Web design is continually evolving. With new technologies and improvements in browser support, web designers can be a lot more creative with their designs. Refreshing your website with some of these web design 2023 trends will help your website stand out and create a memorable first impression.
Check out our thoughts on the future of web design
Custom cursors
One web design trend that is taking hold this year is the use of custom cursors. Whether it’s the white cursor on Windows or the black cursor on Mac, mouse cursors are something that many people won’t think about changing.
However, some web designers have started to use custom cursors for their sites as a way to change things up. Using CSS coding, web designers can set a custom mouse cursor using either a vector or raster image.
All that is needed is a couple of extra lines with your style sheet and the image of your custom cursor:
.module {
cursor: url(cursor.png’), auto;
}
You can also set the image to an SVG file too for those wanting a high-quality vector cursor. However, animated custom cursors are still rather limited. It is possible, but you’ll need to use JavaScript as well.
Check out 6 CSS tricks to boost your user experience.
More complex gradients
Another web design trend that is taking hold in 2023 is the use of more complex gradients. Gradients have been around for a while, ever since the gradient property was added to CSS3. However, so far most gradients have been simple, using either 2 colours or a straight direction.
Even though gradients faded out of fashion, they came back with a bang in 2018 after the new Instagram logo used a gradient. Since then, web designers have been finding clever ways to incorporate gradients into their designs.
With complex gradients, you can get truly creative and design unique visuals that your users will remember. Even if you prefer a minimalist web design, a complex gradient can still feel at home. The Julie Bonneymoy website uses complex gradients that help to create a striking first impression.
Captivating parallax scrolling
Parallax scrolling was a web design trend that we picked out last year for 2022. In 2023, parallax scrolling continues to be a popular web design trend to enable more captivating and visually impressive scrolling.
Parallax scrolling sets multiple scrolling speeds for different elements on a page to give the illusion of layers and dynamic scrolling. Using parallax scrolling can help a website to stand out and add something unique to the user experience.
In 2023, web designers are getting clever with parallax scrolling, finding new and innovative ways to tell a story or make a virtual environment come to life. See a captivating example of parallax scrolling on the Story of the Goonies website.
Interactive product listings
A common feature on e-commerce websites are product images. Most e-commerce has traditionally used still images to showcase products. Not anymore. A web design trend that is taking hold this year is the use of interactive product listings.
Static images on e-commerce sites are looking to become a thing of the past. Web designers now are looking at ways to animate or better visualise product listings beyond the traditional static images. Better visualisations of products can help create a lasting impression and improve sales.
Whether it’s being able to visualise a product in a given setting or the use 360 views to fully realise a product, interactive product listings could become standard for e-commerce sites in the near future. Just look at CGI Furniture and you’ll see how effective interactive product listings can be.
Loading animations making a comeback
Back in the early days of web design, many websites used loading animations. As a lot of these loading screens and animations were built using Flash, it could drastically slow down the time it took for a site to load. Not good for the user experience.
But now Flash has left the building, web designers are finding better ways to implement loading screens without drastically slowing down site speed or loading times. Things have come full circle and loading screens are starting to make a return.
Another problem with loading screens is the effect of SEO. This is a grey area with different people giving varying opinions. Using a separate page that redirects to your site is typically bad for SEO. Instead, if you want to incorporate loading animations, use a preloader script.
Here’s an example from Antonio Segurado’s website:
Artificial intelligence colour schemes
Artificial intelligence is all the rage at the moment with everyone talking about it. Given AI is such a hot topic, it should be no surprise that it is also being used in web design. In particular, web designers are using AI to come up with colour pallets and schemes.
Trying to find a colour scheme that compliments each other while matching a business or brand can take time. Fortunately, web designers can speed up the planning process with the help of AI. Websites such as Coolors provide colour pallet generators.
You can also upload a photo, such as a business logo, to help generate a colour pallet. You’ll then be provided with a range of colours and their hex numbers so you can start designing your website. Give it a go the next time you are redesigning your website.
Here’s an example using the Nu Vision Logistics logo:
Layers
Another web design trend that is continuing to take hold in 2023 is visual layers for content. Websites that have very little content can benefit most from this trend. Layers can be used with text, images, or just about any element of a page.
Using layers can help add a sense of depth to a site and make it much more visually appealing. Layers can range from overlapping parts of an image over text or overlapping different shapes. More complex designs can incorporate 3D illustrations.
Using multiple layers in your web design can help make a site more visually appealing and catch the attention of your users when used above the fold. The Sirup website is an example that makes effective use of layering, alongside parallax scrolling.
Creating effective websites that capture users’ attention and help generate a positive user experience doesn’t need to incorporate all the elements above. But implementing a couple of these web design trends 2023 can make a big difference and help transform your website and your business.
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