Four web design trends of 2021 that you should know about

The world of web design is constantly changing, in an attempt to keep up with the ever-changing world of technology. With new technology being released at record rates, a web designer has no choice but to adapt to the constantly evolving requirements – or they risk being left behind.

There are some aspects of web design that will never change. User-friendly navigation, fast load speeds and data security will always be required. However, if you want to achieve the best search engine rankings and ensure that your website never becomes outdated, you need to keep up to date with the latest trends in web design.

Here are four web design trends of 2021 that I think you should know about. Once you’ve chosen the right features for your website, you can hire a local web designer to help you to implement them, keeping your website at the forefront of development.

Dark mode

Many businesses are beginning to choose dark mode web designs for their websites. With many of us spending more time than ever looking at screens, dark mode web designs serve a practical purpose in reducing eye strain.

Dark mode also presents an ultra-modern appearance for your website whilst highlighting the design elements that you want to stand out.

Colourful minimalism

Minimalism isn’t a new trend in web design, but colourful minimalism is expected to be one of the top trends of 2021.

Originally, minimalistic web designs (also known as flat designs) were associated with lots of white space to make the content really stand out. However, web designers are beginning to experiment with colourful minimalism, proving that minimalism doesn’t have to be boring.

Colourful minimalism typically consists of a bold background colour with clean text and minimal design elements. This approach helps to grab the attention of your audience whilst being easy on the eye, with minimal content to digest.

Bringing virtual reality into your website

Virtual reality is becoming more and more common and the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated its implementation.

For example, sites like Airbnb allow you to tour accommodation before you decide to book and many estate agents now have virtual tour functionality to enable you to view a house online before you decide to visit in person.

Furniture company IKEA has created technology which allows you to see how furniture will look in your home before purchasing, whilst paint brand Dulux enables you to view your rooms decorated in different colours to help you to choose your tone.

These online VR experiences will continue to increase over the coming years, enhancing websites with useful and meaningful content to visitors, helping them to make buying decisions.

Personalised website content

If you want to get ahead of the competition with your website marketing, you need to be looking to personalise your website content.

It’s no secret that many websites track our browsing history and know our location. But clever companies will use this data to display dynamic content which is based on user behaviour and tailored to the individual, rather than generic content designed to serve everyone.

Custom content for users returning to your website for a second or third time can increase conversion rates dramatically.

It’s important to ensure that you have a good cookies policy which explains how cookies are being used for marketing purposes if you decide to use personalised content.

VUI

Voice User Interface (VUI) is a nifty tool that lets users interact with a website using voice commands. It’s a dream for user experience (UX) due to the simplicity of browsing that it offers visitors. Think of it as an Google Now or Alexa device for your website.

Whichever web design style you choose, always make sure that it represents your brand identity and the key message you want to get across. After all, your website is one of the first things a customer reacts with, and first impressions count.