When it comes to things like website design and functionality, the landscape is always changing.
While some popular characteristics never seem to change (like the attractiveness of white space), it’s common for other aspects of website design and development to evolve with time.
Because of this, some of the greatest trends of 2019 will be obsolete within the next year. Read on to learn about some of the most exciting website trends coming up in 2020.
Bold Lettering
It’s time for businesses and website creators to go big or go home -- at least, when it comes to their typography, that is. In 2020, there’s going to be a resurgence of bold typography, and website designers are going to work hard to make their messages stand out.
Bold typography helps to simplify the website design and provide clarity to users. It catches people’s eyes and sticks in their minds, too. All of this increases the likelihood that they will remember a particular brand moving forward.
Asymmetry
We all know that symmetrical design is naturally pleasing to the eye. That doesn’t mean that asymmetry doesn’t have its place, though. In fact, we’re going to start seeing a lot of asymmetry in web design as we move into 2020.
Many websites are going to adopt a broke grid design to counter the highly symmetrical layout that has been popular for so many years. This helps to create a sense of whimsy and showcases businesses’ creative side, which may, in turn, help them to draw in new and younger customers.
Background Animation and Video
Expect to start seeing moving pictures on your favourite websites over the next few months.
Lots of businesses will begin adopting background animation to add an element of surprise to their website and hold people’s attention for longer periods of time.
This, in turn, will help to reduce the bounce rate and increase the likelihood that people will hang around long enough to make a purchase or learn more about the business.
3D Design
3D design is expected to see a rise in popularity, too. Images that seem to pop out from the screen will make websites more interesting and enticing to current and potential customers.
It’s also a unique option that lets brands tell their story in a new way and keep people engaged for longer periods of time -- similar to the benefits of background animation and videos.
Custom Drawings
It’s rare to find a business these days that doesn’t have an online presence. Because of the increase in websites and online sales, businesses are going to great lengths to separate themselves from their competition.
One way that their doing this is by commissioning custom drawings and graphics for their websites.
These custom images often don’t come cheap. However, they help the business to create a unique sense of style that customers are more likely to remember when they’re deciding between that brand and a competitor.
Hidden Navigation
Minimalism is still going strong in the web design and development world. One way that it’s showing itself (or, more accurately, not showing itself) is in the form of hidden navigation.
To make websites appear sleeker and simpler, many businesses have chosen to hide their navigation bars and menus. This provides a clearer, cleaner look that can benefit just about any online company.
Voice User Interface
It’s no secret that people are relying on voice search more than ever before.
Whether they’re using a virtual assistant like Siri or a smart speaker like the Amazon Echo, lots of people love talking to their devices and telling them what to do instead of typing into a phone or computer.
Websites are going to start adapting to this trend in 2020 as more people start using voice command to navigate them and find what they need. This will make websites easier to use for everyone, including those who have disabilities.
Saturated Colours
We’re likely going to see a rise in the use of bright, saturated colours this coming year as well. Website designers are going to switch from muted black, white, and grey backdrops and start utilizing bright colours to help them stand out from their competitors.
Bright colours are definitely attention-grabbers, and they’ll help online users to create positive associations with particular brands. Like the use of asymmetry and custom images, switching to brighter colours will create a sense of fun and excitement as well.
Personalization
Artificial intelligence is being used by all kinds of businesses to provide better service to their customers. The artificial intelligence trend will continue in 2020, though, as businesses work to provide their customers with a better online experience.
For example, businesses will start using AI to gather more information on their customers and their shopping habits. This, in turn, will allow them to offer deals customized to those people’s preferences. As a result, they’ll see more online sales and customers will be more inclined to remain loyal to a particular brand.
Push Notifications
This trend has already started to pop up, but it’s going to become even more popular in 2020.
Many people have mixed feelings about push notifications alerting them to updates to the websites they frequent most often. While they may be irritating to some, they do provide a lot of value.
For example, you can use push notifications to alert customers to a sale or let them know that their shopping cart is about to expire. This, in turn, can lead to more sales for you and increased customer loyalty.
Are You Excited for These Upcoming Website Trends?
As you can see, there are a lot of new website trends you can expect to see popping up in 2020. Which trend are you most excited about?
Remember, you don’t necessarily have to jump on every single website trend on this list. Implementing one or two of them to give your website a bit of a refresh could be very helpful, though, especially if you feel that your website reach has started to stall.
Start thinking today about the kinds of changes you want to make!