For the past 10 years, minimalism was king for website design trends. But over the past year, in the wake of the 90’s retro resurgence, we began to see super bold colors, high contrast imagery and bold animations.
For website design trends 2022 we expect to see a blend of the two. Clear purpose, functionality, and accessibility are the new foundations of visual design. For brands keeping up with website design trends, it’s critical to create authenticity, engagement, and something people will remember.
Understanding what’s important for users today is essential to making decisions that support engagement, brand loyalty and conversions in 2022 and years to come.
Learn more about 5 website design trends 2022 below, and even see some examples of websites using these trends now.
But first, some technical web design trends 2022
Before we look at the visual website design trends in 2022, it’s important to understand the technical trends that drive them. Staying up-to-date on technical trends helps your site perform better in search engine results.
Here’s a look at three technical trends moving into 2022:
Accessibility. In 2021 this movement took off like a rocket and continues to be a huge UI/UX factor in website design trends 2022. Website accessibility means that most of, if not all of your website needs to be live text, high contrast, and easily broken down for those with sensory disabilities.
While this may sound like a daunting task, there are companies like AccessiBe that make this very easy if you’re running a WordPress website.
Mobile-friendly websites. This notion has been around for several years, but it continues to be a major driving force of website design trends 2022. In 2021, about 54.4% of ALL website traffic was done o a mobile device. Here at Bryckroad Creative, we even have several clients whose website traffic is over 95% mobile and the number of websites approaching that number is increasing every day.
Page speed. Again, nothing new here, but Google considers page speed a factor in overall page quality. Beautiful websites that take more than 2 seconds to load may not perform well in the search engine results pages (SERPs) because of this. According to Google, bounce rates increase by 32% if a page takes three seconds to load instead of one.
Top 5 website design trends top brands are using in 2022
If you’re looking for some of the best website design tips for this year, these 5 trends are a great place to start.
1. Broken grids and overlapping elements
Some companies are breaking the rules, and they want a layout that reflects their innovative passion. Broken grids, overlapping text and images, and surprising visual elements like vertically placed text flaunt web design as an art. Designers that know how to bend the rules for a lasting first impression and artistic visual appeal can help create powerful branding on websites.
Playing around with text placement is definitely a 2022 web design trend. Consider Copp Media’s site, which playfully overlaps images, text boxes, text, and other elements to create an inviting but playful user experience.
2. Visible grids
Visible grid designs provide a clean and easy to navigate look that gives visitors a clear sense of how to navigate the page. The benefits iof this design style is simplistic, content focused layouts that allow you to easily direct your viewers to the content they seek.
See how Whitewood Leadership uses visible grid elements to separate services information, helping users quickly find what they are looking for.
This type of structure works well if you want to promote your site on social media. You can quickly turn content from each grid into images for social posts, so all your design efforts do double duty.
3. The retro resurrection
Whether it’s neon colors or the bold geometric shape design of the 90s, one of the biggest web design trend in 2022 is retro. We’re even seeing some 70s color palette choices begin to pop up across the web.
Bright, contrasting colors, presentations that “break the rules,” and vintage fonts and images are all on display. Pursot’s attention-grabbing homepage is one example — the bright brand name stands boldly against a rapidly changing set of background images.
Learn about some color combinations that work so you can “break” the design rules the right way.
4. Interactive design
The right interactive design elements add intrigue to web content while driving up engagement. Meaningful interactions express brand identity while drawing the user further into the site, organically.
Hover effects and interactive clickable and scroll-able elements are examples of simple design concepts that can drive deeper engagement.
Van der Pop’s site is rife with fun interactive elements, including color tones that lighten or darken when you hover over images, lots of scrolling opportunities, and plenty of clickable buttons. Visitors may find themselves clicking and scrolling even before they realize it.
5. Rabbit-hole scroll
The rabbit-hole scroll is an adventure for the visitor. Think Alice falling down the rabbit hole and all the odd and exciting things that happen to her, and you understand this design trend.
Drink Cann makes use of this trend with elements that move up and over the page as you scroll. The 3D-like images draw the eye to each block and make the entire page visually interesting.
Web designers working on branding that’s creative and outside-of-the-box can use this approach, with surprising elements like horizontal scrolling, to create an experience that feels like an exploration.
Upgrade your website with these website design trends 2022!
The best website design starts with the basics, including a strong domain name, a great logo, and a solid brand identity. Get your business online with a website from Bryckroad Creative. With customized copy and tailored images, you can have a brand new website in no time!
Hopefully this article on the Top 5 Website Design Trends 2022 has helped spark some creativity, or given you some insight into the creative pathway ahead.