Fashion trends in web design. Avoiding "typical" stock photos

It is a common belief among designers that trends will be an important part of their work. Keep up to date latest updates is considered mandatory. Many designers judge the work of others through the lens of trends, and tagging some work with #old can be seen as an insult, as if a design doesn't incorporate the latest trends and automatically becomes less valuable.

However, there are reasons to follow the trends. If you go to sites like Awwwards, FWA or CSS Design Awards, they can inspire you, and as a result, help you go beyond your design habits. You can learn about new visual worlds, which you can then (consciously or not) integrate with a graphical language. Watching others work helps improve your own skills as well as stay up to date with the latest technology.

In the last year or two, it has become noticeable that many designers are trying to move away from simple compositions. More and more open, seemingly chaotic, “broken” and “cut” design works are appearing. The glorification of the grid, as it once was, is losing its significance, and the rules are being deliberately and consciously changed. The content begins to move, it seems to be moving, and its parts sometimes overlap and intertwine with each other.

The evolution of Canvas and WebGL plays a big role in this process. Modern designs are often a little messy, less intuitive than minimalist ones, but they certainly leave a lasting impression on users.

What else awaits us in web design in 2017? Here are my predictions.

Open composition

Until recently, the design world was dominated by “closed”, symmetrical and static compositions. Since 2016, many sites have appeared that have moved away from this style. Open compositions with freely arranged elements running somewhere off the screen are gaining popularity - examples of such work can be seen at romainpsd.com, durimel.io or booneselections.com. The distribution of elements on these sites gives the impression that they continue to live behind the monitor.

Asymmetry

2016 also broke the rule of symmetry, which has been prevalent in the industry for quite some time. for a long time. Many designers have created asymmetrical layouts that are far from perfect balance from the left and right side. As examples, I would like to show you the excellent culture.pl site, the chaotic dada-data.net, and the previously mentioned durimel.io.

Diversity

Designers have created more dynamic compositions that feature more intersecting diagonal lines (poigneedemainvirile.com, vanderlanth.io), or more complex shapes(residente.com/en, helloheco.com, predictiveworld.watchdogs.com).

The illusion of chaos

In 2016, many designers consciously and intentionally began to move away from minimalist design. There was a desire for more freedom and a less rigid approach to design. Behind this, of course, is the need for change, but also the usual feeling of boredom. At some point, everyone gets bored of creating simple layouts with simple elements.

However, analyzing the projects of 2016, it becomes noticeable that chaos only seems to be chaos. The layouts are still based on the classic contrast of shapes, colors, textures, sizes, etc. What has changed is the arrangement of the various elements and the harmony of dependency between them. Nowadays, headings, icons or text blocks are more often shifted, despite the banal logic. Despite the fact that they are part of the same thematic block, they are separated and located at a decent distance from each other. They are not aligned to the same edge and have different backings.

Some geometric figures “suspended in the air” have only a decorative purpose (melanie-f). This is also typical for overlapping elements. Texts are partially overlapped by photographs, as on e03.epicurrence.com and melville-design.com, or images are superimposed on each other, as can be seen on olivierbernstein.com.

It is also a distinctive technique to break the usual minimalist harmony. Huge titles contrast sharply with delicate and subtle structures and colors.

Rich backgrounds and patterns

More and more often, backgrounds and patterns appear on which there are small dashes, stripes or dots.

A particularly common pattern is the grid pattern, which provides a “frame” for other layout elements. These elements move in parallax along the grid and are often located chaotically.

Grid pattern

One of the first sites on which such a grid appeared was werkstatt.fr, which, however, did not use characteristic animations.

A slightly different way to use the grid pattern is shown at klimov.agency, brand.uber.com and maisonullens.com. In these cases, the grid has a very specific function - to make the movements of the elements logical. This allows you to streamline non-standard solutions and provides answers to questions such as “why don’t the margins of the illustration match the margins of the button”? This creates a rhythm, and at the same time justifies its violations.

Decorative details

What has really changed in Lately, so this is an approach to detail. There is a gradual shift away from minimalism. There are many other elements that have only decorative functions. “Flying” geometric shapes and corresponding fragments. Linear, flimsy icons detach slightly from the content they illustrate. Underlines and lines are shifted. Graininess and glitches appear, like on bigyouth.fr or kikk.be.

Buttons are less often created as clear rectangles with text inside. They often appear as soft, offset lines, such as those on dahllaw.dk or yasuhiroyokota.com. Another button option is a spectacular hover on Canvas, like on hpsoundincolor.com and cavalierchallenge.com.

Thoughtful concepts - smooth animations between sections

There's nothing new about animations on websites. Moreover, it cannot be said that they contradict the minimalist approach. However, like Canvas, they are an important part of the greater possibilities in web design. And new opportunities are always tempting because they allow you to do something different, fresh and original.

The abundance of animations eliminates the sharp division of the page into sections. The site changes smoothly as you scroll. Content fades in and out using soft animations. The sequences of these transitions are becoming more and more elaborate. These are not just random effects between blocks of content, but a thoughtful concept in which each element appears at the right time (Nationalgeographic.com, stylenovels.com). Animations are part of the website from the start, not just a random detail added.

Interesting animations decorate simple layouts. They add new value and make the page unique. They become the essence of the entire project, as on Ifly50 or tennentbrown.co.nz. Animations often create a beautiful, sleek structure on websites: Cuberto.com, lookbook.wedze.com, skarv-fashion.com or corentinfardeau.fr.

Varied typography

Changing trends can also be seen in the fonts used. Until recently, the entire Internet was dominated by simple, neo-grotesque fonts such as Helvetica, Roboto, Lato or Open Sans. The slightly more "decorative" neo-grotesque is used more often in titles, with a simpler version chosen for the rest of the text. Serif fonts are practically never used.

Over the past 2 years, the situation has begun to change. Designers boldly use different kinds fonts. Now they are more willing to work with contrasts - combining serif and sans serif fonts.

There's a lot going on in the typography that's used on websites. Texts are animated, divided into individual letters, and various effects, images and videos are placed in the texts.

Greater technological capabilities and bolder decisions are driving the growth of diversity in web typography.

Geometric fonts

Geometric sans-serif fonts have become very popular, such as the classic Futura, ITC Avant Garde, Proxima Nova, or those available in the Google library - Poppins or Montserrat. These fonts are much more expressive than the “invisible” neo-sans serif. A more “aggressive” and expressive character of a website can be achieved by using greater thickness, as on the fairly old site hugeinc.com, but here are newer examples: sequence.co.uk, startuplab.no or www.protest.eu.

Serif fonts

Very often, serif fonts are used not only for body text, but also for large headings. Decorative ones are especially often used, such as those on duhaihang.com or jennyjohannesson.com. Other popular fonts include those related to Bodoni or Didot.

Monospace fonts (“typewriter”)

Using proportional fonts, which are usually associated with typewriters, is innovative. Now they can be seen on sites such as admirhadzic.com, cuberto.com or designembraced.com.

Contrasting font combination

In 2016, it was common to move away from soft, harmonious combinations of fonts for more pronounced contrast. Expressive combinations were enhanced by the high contrast of text sizes. Large and decorative fonts were paired with simple geometric ones, just as geometric headings were paired with serif fonts in content text.

Huge typography as part of the main image

A very cool and common thing was the use of texts very large sizes in the main images. This created a very strong contrast between the headlines and the rest of the content. Examples can be seen at oursroux.com, femmefatale.paris or monsieurcaillou.com.

Sometimes, as a decoration, lettering is used at the beginning, such as coretinfardeau.fr or nurturedigital.com.

A prime example of the above is jennyjohannesson.com, which uses the decorative qualities of the serif font Goku.

Additional effects applicable to typography

One can observe strong integration between typography and images, videos and animations. Individual sections are connected—the typography interacts with both the background and other elements. Unsystematic placement of typography on dark image- is a thing of the past. Today, designers are building interesting relationships between all the elements, weaving typography into the background, animating it, etc.

Large letter sizes in texts

When I first started my web design journey, I had an old habit of using font size 10 that I picked up when I worked in print. However, I quickly realized that on the web the optimal readable size is 14.

It is now noticeable that designers are using much more large fonts, especially when it comes to serif fonts.

Come to the dark side

In 2016, designers used different colors. But you can notice a tendency towards choosing dark tones.

The trend of creating all-white websites is becoming less popular, and is giving way to gray variations, textures and patterns. It is now quite common to create darker sites, where black or a gradation of it fills the background and creates a slightly dark, grotesque mood.

Despite this, it is difficult to predict how this trend will grow over the course of the year. Colors, however, are part of brands' visual identity, so it's hard to expect them to fundamentally change their communications based solely on the popularity of certain trends.

Summarize

2017 promises many exciting prospects, but there are also some dangers on the horizon.

Personally, I'm afraid that many web designers can be a little overconfident when it comes to working with Canvas. Add to this new trends, and you get a lot of flashy and obscure websites for a wide audience.

I'm also a little concerned about the fact that many of today's creations won't work properly on all browsers and mobile devices. I got the impression that we were back at the starting point. We are now in a situation similar to the times when Flash, despite ruling the Internet, was blamed for its lack of responsiveness and high Internet connection requirements.

Another thing that scares me is the fact that new trends towards “deconstruction” will be impossible to apply to commercial clients, or simply will not fit their communication profile. (Government or banking websites cannot be cluttered).

I wonder how long it will take for new trends to take hold in the commercial market. It's worth noting that the vast majority of the websites I used as examples were created for agencies, designers and the creative industry. These sites often set their own rules and are usually ahead of the curve compared to other industries. Sometimes trends take a long time to become popular in a niche and break into the commercial market. Then their shape is smoothed out a little to suit everyone.

Despite all this, I think 2017 looks very promising when it comes to web design. To say that the era of minimalism is coming to an end would be too much, but it is definitely undergoing changes and development.

Minimalism will become more complex and detailed. Websites this year will increasingly use Canvas. We will see a lot of chaos, variety of forms and expression in future projects. This is good news for designers who are fed up with minimalistic Flat, Material or Metro design styles.

On New Year's Eve, someone tells fortunes using coffee grounds and throws their slippers over their shoulder. And designers are trying to probe the future and identify trends that will become the main theme of 2017. Let’s try too. We will rely not only on taste and the fact that “the art director said so,” but also on analysis.

1. Video is a functional element

The texts are too difficult, you need to concentrate. Pictures are not informative. And video is the type of content that modern user The Internet is ready to consume and smack its lips. And when you tell the user a story - for example, how a complex website development process works - use it. Film and show how an analyst makes prototypes and a designer draws mockups. Immerse the user in the story and answer questions they might have.

And stop pushing videos everywhere where the customer asks for something breathtaking within the budget. Video for beauty - the user's broken hope. He looks and hopes that they will show him something useful, tell him a story. But no. Therefore, as a decorative element of web design that does not fulfill useful function, the video remains in 2016.

Yes: A video that answers user questions and solves website problems.
No: The video is in the background because it’s beautiful and everyone does it that way.

2. Cinemagrams instead of videos

Use cinemagrams. They are more interesting than static images, but do not give false hope to users, like videos without a story or purpose.

Carefully! The cinemagrams are terribly sticky.

3. Font graphics

Another alternative to videos and images is font graphics. It both decorates the site and makes it more informative. The main concern here is quality content. But that's a completely different story.

4. Icons are the main decorative element

Why do you need images, videos and font twists, if you can add “wow” to the icons that will already be on the site? Seriously, add some custom animation and call it a day. You will be the most trendy.

5. Sticky infographics

The problem for users is that they become less diligent. And forgetful as goldfish - we went to the site, then the phone blinked (oh, false alarm- just a glare of sunlight), returned to the monitor and cannot remember what they were doing here. And they leave.

The problem is getting worse every year. Therefore, the designer’s task is to hook the user and force him to interact with the content, even if it is boring statistics. Especially (!) if these are boring statistics.

Animate it, paint it in bright colors, force the user to interact with it - do everything to pull the user in and not let go until the end of the page.

6. Combined navigation

A technique that is gaining popularity - combining horizontal and vertical scrolling - will also brighten up the user’s drab everyday life, interest him and force him to thoughtfully interact with the site.

7. Avoiding the hamburger menu

In 99.9% of web design forecasts for 2015 and 2016, the authors promise that this year designers will certainly abandon the hamburger menu. Just like that. Well, let’s support the tradition and also say: in 2017, the hamburger menu will not be in trend, don’t do that, ugh!

The problem with the three-bar icon is that it is not intuitive. It is recognized by seasoned kalachi who have already interacted with it and know what is hidden behind the symbol. But more newcomers are appearing on the Internet: both very small tadpoles and older people. And the hamburger menu icon is neither familiar nor understandable to them. They can only find out what she is hiding and where the hell the menu is after going through a painful experience.

Let’s be realistic: it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to completely abandon the hamburger menu. But before you stick it in, look for a possible alternative on each project.

studio-spoon.co.jp

8. Frame around the site

A popular solution is not to stretch the site to fill the entire screen, but to place it in a neat frame. Cute and appears free space, which can be tailored for navigation (why not, since the hamburger menu is dying).

teletype.online

9. More emoji

The less effort the user spends to react, the more willing he will be to do so. And they haven’t come up with any simpler reactions than emojis. For now, on websites you can only like content, the maximum is to give a Facebook Emote. But it's time to switch to emoji, fellow designers.

10. Material design

Yes, he is still with us.

11. More Mobile First

There are more and more users viewing websites from mobile phones, which is why the Mobile First approach is being more easily accepted by clients every year. It is no longer considered a strange experiment, but a method that justifies itself. So get ready for an avalanche of sites of the same type, but so convenient for mobile phones.

12. More micro-interactions

Sites will absorb more chips from mobile applications. In 2017, there will be amazing micro-interactions that will make your fingers shiver. Like a heart on Twitter - well, it’s a work of art! I want to press him forever. There will be more of this in Mobile First and classic projects.

13. CTAs are even more intrusive

The designer stirs up beauty for beauty’s sake only on the table and on Dribbble. In other cases (in those for which money is paid), marketers are breathing heavily in his ear, who need something brighter here and a bigger button there. It seems that in 2016 there was a turning point and a rethinking of these requirements - expect big, juicy, eye-catching CTA blocks in 2017. Such that marketers have nothing to add to them.

strv.com

14. Nostalgia for the 80s

On the refined Internet, designers miss match-head lamp pixels, the eight-bit sound of set-top boxes and the noise of tube TVs. And they compensate for their longing for the 80s and 90s in website design. Be on trend - add acidic colors, interference and glitches to your projects.

retrominder.tv

15. Avoid stock photos

Stock images have already set the teeth on edge, seriously. The hamburger menu is worse, and it’s easier to replace them. So let's film ours.

The 21st century is in the yard, kamon. Phones are like what they do high quality photos. Therefore, it’s not a problem to film employees or the work process right now on your phone. The main thing is time and desire to make a good project.

16. Greens

The guys from Pantone believe that the color of 2017 is this little green Greenery. Let's listen and add it to our list.

17. A New Approach to Prototyping

Whatever wonderful design you draw, the main thing is to present it in such a way that the client falls in love. Or at least saw it the way you see it.

A static layout can barely cope with this task, so in 2017 you need to improve your presentation skills. So that immediately, before layout, the customer sees all the invented pew-pews, and does not imagine them in his mind. Otherwise, he will imagine something wrong for himself, creating expectations that the developers will not be able to justify.
Now it’s not comme il faut for a designer to simply draw and show a picture. You need to be able to handle either one of the prototyping tools to create an interactive template, or improve your animation skills.
Here is your arsenal for the coming year, colleagues. But don't squabble with a customer who wants a videophone. Don't shove pixel elements and emojis where you need clean, minimalistic e-commerce. And don’t bombard reluctant clients on Skype with links to this article. Use trends wisely - or don't use them at all. Anyway, in three years they will be completely updated :)

Ryan McCready, content editor for infographic design service Venngage, talks about what's popular in graphic design right now and what techniques have been ditched this year.

Bold and vibrant colors

Over the past few years, many technology leaders have used muted and easy-to-read colors. So they tried to create a very clear design scheme and show that the elegant and functional future, which is usually shown in science fiction films, has already arrived.

This method helped the company move to new stage development and unite all your applications under one color. As with Spotify, this bold use of bright colors made the brand stand out.

The fashion for bold and bright colors in design comes from Google's Material Design principles. The company chose a flat, streamlined and intuitive design with the addition of "unexpected and energetic colors, as well as functional and eye-pleasing fonts and images."

In general, many current trends in 2017 arose under the influence of Google’s Material Design principles.

We also used them to make this advertising image. e-book. As a result, the image became incredibly popular.

If you can't choose best colors for your design, read on for some great examples of color palettes. And don't be afraid to use colors that contrast with each other.

Bold font

Bold font attracts readers' attention. You involuntarily pay attention to the large and eye-catching inscriptions.

My favorite example is Wired. It uses different fonts to highlight specific headings and maintain a hierarchical order of information on the page.

Just take a look:

Another good example of using catchy fonts is HubSpot. The text is in the foreground and supported by graphics:

HubSpot understands that every year the amount of time it takes to absorb information from a tweet tends to zero. Therefore, to attract the reader’s attention, they use short and succinct inscriptions in bold letters.

Besides, now everything more people surf the Internet with mobile phones. Due to high-definition screens, there is an increasing need to use bold fonts. So, to retain readers, you need to deliver your content in the right way.

Buffer highlights headlines throughout the entire article, not just at the beginning - making articles easier to read on all devices. I recommend using this approach for long articles - this way you will help readers navigate them.

We applied this method when creating this infographic. The combination of bold font and interesting colors attracts attention:

Fonts from Google Fonts

I use Google Fonts for a very long time, because they are universal. If I need to come up with a design for an online publication and then add it to a presentation, I am sure that all the fonts will work well together. They all look great on any blogging platform or website.

By the way, all 810 fonts are absolutely free! Oh yes, people like free things. They also like things that are very easy to use. Here is one example of combining several popular fonts from Google:

On our website we use Roboto and Open Sans fonts.

Original photos

Every year the amount of content grows, as does the need for high-quality images. To ensure that photographs can last a long time, the authors try to make them as versatile as possible.

There's just one problem: the best generic images tend to become stale over time. If you follow news in the field of technology and marketing, then you are probably familiar with this photo:

It is used in landing pages, blogs, and even in Instagram posts. To be honest, I took it myself for a site I worked on a few years ago. Due to the popularity of such stock images, the originality of graphic content has dropped sharply.

And the need to use clear and perfect photos only made the situation worse.

When a reader sees the same picture for the hundredth time, he thinks that the author of the article did not try to be at least a little original. So why even read such an article?

This is why you should use original images. Stop taking popular pictures, start making your own.

I'm sure everyone on your team has a camera phone. Why don't you use them? Take photos of your office or logo and use those photos.

Find out if there is an aspiring photographer among your colleagues. Give him a couple of days to rent an office - and you will have enough photos for a whole year!

When we created our new website, we photographed our employees, and we were very pleased with the result.

Hand-drawn images and icons

Not only the photographs must be original, but also the icons and drawings. Some brands have already realized this and are trying to stand out from the crowd in this way. This approach adds an element of personal and fun to the design.

Some say the trend looks unprofessional and childish, but it's still definitely eye-catching. Like most trends of 2017, it acts as an alternative to the sterile clean design of recent years.

Dropbox uses hand-drawn illustrations throughout. They became part of the company's brand and made it recognizable.

Such illustrations create a relaxed mood and delight the child who lives in the soul of each of us. They make the product look more affordable. They're especially effective at large tech companies like Dropbox.

Another successful example of this approach is the mattress company Casper. Almost her entire site consists of hand-drawn drawings. Here is one of them:

The trend was also picked up by the MailChimp service. In the 2016 report, he also shows similar drawings.

Moz, a company that develops marketing software, inserts illustrations into the header of articles:

Sometimes our love for drawings manifests itself in other projects:

Return to the roots of minimalism

If you were asked to explain to a stranger what minimalism is, you would probably answer that it is when you have to abandon decorativeness in favor of functionality. You'll most likely immediately think of a neutral color palette consisting of shades of black, gray and white.

It seems that the true spirit of minimalism has been supplanted by the use of boring black and white color schemes. I think this was done on purpose to compensate small size screen and low power of mobile devices.

But in 2017 everything will change. Minimalism will return in its true form. Which means there will be more color. Nowadays, mobile devices are as powerful as computers, and some even have better screens.

My favorite example of minimalist design is the logo. Medium platforms. Its creators were able to combine several different colors and still maintain a minimalist style.

Google made another logo redesign in favor of minimalism and a combination of bright colors. It is noteworthy that it was this company that served as a catalyst for the emergence of many new trends. The designers slightly trimmed the font style and presented the new kind a G-shaped logo that I really like.

The spirit of minimalism is felt in all this, but the press did not write about it. People have forgotten what true minimalism is. The logo was not colorless and made in a single form, so no one thought that it was made in a minimalist style.

The new logo was bright and eye-catching - while maintaining a minimalist look. After the redesign, people around them began to imitate Google, as they had done before in other aspects.

We ourselves began to use a more minimalist style for the design of our blogs.

The simple image design easily conveys the necessary information.

Using GIFs

Everyone (well, almost everyone) loves GIFs. They help us in conversation because sometimes they can convey emotions better than text.

In addition, no special programs are needed to play them. GIFs are usually small in size and can be embedded almost anywhere.

They are better than videos and images, especially when you want to reduce page load time and traffic. I believe that thanks to their versatility, GIFs will become even more useful element design.

I really like putting gifs in the header of an article. Instead of putting a boring stock image there, take a couple of minutes and make a GIF like this one.

To do this, you don’t have to make any special creative efforts, but this way you will definitely attract attention to your post in in social networks. Here is another good example of using GIFs in the header of an article.

Two-color images

This is a combination of two, usually very bright or contrasting colors in one image. To create such images you will have to turn on your design skills, but it is worth it.

Only a very skilled designer can make such beautiful two-color pictures. I'm sure I can't create something like this, but that doesn't mean you should cut this technique out of your design plans.

Every year we learn something new about design and 2016 is no exception. The article we wrote last year was such a success that we decided to make some predictions for 2017, so let's get started!

New article published →← Read and get inspired!

Design trends are influenced by media, technology, the fashion industry and, more recently, usability. The trend appears slowly, gradually, penetrating all areas of design, and then disappears in exactly the same way. Most design trends last no more than one or two years. Design in 2017 will continue the trends that started in 2016 with some new changes added, this feeling is well known and familiar and you may have noticed it in the last couple of years. The main influence remains Google's Material Design, with minor changes.

What trends in web design await us in 2017

01. Semi Flat Design

The last few years have been flat flat design was the most popular in the web design market, but now, under the influence of Material Design, it is becoming more and more one-dimensional. This transition starts with some light shadows, making it a semi-flat design. The evolution of flat design from the minimalist style is moving into new developing technologies. The flat design is still there, but it has undergone some improvements.

Smooth shading adds depth and complexity without ruining the feel of the flat design. This new feature added to the flat trend and will continue to develop in 2017.

Project: Resource | UI/UX Tool for Web Services
Authors: Ruslan Latypov; LS Graphics; Anton Mishin; Valery Gurkov

Project: Listener's Playlist

02. Moving photographs (Cinemagraphs)

Cinemagraphs are not those GIF animations, which we see everywhere on the Internet. Cinemagraphs are still images with minor elements of movement. This technique makes a simple photo more realistic.

03. More 3D

3D is definitely moving in our direction and we will see this influence in all areas of design. With VR/AR technologies picking up pace quickly, this field is developing quite quickly.

Project: LUV.IT

Project: Open Annual Awards

Project: Air Max '17

Project: NIKE F.C. | 3D Golden balls in the real world

Project: Better You Brand

04. Animations

Animation is more and more present in web design, the format can be any - WebGL CSS, GIFs, SVG or video. Animation has been one of the most important web design trends of the past year, don't be shy about using it.

Project: Nickelodeon Kids Pick The President

Project: AR Virtual Fitness Coach App

Project: ZH OURO- Rio 2016

05. One-page sites/landing pages

In 2017, we will see the growth of one-page sites due to their potential for marketing purposes and their ability to better target visitors.

If you need a landing page, you can order it from me →

06. Geometric Shapes, Patterns, Lines and Circles

This trend started in 2016 and will definitely continue in 2017. You can personalize your site by simply adding some modern shapes, either flat or with a soft shadow.

Project:

Project: DRAP.agency Branding

Project: Pfizer - Active and 50+ for The New York Times

07. Courageous Colors

Use bright colors to stand out. Material and flat design go well with bright colors. You can use the color palette provided by Google to select and combine the colors you want.

Project: Edris — Logo Designed by MiLo

Project: Rendered - Responsive Demo Website for Adobe

Project: b2mach

08. Innovative Scrolling and Parallax

This is a great visual idea that will add uniqueness to any website. From multi-layer parallax to video parallax, everything is possible with the D.ex Multilayer Parallax plugin. This product was developed entirely by the Milothemes studio under the direction of Loredana Papp and Mihai Baldean. It is available for purchase on Envato Market / codecanyon.net

This WordPress plugin, which allows you to make beautiful Parallax blocks with more than one layer. Be creative and combine layers in any style you want. We made 12 various examples in the plugin guide to make your first acquaintance with the wonderful world of parallax easier. Play with layers!

09. Color Transitions

Gradients are one of the biggest trends right now. The trend began to gain popularity in 2016 and continues to grow rapidly after large brands, such as Instagram, decided to change their logo and images from one color to a multi-color transition (gradient). From logos to buttons or picture overlays, this trend is everywhere.

10. Mobile Browsing (Responsive Design)

2015 and 2016 saw a significant increase in views from mobile devices. Tablets and smartphones are now the preferred choice for browsing the web, surpassing desktops and laptops - and the trend continues. Any website that does not have responsive web design need to update ASAP!

Project: Responsive Website Animation

11. Custom Graphics and Illustrations

Stock photography is still quite popular, but new trend in 2016 and will continue to grow in 2017: use of bespoke graphics and illustrations. If you want a unique, beautiful website that any visitor will remember you, collaborate with digital designers. This means fewer stock photos and more original, unique images.

12. Creative Use of Neutral Space and Grid

In recent years, web design has been more inclined towards orderly, organized columns and grids, but in 2016 we could see a significant shift towards irregular layers and ultra-modern designs.

13. Tell stories (Storytelling)

Websites are now starting to tell stories to win over the customer. People tend to remember stories more than reading simple (dry) information.

More video about storytelling from Business of Youth:

14. Gradual loading of content (Lazy Loading)

Lazy Loading delays the loading of images on long web pages, this allows information to appear at a specific point while scrolling down, which reduces page load time.

15. Split Content

Split content is now popular in responsive web design; it is splitting the screen into 2 or more parts. Such a site split screen will show the viewer several equally important messages in one site block. This trend appeared in 2015, but in 2017 it will continue to grow and, most likely, you will see it on many sites.

16. Full-Screen Forms

There's no need to navigate to another page to fill out a form because new sites use full-width forms that adapt to responsive design.

17. Videos Everywhere

Video content has increased over the past year, and people have become more demanding high quality video. A video on a website can be short and auto-repeat, showing a product or a large-scale cinematic project that will keep the viewer involved in the story.

Project: Hillsong

18. SEO is important! (SEO is Important)

SEO is very important for a website, so a beautiful website without good SEO will remain an outsider.

19. Hidden Navigation

Hamburger menus create a lot of debate for and against how difficult it is for users to find the menu, but one thing is for sure - this trend is here to stay and people will eventually get used to such menus.

20. Tiny Design Details

Focus on details is very important this year. Small details such as navigation points, etc. Focus on small details will make the job complete.

Project: Barometa - Next-generation Job Platform

21. Logo Design Trends

21.1. Minimalism

All the big brands are moving towards simpler, minimal designs and this trend is here to stay.

21.2. Hand drawn

This trend has been in the spotlight for the past few years and this style is great for hipster businesses. It is used for hairdressing salons (barbers), cafes, restaurants, art and craft items.

21.3. Negative space

This is an old trend, but we've seen it pick up steam over the past few years and will continue to grow in 2017, so it's definitely worth taking a closer look at.

21.4. Cropping

It doesn’t get more minimalistic than this trend. It shows only what is enough to indicate in the logo to recognize the company, and nothing more.

21.5. Geometry

This trend is old school, but it's one of those styles that will never die.

21.6. Line art

This trend is popular among new generation businesses

Authors: Sam Healy; Andrea Schlaffer; Jacek Janiczak

21.7. Patterns

Patterns are the new trend, and this repetition is an unusual way to make a business memorable and differentiate it from its competitors. This original direction can also be used in the presentation of logos.

Authors: Nick Edlin; Stanislav Aleynikov; Lucas Gil-Turner

21.8. Animated logos

Motion design is a popular trend today, and we can see it in all areas of design.

Authors: Javier Miranda Nieto; The Woork Co

21.9. Vintage

Vintage style is still in the game. Even if this trend has been popular for a long time, it still has something to say.

21.10. Color Transitions

Gradients are everywhere this year—and logos are no exception.

21.11. Illustrations in logos

Illustrations are a good way to create a unique and personalized logo for your business. They are becoming increasingly popular this year.

Authors: Bodea Daniel; Jacek Janiczak

21.12. Photography in logos

The combination of pictures and typography is very popular now. They work very well together and it creates a contrast between them.

22. Typography Trends

22.1. Big, bold & beautiful typography

Typography may be the most important element in creating stunning design. This year the typography will be bold (bold) and large with prominent headings.

Authors: Alexander Laguta

Authors: Quim Marin

Project: Baugasm Series - Pack 4

22.2. Gradients/color transitions in typography

Gradients are without a doubt a trend today, and you will find them in typography as well.

22.3. Visual hierarchy

Hierarchy in typography is important in any design direction. Font size and width can easily indicate which words or headings are prioritized, so use this factor when creating your texts. You must also remember that you can achieve an understandable visual hierarchy using text placement and color.

22.4. Tiny Typography

Very small text is usually surrounded by an opposing color space, but you can create a visual difference between the color or image to make the text stand out. You can also use animation to help your text stand out.

Authors: Slava Oleinik; Bahaa Samir; Witty Digital

Project: Baugasm Series - Pack 4

22.5. Animated Typography

Animation is used everywhere now, and typography is no exception. If you use motion software, you can't go wrong this year.

Project: Gotham Pro Animated Typeface Free

22.6. Typography meets photography

The combination between text and photography can produce excellent results. Check out these great examples.

22.7. Geometric shapes and typography

Geometric shapes can work well with typography to create a beautiful design.

22.8. Font pairing

Use two or more fonts together. This is still trendy in 2017.

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Web design as a digital medium is much more susceptible to changes in technology than its traditional print predecessors. What's amazing is how designers continue to tackle an increasing number of technical challenges and still create sites that are user-friendly, clear and innovative, compatible with corporate identity, adaptable to every device imaginable and simply beautiful.

2017 was marked by many achievements, including more wide use mobile devices that have finally overtaken desktop computers by volume of content downloaded and viewed. This means that in 2018 we will use mobile functionality like never before, and desktop devices will have to evolve to remain relevant. With all of this in mind, let's take a look at the notable web design trends that are poised to become ubiquitous.

The use of shadows is not new, so why did we mention it? Although this technique has long been traditional in design, today, thanks to the progress of browsers, we see interesting variations that previously did not exist. Grids and Parallax Layouts allow you to play with shadows in an even wider range, creating the illusion of a world that exists behind the screen. This is a direct reaction to ( Flat Design) is a trend that has been popular for the last few years.

Shadows create a surprisingly versatile effect that not only elevates the aesthetics of the page high level, but also contributes to the smoothness of the user experience ( User Experience, UX) - thanks to the placed accents. For example, using soft, subtle shadows in the Hover State to indicate a link is not a new idea, but pairing them with vibrant color gradients (more on this below), as in the examples above, enhances the 3D effect of the shadows.

2018 is definitely the year of super bright colors. While in the past many brands and designers stuck to "web-safe" colors, today many are becoming bolder in their approach and coloring headlines in super-saturated bright shades, as well as combining lettering with slanted lines and angles (instead of simple horizontal forms). This is due in part to technologically more advanced monitors and device screens that are capable of producing richer colors. Bold and even clashing colors can be useful for new brands hoping to instantly grab the attention of visitors, but are also ideal for companies looking to set themselves apart from everything "web-safe" and traditional.

Illustrations are a wonderfully versatile method of creating playful, fun and friendly images that add an element of fun to your site. Experienced artists come up with illustrations that are full of personal meaning and take into account the specifics of the brand message, and this is exactly what everyone strives for in today's highly competitive markets.

This trend is ideal for businesses associated with fun and energy, but it also helps “serious” companies get closer to their customers.

If you want to try creating a landing page in this style, but you don’t have a strong designer yet, you can use ready-made templates or sections in:

You can also always order a custom landing page from our designers. View examples finished works .

Particle Backgrounds are a great solution for sites experiencing slow loading issues due to embedded video. The animation in question is a lightweight, fast-loading javascript that creates natural movement in the background.

They say a picture speaks a thousand words, and without a doubt this is true. Plus, backgrounds with moving parts are eye-catching, allowing brands to make a memorable impression in seconds. Moving graphics are becoming increasingly popular on social media as they drive interested leads to landing pages.

5.Mobile first

As already mentioned, mobile world begins to dominate the desktop. Almost every one of us goes into stores and places orders on our smartphone. This was once a cumbersome process that users were slow to adopt. The designers were concerned with the question: how to ensure that there are normal menus, submenus and sub-submenus on a small screen?

But now mobile design became more mature. A pop-up menu appeared, and it became possible to make the menu small. You may have had to give up big, beautiful photos in mobile version, but icons have become much more space-efficient, plus they are now so common that users understand the meaning of almost every one of them. UX issues are easier to identify and fix through micro-interactions, and you get immediate feedback on your users' behavior.

6. Large bold fonts

We have added all the fonts from the Google Fonts collection to a visual gallery, and all you need to do is select the appropriate font, click on the connect button and use it for new or existing texts on the landing page.

One of the most notable innovations of 2017 was the emergence of asymmetrical and non-traditional “fragmented” layouts (Layouts), and this trend will remain relevant in 2018. The attractiveness of asymmetrical layouts lies in their uniqueness, specificity and somewhat experimentality.

While content-heavy corporations still lean toward traditional grid structures, you can expect unusual layouts to become more common as companies increasingly strive to provide a unique experience that sets them apart from the rest of the landscape. Traditional companies in general will not be interested in this aesthetic, but large brands willing to take risks will expect their designers to think outside the box.

8. Integrated animation

As browser technology evolves, more and more large quantity websites are moving away from static images and finding new ways to engage users, such as animation. Unlike the animation of individual parts of the background mentioned earlier, smaller animation fragments engage viewers through the entire page experience. For example, you can animate the graphics available while the page is loading, or create an interesting design for the highlighted state of a link. Animated elements can also be incorporated into scrolling, navigation, or even become the focal point of the entire site.

Animation is a great way to include users in a site's story, allowing them to see themselves (and their potential future as customers) in the characters depicted. Even if you're interested in animation solely as an abstract, entertaining visual medium, it can make it a meaningful experience for your visitors.

Now the gradients are big, obtrusive and bright. The most popular of the latest reincarnations is the gradient photo filter - a great way to make a boring image more intriguing. A simple gradient background can also be the perfect solution to go with the trend if you don't have any other pictures.

Trends 2018

Bright colors, bold gradients and animation... Next year promises to be one of the most interesting and memorable in the history of web design. I can't wait to see how designers will bring this to life and how they will push the boundaries. After all, about Staying open to trends is something you must do if you want to provide your users with a great UX.