TOP 10 Web Development Trends in 2022/2023
Web design and development trends change very quickly. This is due to technological advances and user expectations. Companies are unable to pick up on all of these trends.
Not all trends are equally relevant or appropriate for every business. Still. You can’t make the internet successful if your website design is outdated.
Every day, customers visit different websites. It is therefore important to draw positive attention to your web presence.
Visitors should be satisfied to return to the site and stay on it. This is possible with a web solution that is as simple and attractive as possible.
Two ways can companies achieve their web design goals:
1. Take it easy:
There are some styles that have remained relatively constant over the years in web design. This includes minimalist design that focuses on the essentials.
2. Take advantage of trends by recognizing them early.
This is especially important for companies who set their own trends and use their own products. Your web design should reflect your brand’s innovative, exploratory, or freedom-loving personality. It is crucial to be aware of the latest web trends early in your project.
The question is: Which exciting trends are out there, and above all, which ones do you want to follow?
Let’s now take a closer look to some of the top design trends, currents and tendencies in 2022/2023.
1. Gradients
Color gradients are a way to replace flat colors. Each individual color can be represented in hundreds of different shades. This is true not only for design but also for painting. Web designers will continue to play with color and use gradients in 2022.
Liquid forms are also very popular and create interesting combinations that give off a surreal sense of spatial depth.
Gradients have been trending in the last two to three years. Why is this?
There are many reasons to use color gradients in art or design.
- Gradients in the background add visual interest.
- They can be used in a way that draws the attention of the viewer if they are done correctly.
- Natural color fading and fading is natural.
- Images allow for the company’s color scheme to be displayed.
In general, color gradients allow for a lot of creativity, excitement, and individuality in your design. Gradients can be used to create both minimalistic and complex web designs with skillful use.
Finally, color gradients give off a sense of dynamism. These color gradients share many of the benefits of animation, but they are also much more simple to implement.
2. Animation
Animation is almost impossible to imagine in modern advertising. The element is not possible for traditional direct mail or print. This trend is growing in all forms of modern advertising. Animation is almost a requirement on websites of high quality, mobile apps, and digital advertisements.
Animations communicate dynamism in a metaphorical sense to users and visitors. This is especially important in a constantly changing environment.
Unique animations are becoming more popular among companies. What is the reason for this increase in animation creation? Animations are more emotionally engaging than simple images. This is not possible with GIFs that run in an endless loop.
We see a growing trend towards video sometimes. Designs that look very familiar can be made using 3D effects and worlds. It is all about objects that can be understood. We are familiar with them because of our three-dimensional world. As I am currently working on our 2021 design portfolio, I will show you my trailer video as an example of animations.
This is just a small glimpse of what’s happening in web video. Combining modern JavaScript and WebGL technologies allows for much more appealing moving image integrations. For example, WebGL video transitions can be used in full-screen mode to create a background for a website. We’ll get to this later.
Animations look best when combined with interactivity. You can embed JavaScript animations and CSS into your website to create unique user experiences. The possibilities of web design are virtually limitless.
Different animations will be available to your customers in 2022. Storytelling is enhanced by the skillful juxtapositions of elements, frames and sequences.
3. Page Transitions
Animations are of paramount importance, as I’ve already mentioned. The special case of page transitions is one that closely links web development and design. It’s the animation of transitions using internal links. This includes navigation.
Traditional websites have individual web pages that reload. This causes visual continuity breaks that are not desirable. The best websites use AJAX and PJAX technology to ensure consistent brand experience and smooth page navigation.
This sounds complex, and it is. You can see the Edeldark Showcase to understand my point. You can see the effects in real time there. There is no interruption to the user experience when you use Edeldark’s navigation or internal links.
The page transitions are the most important aspect of web design and development. They differ greatly from any average website in German. There are few web designs that don’t implement smooth page transitions, which is a rare quality among award-winning web designs. As examples, Aristide Benoist and Homunculus both from Japan are worthy of mention.
Conclusion: Page transitions can be a great way to stand out from your competitors for high-quality websites. They can give you the app feel of native apps. These are a great way to demonstrate that your company is adept at technological development and digitization.
Technologies: Single Page Application Frameworks, PJAX or AJAX Frameworks like Highway.js and Barba.js
4. Interactive and intelligent web applications
This web design trend goes beyond just looking good. Intelligent ways to interact with visitors is the key.
The web is becoming more important in every aspect of our lives. This has been true since Corona. Websites are being increasingly asked to organize these areas in a meaningful manner. Web apps can help you organize communication into intelligent interactions.
Particularly in the business sector, companies are realizing that websites offer more design options than traditional design guidelines or advertising media. Artificial intelligence will play an increasing role in this context. Websites are being increasingly integrated with intelligent interactive apps (applications).
Interactive quizzes (which is probably the correct plural), surveys, and self-tests are other examples. These are used to organize communication and identify trends within the target audience. Search engine optimization is another benefit. These tools can sometimes double the page’s time by 20.
Technologies: Angular, React, Vue, Svelte
5. Scroll animations and smooth scrolling
Scrolling animation effects are a web design trend that is becoming more popular on award-winning web designs by 2021, especially on desktop devices. Scroll speeds can be adjusted in the context of parallax effects, or integrated horizontal scrolling. Scroll animations can be used for scrollytelling, which is a combination of visual effects and scroll animations. These animations are intended to increase the user experience on the website. Many times, they are playful. They are therefore suitable for infotainment.
These effects are implemented in a way that replaces standard browser scrolling with your own animation. Although Javascript libraries are an option, I have found that native implementations work best. Linear interpolation methods, also known as LERP in computer science, are used to create smooth animations.
6. Photographs with graphic inserts
This design trend might be a good fit for you if you are willing to take risks with your design. A hand-drawn element can be used to add mood to a design with photography. Photos can be used to illustrate a design.
These mixed techniques are a great way to express your creativity and create unique designs that stand out above the rest. These mixed techniques can be used in many different ways.
In the realm of product advertising, you can make it seem playful. You can also use the techniques to increase seriousness and depth of meaning.
What about 3D? The graphic representation of digitization with few polygons (lowpoly) can be used to address the topic. This is in conjunction with photography. Particularly, the interaction between machine and man. However, this is only one possible interpretation.
This is a great web design addition to the saddest of many similar websites for law firms.
This mix allows you to express your brand’s personality in a unique way and set certain accents. It takes courage.
Technologies: CSS 3, SVG or GIMP.
7. Artistically prepared product photographs
The days of realistic and classic product images are gone. Embrace a new UI/UX design trend – surreal object photos. It is now expected that it will spread to all eCommerce platforms and online shops by 2022.
This trend has a hypnotic effect on those who follow it. This trend focuses attention on interesting and seemingly unreal elements.
It’s all about stimulating imagination of visitors. The conversion rate should increase if consumers are forced to spend time on a website.
8. Bold Fonts
It’s not a new trend, but it was already popular in 2018. It is because it is so solidifying that it’s so appealing for modern web design. This is why it works. Website titles are often the most important thing to users. Apple is a good example.
This trend has been growing since 2021. The fonts are becoming larger and more prominent. In our showcase 2022, you can see an example of large font sizes and modern web designs.
Technologies: CSS, web fonts.
9. Combining digital and natural elements
Since Corona, most of us have lived in both a digital and natural environment. This is reflected in modern, high-quality designs.
This trend is characterized by the merging of mathematics with nature. Logarithmic spirals are found in sunflowers and in the form of nautilus shells. They also appear as weather phenomena during low-pressure turbulent.
Concepts such as the golden ratio use the consistency of mathematics and nature in architecture and design. Complex 3D models based on mathematical principles are a new way to realize technical possibilities. These interesting shapes are being increasingly used in high-quality web designs.
The combination of the right software makes it possible to create modern, expressive designs in a natural, creative way.
10. Neumorphism
The term neumorphism has been discussed in design circles for some time. This is an artificial word composed of the terms “new” and “skeuphomorphism”.
And that is exactly what is reflected in the nature of the design. Basically, it is about very soft surfaces, which are often reminiscent of an extruded plastic in their appearance.
Some UI elements look like they are connected to the surface, while others appear to be sucked from the surface by a vacuum pump. Sometimes, they hover above the surface.
The design concept of floating elements with soft shadows in the design is not new. It can be found in Google Material Design. This is all from 2014.
The new thing is the significant increase in popularity of designer circles and associated frequency at Dribble or Behance of design concepts. Neumorphism is a controversial topic that has divided opinion.
Neumorphism has the disadvantage that people with poor eyesight may have trouble discerning subtle differences between the elements. Accessibility is obviously a key factor.
We are still seeing neumorphism in UI design increasingly. Personally, I love the look. There are two advantages to this trend: the first is that it is not often seen on any productive websites, and the second is that it is largely unexplored. This is especially true in the German-speaking region.
Neumorphism should be minimalistic, clean and tidy. The digital world is also connected to our physical and plastic reality via the spatial effect and shadows.
This web design trend will be more prominent in digital products and modern websites in 2022 and 2023.
Conclusion
The web design and development trends for 2021 are diverse, inspiring and impressive! Design, web development, technology, web applications and graphic design are increasingly merging into one and increasing the variety of possibilities for impressive websites.
