How To Navigate Web Design Trends in 2024
March 22, 2024 - Drew
March 22, 2024 - Drew
Web Design is constantly evolving and transforming before our eyes.
Every year, web designers adapt to new emerging trends and client expectations due to technology advancements and access to ever-growing analytics data and analysis. The days of just creating cool-looking web pages are long gone. Instead, it’s about an informed, user-centered approach that values the user’s experience first and inspires them to take action or engage.
While new trends can be helpful (and exciting!) and deserve attention, they shouldn’t dictate how you plan to design or build a website. So, to help simplify the increasing amount of information available, here are our team’s suggestions for navigating the revolving door of web trends in 2024.
Web designers should always practice responsible web design, meaning they should spend ample time exploring and analyzing each trend to determine its effect on their project and how that relates to the specific client themselves and the project’s original goals.
New trends can be stimulating, and for web designers, finding a way to add some new spice to the sometimes “mechanical” corporate web design world will always be an intriguing opportunity. However, a web designer must think past that and ensure that any new idea or approach meets the correct expectations and goals.
While some trends can have a very positive impact, they shouldn’t always lead or become the focal point of your design. Not all will work well with any level of a web project, and some may not align with a client’s subjective interpretation of successful design. We suggest always falling back on basic web design principles and utilizing trends intelligently to enhance your design and functionality, not suffocate it.
Thinking about the future is always essential, and some trends align better than others when considering a project’s future scalability. The most scalable trends can be used strategically as enhancements when and where appropriate. Here are a couple of recent trends we believe are perfect for this. They aren’t brand new by any stretch, but they can work within scalable web designs, and we think they will continue to grow in 2024.
The Parallax Scrolling trend is near and dear to our hearts since it’s been around for a long time (yes, we’re getting older!). It took a brief hiatus a while back but has since emerged again in a big way, and rightfully so.
Parallax scrolling is a development technique that gives the web page some visual depth while scrolling where the background content moves at a different speed than the foreground content. Our team has always referred to this as a “cheap trick” because it gives an overall appearance of something challenging to implement, but the level of effort to make this happen is not all that difficult.
The exciting new spin on Parallax is that it can now include more engaging assets, like videos, rather than just static imagery. It can be strategically implemented to add visual appeal in specific areas of your website where the content matters the most or where the page needs help. Some pages aren’t suited for this technique, but others will benefit significantly.
This trend has also been around for a minute. From a development standpoint, it can also be considered a “cheap trick.” However, the quantity and quality of assets or interactivity may require more effort from a designer, developer, or motion graphics artist.
The Interactivity & Motion trend refers to the growing use of motion effects to create visual appeal and boost user engagement and on-page interactions. Motion effects can be strategically placed anywhere on a website to enhance content or promote action. You can simply replace static images with animated graphics or apply exciting motion effects to basic design elements like type, buttons, or icons. Either way, it can help increase customers’ attention spans as they view your page content, making conversions more effective.
Web Designers should practice responsible web design and only use interactivity and motion to complement or simplify meaningful content or the overall user experience. Finding a balance between common-sense principles and new trends will promote scalability in your work.
New trends are great, but be responsible when designing with them. Ensure you fully understand their impact and use your best judgment when determining when and where to utilize them.
At Solution Agency, we stay current and look objectively at all new trends. We include them in our work when they matter the most or if we know they will positively affect the project’s outcome. We work hard to use our common sense and create scalable web designs that won’t be negatively affected when our new trends become a little less trendy!
Are you looking to enhance your brand’s online presence with a new website design? Contact us and let our team help you navigate today’s web design trends and understand the positive effect they may have on your business. Our inboxes are open if you have questions about our services or other related web development topics.
