6 Web Design Trends in 2022
Web design trends are constantly changing and evolving to suit the needs of people. As a business owner, it’s important to keep up with the latest trends so you can create a website that appeals to your audience.
The following are some of the web design trends that we believe will be popular in 2022.
1. Dark Mode
The dark mode is no longer just about aesthetics. Usability and accessibility are now major parts of the discussion.
Dark mode offers a great solution for users who want to reduce eye strain, especially when browsing in low-light conditions. Additionally, the dark mode has been shown to reduce the amount of battery power consumed by devices.
That said, there are still some important considerations to keep in mind if you’re thinking of implementing dark mode on your site. For starters, make sure that you take contrast into account.
There should be enough contrast between text and background colors so that people with color blindness can read it easily. Next, keep consistency in mind if you’re only making certain sections of the page dark (e.g. navigation bar).
If it’s not consistent throughout the page, users could experience usability issues as they try to navigate your site or interact with different UI (user interface) elements.
2. Human Touch
Demonstrate your humanity with a hand-drawn design element. A website is a good place to show off your human touch, as it is easy to convey that you and your team are down-to-earth, relatable, and fun people who care about the people who use your products or services.
The world has been so digitized for such a long time that something imperfect but done by hand can feel like a breath of fresh air.
For instance, if you have an e-commerce site where customers can buy skincare items from you, there’s no reason why the illustrations of each product couldn’t be sketched by one of your employees instead of being downloaded from Shutterstock.
Consider adding hand-drawn elements here and there on your site to communicate the message that real people work at the company behind it.
3. Mixing Photography with Graphics
Using real photographs creates a more personal and relatable experience for the user. When you use real photos, you give your users a glimpse into your brand and humanize it.
However, if all the photos on your website look the same (e.g. stock photography), then that’s not going to be memorable either.
That’s why we’re seeing companies start to use more customized illustrations and graphics in their web design through the help of marketing agencies. Using illustrations or graphics really captures the spirit of the brand and makes it stand out among competitors.
It also gives designers some freedom in creating a style for their company, including crafting icons and patterns that can be used consistently in designs across channels (both online and off).
4. Light and Neon
Neon is a classic element for web design, but it’s taking on new forms and functions in 2021. Using neon doesn’t mean your website has to look like Tron.
It’s all about using light and bright colors effectively to create the right atmosphere for your content. This trend is most obvious in dichromatic web design.
Duochrome designs are making a comeback, and chromatic neon elements are part of that story. Neon is often paired with dark mode, but this element is also effective when used with lighter tones as well.
You can use it to create high-contrast backgrounds or even pull double-duty by highlighting text or menu items on a page. Another way designers are incorporating light into 2022 websites is through hover effects.
This approach creates really unique effects that can be used sparingly throughout a site, instead of covering every square inch in glowing color (unless you want to).
Minimalism is a design choice that requires as much attention to detail and focus on the end-user experience as it does on how much information you put in front of the user.
Minimalist web design isn’t about only using bare-bones elements; it’s about tailoring your approach to the message you want to share and using the right amount of design elements to help get your message across.
Navigation should be considered carefully when planning your site, and the most minimalistic navigation solutions highlight the content itself.
This means that, instead of a prominent navigation bar with dropdown menus (as many websites have traditionally used), visitors are usually presented with no navigation at all.
The site might actually have links scattered throughout, but it’s up to visitors to find them. As such, these types of sites are best for content that will be consumed in one sitting or visited once in a while.
6. Realistic textures
Realistic textures have been a growing web design trend for years, and there’s no sign that they’ll be going away anytime soon. We’re talking about stone, brick, marble, wood, and metal—all of which are tactile materials that add depth, dimension, and personality to a design.
Websites that feature realistic textures can lead visitors to believe that their products or services are also quite tangible.
After all, the texture is usually tied to the company itself; it represents its brand in some way. It means you literally feel closer to the business than if it had a more abstract design.
Applying these web design trends isn’t just for the sake of sales and revenue, but this goes also for brand image. You’ll keep your regular customers and potential customers interested if your website applies some of these current trends.
After all, the first impression really is everything for your new visitors. If you plan to redesign your website or even apply some SEO techniques to your content, it’s advisable to hire a creative agency to get the job done.
An advertising agency will help you transform your website to have a positive user experience for your visitors as well as represent what your brand is all about.
More resources on marketing:
Effective Digital Marketing Tips for Business Owners