August 8, 2018 Website Design: What’s Trending Now in Typography, Visuals, and Layout

Website design never sits still. It’s always evolving and changing based on lots of factors. Yet it shares some similarities to the fashion world — one day you’re in and the next you’re out. However, sometimes things come full circle to be in again.
From typography to layout to imagery, every part of your website design matters. Design has also evolved from being just about aesthetics. Now design is graded on its UX too. So you need the perfect balance of pleasing aesthetics and functional ease.
If you’re considering a website redesign or are just launching one, we recommend taking a look at these hot trends and determining how you can use them in your website’s design.

Typography trends

Typography is a critical component of design and UX. It’s more than font choice; typography relates to all depictions of words, including spacing, thickness and placement. Right now, there are several typography trends worth a look.

Bold type

Bold type is back in a big way, often used in the words of the header. This introduction to the page is powerful while also simple. It works best on minimal, clean design so the thickness of bolding is the focus.

Horizontal and vertical text

When you combine horizontal and vertical text, it can have a dramatic effect. This text layout is also best for minimalist websites. The juxtaposition of these texts against a white background offers dimension without any actual layering.

Serif fonts reemerge

Until now, serif fonts were something designers avoided. Due to multiple factors, serif fonts weren’t a good choice for mobile legibility. With better support, these fonts render much better on smartphone screens. Because of the details of serif font and its curves, it delivers a sophisticated look without sacrificing UX.

Visual trends

The visual aspects of your design will be the deciding factor on whether users stick around. More and more websites are using video on their homepages to deliver a simple story of their brand and what they do. But static images aren’t extinct. There are new, exciting ways to present those too.

Gradient greatness

Gradients have been in and out for years. But it looks like it’s making a comeback, especially since Apple used it in the iPhone X launch — so it must be a legit renaissance of the design technique.
When applying gradients, designers have the ability to create a very contemporary vibe. Depending on the color choice, the final look can evoke lots of emotions. The transition between different blocks of color also helps highlight key areas that are important to the user.
Kaleidoscopic gradients are still a popular choice too. These two-tone backgrounds give a page some drama without being too busy.

Cinemagraphs add subtle movement

Cinemagraphs are videos or GIFs that loop. You’ll see these on the header image of websites. The movement is subtle, but enough to catch a viewer’s eye so that they look more closely at the video and any words over it.
The key is to make sure the rest of the page is simple, or that at least the first few sections under the video are. A layer of transparent of color is another way to add style to your pages.

Color stacking

Create dramatic contrast on pages by layering stacks of color. Staggering these blocks to set up both text and imagery gives the page immediate depth on what is otherwise a flat screen.
There’s no hard rule on how many layers or colors. It depends on your brand’s color palette. There’s a fine line between interest and distracting, so make sure that this effect doesn’t compromise UX.

Bespoke illustrations

Flat design is out. Illustrations are in, but not just any illustrations — custom ones just for your brand. This enables the illustrations to have a more personal feel. They also help tell your story, whether used in video or static images.

Data visualization

Applying visuals to data can be engaging and informative for visitors. It’s an effective way to tell a story without resorting to graphs, charts, and lots of copy. Consider adding this to a section of your website. Users will appreciate this — considering how much video is consumed daily — which leads to a better experience.  

Layout trends

How has the modern website layout evolved? One of the biggest changes of the last decade was stretching to full screen. This modern approach to layout immediately signals to visitors that the design is current. Consider the last time you landed on a site that was still in a “box.” Did you stick around?

Text and image overlapping

If designs saw these two overlapping years ago, it would have looked like a mistake. Now it’s a unique way to showcase text and images. This isn’t a trend for every brand, but could be extremely impactful for clothing brand websites or for selling other physical goods. It would be less effective for sites selling professional services or solutions.

Curved lines

It’s time to change all your squares into circles. At least that’s what is happening across the web. Grid layouts are gone, replaced instead by soft, curved lines to break up content. It’s also a chance to incorporate some fun colors.

Minimalism

Lots of white space is used on a minimalist site; it’s typically the entire background. No fuss or distraction on these pages, only a significant focus on the item at hand and the text. This trend is definitely on the less-equals-more spectrum, so it’s right for a brand with a minimalist culture and identity.

Tap Topcoder for website design expertise

These are just a few of the trends emerging right now. Keep them in mind when you are planning the design of anything digital, including websites and apps — all of which need regular refreshes to keep up with customer preferences. If it’s time for you to redesign, and you’ve decided to outsource the work, then it’s time to consider crowdsourcing.
What’s the difference? Well, if you outsource to one designer, then you get one option, which may or may not hit the mark (and you pay either way). With crowdsourcing, you receive more options and you get to choose what best meets your goals. Plus, you’ll pay only for results, not hours. Find out how we’re different and what to expect when talent is on demand.