With each year that rolls around, new trends appear. Whether it be fashion, social media or web design trends, they sometimes come as a surprise. As we continue to move forward into an increasingly digital world, trends continue to evolve.
We’ve put together a list of the web design trends that we’re seeing so far in 2023. Read on to find out more…
Layered Images With Transparent Backgrounds
Images no longer need to confine to the limits of a square border. We’ve had great fun using images with transparent backgrounds for modern web design.
This means that the subject of the image is the border. Doing this allows for our web designers to layer images in new and creative ways. Text and backgrounds can be incorporated more seamlessly, and the result of formatting images this way is modern and stylish.
Transparency in web design can create contrast and frees up more space. Some empty spaces are important for user experience. They can help to direct user’s attention and reduce distractions.
Combining Text & Images In Creative Ways
It’s not just transparent images that can inspire creative combinations of text and visuals. Previously, overlaying text onto images was reserved mostly for headers. However, in 2023 we’re seeing more examples of this throughout the body of some websites. Whether this be for pull quotes or subheadings, there’s lots of creative freedom when it comes to combining text and images.
While this is a popular trend and it can look very striking, we would always encourage seeking advice from a professional web designer for elements like this. Combining text and images can be risky, causing confusion for users and making it harder to navigate your website. It’s much better to use a technique like this sparingly and effectively, rather than using it for the sake of following a trend.
Gamification & Playful Features
User experience is largely down to effective web design. However, that doesn’t mean that your website has to be completely rigid. Sometimes, adding game-like features can be effective features that excite users and encourage interaction. This could be something very simple, like a light switch that can switch up the visual appearance of a page. Gamification could also be used on a larger scale, like a fully interactive poll or game that users are encouraged to participate in.
Integrating complex features like this can take a huge amount of work and coding. However, for the right website it can be very effective. This is a trend that we’re keen to keep an eye on as it develops, as on a smaller scale it could mean big changes for web design for SME’s.
Dark Mode
We’ve discussed dark mode before on our blog. Previously thought of as a design choice that reduces eye strain, dark mode is making waves in 2023. More and more websites are opting to use darker backgrounds and light text. The decision to go dark is no longer connected to readability. As web design trends continue to evolve, we’re seeing lots of darker colour schemes, and many that combine elements of both light and dark.
Dark mode is a great way to stand out from the crowd. When used effectively, it can be very striking and help direct your users’ attention to exactly where you want them to go.
What Will Web Design Look Like Next?
Trends can change very quickly. It’s hard to predict what will come next. What we do know is that user-friendly, functional web design will always be on-trend.
We believe that new trends can be a lot of fun. However, it’s never worth sacrificing things like mobile responsiveness, readability or accessibility in the name of fashion. If you’re looking for modern web design that works for your business, give Search4Local a call today.
