • increases the contrast ratio;
  • less stresses the eyes;
  • makes the site look more elegant.

Apple added a dark theme in iOS 13, which was liked by so many users. Following this, popular apps like Instagram, Whatsapp also added dark shades. This trend is spreading and becoming more popular in all areas.

Among other things, dark themes are great for OLED screens, as they save energy and extend the life of the screen. Dark shades allow you to create creative elements using a neon glow, which is one of the trends of graphic design in 2021.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence penetrates more and more into all spheres of our life, including marketing. When you implement AI on your site, you can use significantly more data to meet user needs.

In the context of web design, the addition of artificial intelligence relates more to development than to the final result. AI is the ability to create targeted and personalized pages focused on a specific context. Among other things, AI will help:

  • collect information about readers;
  • automate the selection of graphics;
  • conduct testing;
  • place elements of attention in the most appropriate places.

Every day the user expects more and more personalization at a subconscious level. AI is the best way to give a visitor to a webpage exactly what he is looking for.

Availability of use

Website accessibility for any user is an important part of the web design process. This factor originates in world politics, where tolerance towards people with disabilities is now developing. Many organizations struggle to provide conditions for such categories of the population.

traditional Innovative Web Design Trends

Examples of situations in which it is difficult to use traditional design. Source of the image

While the criticism did not concern websites, many designers decided to simply implement various opportunities on their own. Thus, they created a trend for the development of the accessibility of any service and its individual elements.

Web design is inextricably linked to content. Therefore, when developing, you need to take care of such things:

  • sound recording;
  • transcripts;
  • subtitles;
  • increase in fonts.

If a designer posts a video, he should consider making sure that any user receives the entire message. If the site will be focused on the placement of data, it is necessary to make sure that people with visual problems familiarize themselves with it.

This trend creates a lot of difficulties for web designers. Why? All these elements must be implemented without harming the aesthetics and indexing rating. Nevertheless, taking care of all segments of the population, the web designer will be able to expand the target audience.

Outgoing trends

Web design is a very intensive stage of website development. First of all, you can add a lot of elements to it that will attract attention. The main thing is not to add everything at once, so as not to create chaos in the interface. But you also need to monitor outgoing trends so that the site does not look old.

Clear geometry. For several years in a row, many designers resorted to the use of strict angles and balanced shapes. Today, the user is a little fed up because the sites look very uniform. Therefore, with the advent of asymmetry, any clearly verified figure loses its relevance. Add smoothness to your graphic design.

Bright, saturated colors. Another element of web design that is rapidly losing popularity. Firstly, they create more eye strain. Secondly, they do not coincide with the general color trends in other areas. Therefore, dimmed pastel tones replace bright colors.

Video and animation as part of the design. Many sites added animations to liven up their site. A particularly popular trend was the addition of video instead of images to the background of the main screen. This significantly reduced the speed of loading the site. Until this problem is resolved, the trend of the video remains in the past.

Final words

Many expected 2020 to signalize changes. But in fact, it has become a year of analysis of new user requirements. We will see the results in 2021. Web designers will change most of the trends, making sites look completely different.

Merehead does professional development of innovative web design trends 2021. If you have questions, contact us for a free consultation.

How can we help you?

Full name *
Email *
Phone
Your budget
Tell us about your project

Yuri Musienko
Author of the post
Merehead is a design agency

Web Design Gallery

our works

  Category: Trends 01/06/2023
7 Web Design Trends to Use
Every designer is highly interested in being up to date with the latest news and solutions in the field, and it is also necessary to know about current trends and especially web design trends in 2018 in the market. In addition to the new graphic design trends, a design should be unique. In fact, web design is so dynamic, that thing considered the fresh and modern couple of years ago nowadays may seem to be completely out of date.
  Category: Trends 01/09/2023
7 Awesome Web Design Trends 2017
Web designer, entrepreneur and even owner of a small business have to follow trends. This article will discover you with 7 exciting trends in web design that was in 2022 to help you get most out of your website. Let’s begin!
  Category: Trends 01/24/2023
New Graphic Design Trends 2018 Predictions
Graphic design is the most creative area of digital design. Designers are able to fully serve up themselves: all qualities, skills, and, of course, creativity. Having a sense of taste in graphic design is especially important. This article will help you better understand graphic design trends and what you need to be ready in 2018 (spoiler - promises to be very exciting). So, get ready for the latest graphic design trends and predictions.