TO TREND OR NOT TO TREND?
2022 is already here and flying by, meaning those changes you made to your website a little while back are no longer as “new” as they may feel. They say “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” but they sometimes forget to mention the beholders are constantly evolving their ideas of what they consider to be beautiful based on ever-shifting trends projected to them by the ingenuitive leaders of aesthetics. That was a mouthful, which may be why people forget to mention it. But what we are trying to say is that if you want to show that your company is relevant and able to keep up in our ever-changing world, then you need to make sure it is reflected in your website. Updating your pages, designs, and features is a sign to your clients that your business is adaptable, fresh, and may even be a trendsetter rather than just a follower.
Before jumping into what 2022 has to offer, make sure you don’t skip any steps. The problem with chasing trends is that you have to be able to guess which looks will stick and which ones will disappear as quickly as they appeared. New trends are birthed out of the old ones, and thus if you have some catching up to do, you’ll need to look into what last year had to offer. If you are not already familiar with what’s around, there’s no way you’ll be able to recognize if a trend is coming in or is on its way out. With that said, let’s take a look at what seemed to stick throughout 2021.
2021 REVIEW
Here are a few of the trends that rose in popularity during 2021, and may likely continue growing throughout this next year as well.
Site Movement adds a dynamic to your website that viewers will be looking for in coming years. You don’t want to be added to the list of boring websites that are flat and stale. Animations and features with movement bring a webpage to life, enhancing the viewer’s experience by making your site more interesting and appealing.
No-Code and low-code continues to be on the rise as citizen developers are growing in number. "No code" masks computer code in easier-to-understand formats which allows people who do not know how to code the opportunity to become web developers. These citizen developers are now able to design apps without having to invest into learning code. Seeing how much it has grown in the last few years makes us believe that this is more than just a trend, but a permanent shift in web development.
Retro Designs are in, but just make sure you go back far enough where people know you are being retro and are not just really really behind on the times. The nice thing about retro is you don’t necessarily have to be original, as you are trying to mimic the styles that helped define past decades. Whether it is through fonts, patterns, or color schemes, going old school could tap into a classic and timeless design or it could help viewers recall their glory years, so don’t be afraid to throw it back to some older designs. Those retro designs already made their mark on style history, so you are relatively safe using them (so long as you choose the ones that made a positive mark).
OUT WITH THE OLD
Before you do any digital spring cleaning, you should know what aspects of your website are still great and which ones need to be tossed out. Being able to discern what aspects of your website could use some improvement is the first step in the right direction.
Cartoon Illustrations? They can be fun and eye-catching, but they may lack the business vibe you are aiming for. They have their time and place, but if not executed correctly, they could easily detract from your company’s image. It’s true that anything can be done in a way that works, but that doesn’t mean it is the most ideal. Rather than forcing something that is risky, it may be better to just shoot in a new direction. If not done right, cartoon illustrations can come across as goofy, odd, or overly simplistic, none of which induce feelings of dependability or trust that are essential for online businesses.
3D Graphics EVERYWHERE. 3D graphics are a little bit like cats. Having 3D graphics on your website can be good, just like having cats can be good. However, if you fill your website with too many 3D graphics, people might start looking at you the same way they look at an old cat lady (and they may avoid you like one too). You do not want to overwhelm your viewers with too much 3D. Their eyes need a place to sit and rest, and that’s hard to make happen if they are being bombarded by 3D images.
It can sometimes be hard saying goodbye to something that took a lot of effort to publish on the web, but it becomes a lot easier when you are replacing it with something fresh and invigorating. So what is catching the eyes of viewers these days? Let’s take a look.
IN WITH THE NEW
Customizable User Experience is something to consider for your website, such as having adjustable font size for easier readability or allowing them to choose topics for better recommendations. Giving options to those who visit your web pages shows that you have them in mind. It allows a user to make himself comfortable on your website. Google’s Search Advocate, John Mueller recently commented on the growing popularity of the dark mode feature. While he does note that it does not currently affect SEO, he did mention how a good portion of users prefer dark mode. People like options, so why not give them some.
Horizontal Build is here, and we are wondering why it didn’t get here sooner. Most monitors are widescreen and what phone doesn’t tilt? So it just makes sense that a website would cater to the viewer’s framing by using landscaped segments. It keeps everything you are reading about in view, making it easier on the eyes and mind. Horizontal build for a website allows for clear divisions and creative transitions, which can help you score both organization and style points.
Wallpaper Patterns. The wonderful thing about wallpaper patterns is their flexibility. It could be simple or detailed, luxurious or quirky, soothing or invigorating. When it comes to mixing patterns and colors, the options become pretty much endless. Just don’t pick out something as tacky as the wallpaper in your great aunt’s bathroom (although sometimes, even tacky works). Patterns are great because they give a sense of structure even if the pattern is a bit wild. This structure eases the mind while still filling space in an artistic fashion.
Positive Color Palettes. People don’t want to be depressed by your websites - that’s what the news is for. You want people to associate your business with positive emotions, and one way to do that is by the colors you display on your website (even if it is a news website). This does not mean flooding every webpage with neon rainbows. Positive color palettes could be calming, cheerful, or warm, even when using shades of gray or brown. Some companies are too focused on promoting their logo’s colors that they vomit them all over every page, without considering how it is being received by their visitors. Most palettes can be transformed into a positive array of colors and used to evoke a positive emotion to subtly help your clients make the connection between your company and feeling good.
Interactive Graphics. It may seem odd to promote a kinesthetic-like approach on something as 2D as a website, but by adding interactive elements to your pages, you encourage exploration and heighten engagement. This can do more than just boost your dwell time statistics for your SEO rating, but it adds excitement, causing your visitors to consider “what else is here?” This could be a clickable picture slideshow, an icon that reacts to your cursor, or a scroll bar that changes a time-lapsed photo. Little features like these will keep your website from feeling stagnant, as it grabs the attention of your visitors and invites them to be more than just on-lookers but participants in your website.
Is there more? Yes. Much more. Why aren’t we covering it here? Because by the time you read this, half of those trends may already be dead. The trends highlighted here are the ones to focus on for now because, if implemented correctly, they can give your website the solid edge it needs to stay at the top of your game for a while.
How many of these do you already have implemented on your website? If not many, then don’t sweat it. Let the design team at Genovations Media take care of it. Our web design team combines the minds of technicians with the eyes of an artist, leaving your company with a website that is sure to appeal to your clientele. For more information about pricing and style, just click here.
Sources:
Cardello, Jeff. “21 Unique Web Design Trends for 2021.” Webflow Blog. (Visited 21 Feb. 2022) https://webflow.com/blog/web-design-trends-2021
“5 Upcoming Web Design Trends for 2022” SitePoint.com. 15 December 2021 (Visited 22 Feb. 2022) https://www.sitepoint.com/web-design-trends-2022/
“Dwell Time in SEO: All You Need to Know.” SpyFu. 22 March 2020. (Visited 21 Feb. 2022)
Souther, Matt G. “Google’s John Mueller Speaks on SEO for Dark Mode Websites.”
October 20, 2019. (Visited 21 Feb. 2022)
Schade, Amy. “Customization vs. Personalization in the User Experience.” Nielsen Norman Group. July 10, 2016. (Visited 21 Feb. 2022)
“$27.2 Billion Global Low-Code Development Platform Market 2017-2022 by Component, Deployment Mode, Organization Size, and Vertical - ResearchAndMarkets.com” Business Wire.
January 16, 2018. (Visited 21 Feb. 2022)