Simply having a website isn't enough in 2018. Take a look at the web design trends you'll need to stand out this year.
Web design's a fast moving industry. With so many factors at play, from new tech to changes in consumer tastes, there's a lot of moving parts to it.You need to know what you're doing before you dive in if you're going to create something you and your users can get any value out of. In today's article, we'll be looking at some of the biggest web design trends of 2018. With these in your arsenal, you'll be at the top of your web design game.
But why take our word for it? Get in touch with us, today, for more on how you can take your online presence to new heights, this year.
In the meantime, join us, as we look at what's going down in web design trends for 2018!
Mobile-first
In April this year, Android has officially overthrown Windows as the primary web-browsing trend out there. While it is true that tablets and desktop devices still have higher conversion rates, smartphones dominate the Asian market, which is currently becoming one of the greatest trading hubs in the world. Therefore, in order to approach the ever-growing demographic of mobile users, you might want to further invest in making your website mobile-first.
On the other hand, it is a known fact that about 90 percent of the time on their smartphones people spend on apps, rather than on browsers. This is what made some people question whether investing in mobile-optimization is even worth the effort. Still, considering how little effort and investment this idea may yield, as well as how great of an ROI it brings, going with mobile-first design indeed seems like a win-win scenario.
Authentic content
Another thing you need to keep in mind is the fact that the online audience values authenticity above all else. This especially takes prominence when it comes to the issue of images and illustrations. You see, using a generic image to back your content may be fairly successful but it will never have the impact of an image taken especially for that situation. With about 1.3 billion websites out there, it is getting harder and harder to appear unique, so tailoring your content to appear as a single-purposed might just be the tool that can win over your audience.
Hand-crafted design
Earlier on, we addressed the issue regarding the ever-growing websites out there. With the number constantly on the rise, it is getting harder and harder to distinguish yourself in a positive way. Sure, going for a free template might seem like a more frugal choice but how can you quantify losses you will endure due to the fact that your website appears generic? The truth is that when it comes to web design there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. This is also why web design veterans from Bapple focus on hand-crafting high-performance business websites, in order to create a unique impression on your audience.
Homepage videos
According to one conversion-rate statistic, including an introduction video before offering your audience a CTA (call-to-action) button can increase your conversion rate by 144 percent. This is why so many companies nowadays decide to use this tactic on their very homepage. One major drawback of this tactic is a fact that the video needs to be of a high-production value, which makes it quite costly to produce. First of all, you need a great script, an adequate gear and someone with either great editorial skills or at least a naturally gifted orator on your retainer. This is also what makes so many websites outsource this function, which is also quite expensive.
Check out two of our latest clients who use home Page Videos
RhythmHealth Clinic
MasalaMantra
Check out two of our latest clients who use home Page Videos
RhythmHealth Clinic
MasalaMantra
Daring shapes and colours
Finally, even in the era where minimalism and flat design seem as predominant forces, going with daring shapes and colours does have its advantages. The perfect example of this is the trend of brutalism which draws inspiration from the Soviet-era Eastern Europe architecture. Odd and unpredictable geometrical shapes dominate the landscape of brutalist web design, as well as colour combinations that even some of the most experienced web designers wouldn’t even dream of.
The key here is to attract the attention of your website’s visitors at any cost. Surprisingly enough, this design trend which so many professionals deem as ‘ugly’ manages to succeed where all other trends have failed. So, if we are speaking of results only, brutalism is definitely not a force to be reckoned with and not an idea you should outright dismiss.
As you can see, with these few revolutionary ideas at your side, you have all the tools necessary to start making your mark in the digital world. Keep in mind that even though some of these trends may give you great immediate results, there is no guarantee that they will still be valid for several years or even months. The key to survival, therefore, rests on your ability to adapt to the newly changed circumstances in the world of web design. Luckily, succeeding at this daunting task will be more than worth your while.
Typography
Where and how to use your lettering. Just because it's a classic design issue, doesn't mean it's not still incredibly important. The size and shape of typography are as big of a concern in 2018 as they've ever been.Companies the world over are incorporating bold fonts that make a statement into their home and landing pages.The idea is to balance this out with simplistic, clean content. The bold typography serves as an anchor, instead of pelting the user with giant letters, with the smaller font toning it down, nicely.
If you're looking for web design trends to help you stand out in 2018, start with typography.
Micro-interactions
As the user experience becomes more sophisticated, people need simple functions, more than ever. They also want to know, quickly, when something changes On desktops and mobile, we see micro-interactions as web trends becoming increasingly popular.
These are single-use animations, buttons and design elements that affect the way users interact with a website.
Examples of micro-transactions include:
These micro-interactions help to make your site more intuitive for the user to navigate.
Improved Navigation
As we move into the end of the year, we see web design trends of 2017 starting to drop off the design elements of their past. One field where this is quite obvious in navigation.
Specifically, the hamburger menu. Originally introduced to remove information off of a website's homepage, the hamburger menu has been around for years.
The three-lined menu icon found in the top corners of many mobile websites are a great space saver, but they have one very obvious drawback:
They add to the number of clicks a user needs to get to whatever it is they're looking for.In website design, more clicks are almost always worse. Many websites are starting to shift over to a single bar menu at the top of the screen instead of this classic design element, and have been for some time.
Expect to see fewer hamburgers in 2018, but, also, new takes on the classic design. After all, the hamburger menu was designed to save space, and it does that well. It makes sense that designers would want to keep it around, albeit with some improvements. Navigation doesn't need to be kept in the foreground of a website, either.
It's become popular to use pop-out toolbars and hidden menus for maneuvering around a site. This keeps the site clean, showing off all the hard work you've put into your design while giving the user a full range of controls over what they want to do.
A word of caution on this idea: make sure you keep your tools obvious, even when they're hidden. It doesn't help to tidy up your landing page by moving the buttons out of the way if nobody can find them.
Conversational Interfacing
AI's not exactly a new concept. Everything from operating systems to video games has been aping the idea since before the turn of the millennium. What you need to know about AI web design trends in 2018, though, is that they're slowly becoming more common than they've ever been. It all comes down to communication. People are using websites like Facebook and Slack to communicate via text more and more.
And, with bots becoming more realistic every year, sales automation is set to become fully automated sooner rather than later. What does this change about the design of your website? Not much, practically, but it should influence how you think about what you include in that design.
Conversational bots are a useful tool for setting yourself apart, especially if you use them to address the actual needs of your users. Incorporating machine learning into the way these bots operate is a great way to give yourself a competitive edge, design wise.
360 Videos and VR
2016 was a good year for VR. Hemingway Editor Increased virtual reality development and marketing saw sales of headsets and apps skyrocket. More people began using this tech than ever before, bringing it into the mainstream. With the launch of the refined Hololens in 2017 and improvements in WebVR support, 2018 doesn't show any signs of slowing this trend.
And then there's the question of 360 videos. With big name sites like YouTube leading the way in VR and 360-degree video support, the tech still hasn't reached a lot of the lower-rung websites. Browser-based VR experiences are set to become the next big thing in web design trends, this year. Make sure you're ready for when it does.
