Web design is forever changing and evolving. Influenced by cultural changes, it is hardly surprising that over the last year, websites favoured more creative and visually attractive designs. As we were forced into lockdown, designers turned to incorporating more visual elements into their websites. Web design trends in 2022, such as unusual colour schemes, typography, and visuals, took hold. But what of the future…
It is hardly surprising that web design will continue to grow and develop based on the trends established. In fact, greater emphasis is now being place on maintaining a striking yet minimalist design. Incorporating features that can help improve the interaction and engagement with a website is also on the rise. And more emphasis is being placed on designing websites primarily for accessing the web on our mobile devices.
Let’s take a look into the future and explore the web design trends 2022!
Web design trends 2022
1. Simplistic and minimalist
One web design trend for 2022 is simplistic and minimalist designs. Simplistic and minimal designs for websites are growing ever more popular in the world of web design. While not strictly a new design trend, it is one that is likely to continue to grow throughout 2022. Ever since Apple began adopting a minimalist design, it is hardly surprising that more and more websites and designers began to follow suit.
Simplifying the design and content of webpages is becoming increasingly popular. And it’s not hard to see why. Keeping things simple really does help to put across your message in a much more effective and succinct manner. Not only that, but maintaining a minimalist and flat design also helps to cut down your loading times (see number 7).
Keeping with the minimalist design, white space is a trend that is becoming a popular design choice for websites. Using white space is a great way to focus on important content without distracting the user by keeping page layouts simple. Adopting white space also helps increase the suitability for dynamic scrolling (see number 2). The less cluttered something looks, the more space a user has for mental activity giving them a greater desire to continue exploring your site.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, as the saying goes, and nothing could be further from the truth with this increasingly popular web design trend.
2. Adapting for mobile
Adapting for mobile is another of our web design trends for 2022. Mobile devices are becoming increasingly popular for accessing the web. Nearly 55% of website traffic is now estimated to be from mobile devices, an increase from just over 30% in 2015. As more of us browse the web using our smartphones, adapting the design of a site is important too. Making your website more ‘thumb friendly’ allows for a much easier user experience and is more likely to keep a user engaged.
Dynamic scrolling is a trend that is becoming popular as a way for developers and designers to achieve a more mobile-friendly site. Instead of creating numerous pages to split content across, dynamic scrolling allows all featured content to be readily available in one page. Placing content in a position that is easy to reach using your thumb is also an added bonus. Users are more likely to continue scrolling a page or interact if it is in reach. Placing content too far out of reach will greatly reduce the chance of a user interacting.
Combining the use of dynamic scrolling and parallax scrolling really helps your website to tell a story and is also a great way to immerse a reader into your content. Parallax scrolling (where content on a page moves at different speeds) helps to make a website stand out and add something new to the user experience. It is perhaps not surprising why designing your site for ‘mobile first’ is important.
The website for Firewatch is an example of website using features such as parallax scrolling allowing the virtual environment to come alive.
3. Videos
Including videos on a website could be considered, by some, to be a thing of the past. But, with faster broadband speeds and 5G just around the corner, this web design trend is becoming more and more prominent. In fact, visitors are more likely to spend time on a webpage with a video than a page with no video (even more so when a video is incorporated into interactive content – see number 7).
A quick and simple way to get across information, using videos is a fantastic way to help keep your web design simple yet effective. You also get the added bonus of increasing engagement with your brand too. It’s a win-win. Adding a video to your landing page is also a great way to catch attention. As we continue into 2022, expect more and more websites to incorporate videos into their design.
4. Faster loading times
In a time where we all have access to the web at the touch of a button, it seems even more important to create a good user experience. While waiting for pages to load was a thing of the past, technology and trends have moved on.
Fast loading times is becoming a prevalent trend in web design to help create better experiences, and one we expect to see continue in 2022. Ideally, a website should load in under 3 seconds. The longer a page takes to load, the more likely the user is to leave. Keeping loading times short and sweet will not only encourage more users to stay on your page but will also increase the chance that they’ll visit again.
Bounce rate, the number of single-page sessions on a site, significantly increases the longer a webpage takes to load. Research by Google found that a page with a loading time of less than 3 seconds has only a 32% bounce rate, compared to a 10 second loading time which has a 123% bounce rate. Chances are if you have a high bounce rate, you’ll need to rethink how your website is constructed.
5. Dark mode
Earlier we mentioned the increase in white space becoming a popular web design trend for 2022, but going over the dark side (no pun intended!)… Dark mode is another web design trend that we are likely to see during 2022. Ever since web browsers, such as Google Chrome, have added the option to change to dark mode, more and more websites are starting to jump on the bandwagon.
DuckDuckGo’s website offers user the ability to change the design settings, including offering a dark mode design.
As we access more and more web content on our mobiles, using a dark colour scheme can help to minimise eye strain and move away from the traditional colour schemes we have become all too familiar with. It also helps improve a user’s battery life, giving them even longer to engage with your content. Offering the alternative of switching to a dark mode design is something that is likely to become increasingly popular during 2022.
6. Bold typography
The use of bold typography is another of our web design trends 2022. Using large and bold typography makes key content and messages stand out. It catches the eye of the user and helps to pique their interest in what you have to say. Serif and handwritten Fonts are becoming increasingly popular too.
Using custom fonts also has the added benefit of making your website look unique. It is not uncommon for web designers to create their own unique set of fonts or typography. Traditional fonts are also making a comeback and can add a certain nostalgia to a website, and giving the design a vintage feel.
We Shoot Bottles website combines the use of large and bold typographies alongside colour as a way to make key content stand out in contrast to the simple background.
7. Interactive content
Providing interactive content is another web design trend 2022. Incorporating interactive elements or content onto your website is a fantastic to way to get the user engaged and create value. Features such as quizzes, polls, games or calculators are all ways you can help to make a website more interactive.
Apps website uses interactive content to take users through an action-simulator showcasing how cider is made. In order to continue throughout the cider-making process, users have to interact by pressing a certain key or tapping the screen.
It is no surprise that it is a growing trend in web design due to the benefits it can bring in creating a positive brand experience and allowing your visitors to feel part of your brand community. What better way to help engage a user than to get them stuck in!
8. Chatbots
Another trend that is impacting web design trends for 2022 is the rise of chatbots. It is estimated that by 2022, chatbots could (in some sectors) completely replace customer support on a website. It is no surprise then that chatbots are increasingly seen as an essential part of your web design strategy. While Chatbots have been around for a while, they are starting to become more and more popular on websites as they continue to get better at interacting.
While many chatbots can be found through platforms such as Facebook Messenger, Yotpo makes effective use of a chatbot within their website.
Using chatbots on your website allows you to provide a much better and faster customer service as chatbots are able to respond to customer queries immediately. Especially as artificial intelligence (AI) continues to improve and become better at interacting. As we move into 2022, more and more websites will transition from providing customer service agents to chatbots in an attempt to provide a more streamlined customer service and personalised experience.
9. Personalised content
Websites providing content that is designed specifically for the users’ needs and circumstances is another trend emerging in web design for 2022. Personalising your website content based on users’ location, browsing history and recent purchases are all great ways of personalising content.
Incorporating personalised content into a website will help increase the engagement and conversation rates. By focusing on a user’s specific needs, customised content can have a big impact on increasing their conversion rates. E-commerce websites, such as Amazon, have found personalising content by including recently viewed products or suggestions based on previous purchases help to maintain a high conversion rate.
Even adding little details such as a user’s name can make all the difference and create a more interpersonal conversation between your brand and user. Expect even more websites to incorporate personalised content when we venture into 2022!
10. Gradients
Gradients are nothing new. A web design trend that has evolved over time, the use of gradients have become popular once more after Instagram integrated a gradient in their new logo back in 2016. Since then, gradients have become increasingly popular in web design, and increased browser support for CSS gradients has helped designers to embrace this trend. Using a gradient can really help to set the mood of a website.
By creating depth, subtly adding texture to illustrations, or create a striking background, gradients are continuing to evolve. By doing away with the plain and simple colours, gradients will help add extra depth and character to a website. Call-to-action buttons can also have a striking effect when using a gradient. It is no surprise that we are likely to see more and more websites incorporate gradients into their design.
Stripe’s website showcases the use of a moving gradient background, switching between different colours to help keep the design fresh.
The future of web design
It should not be at all surprising that web design continues to favour more visually appealing and engaging designs. As old trends, such as gradients, typography and videos make a comeback, it would be no surprise to see other old trends also make a return.
As more of us continue to access the web through our mobile devices, websites will continue to change and develop. As the idea of developing a website for mobile first continues to take hold, more websites will continue to adopt more simplistic and minimalist designs. The improvements in artificial intelligence also promise some exciting new ways to create more engaging websites too.
As we continue to spend more time online, personalisation will continue to grow and will allow for a greater user experience. As web design continues into 2022, it seems creating a better user experience will become the next big web design trend for 2022.