Looking to make a great first impression on a visitor to your website?
If so, you have less than two-tenths of a second to be able to do it.
This means that your website design is more important than ever before — and it has a lot to accomplish in a minimal amount of time. It needs to be easy to navigate, quick to load, eye-catching and engaging, and naturally guide your site visitors through the path you want them to take.
That’s a big job — and it’s getting more and more complicated every year.
If you thought fashion design trends changed at the drop of a hat, they’re nothing when compared with web design trends.
So, how can you make sure you’re ahead of the game?
Read on to learn about the top web design trends you’ll see dominating 2018.
1. Animated Text
First on our list of the web design trends destined to dominate 2018?
Animated, lively text when it comes to page titles or product names, especially on the homepage.
In a nutshell: the era of minimalism is over, and animation is the new reigning queen. The possibilities are endless when it comes to animation, and it’s a great way to build your brand recognition and improve communication between you and your target market.
For example, if you’re a business selling photography equipment, you could have the first letter of your business’s name turn into an icon of a camera that could zoom in its lens and then click to take a picture.
Or, if you’re a restaurant, two of your letters could turn into a stove, and your best-selling dish could be sitting on top of the burners, cooking away.
Animation is a wonderful design option because it encourages customer engagement, and helps them to stay on your website pages longer to watch the animation.
2. Customized Typography
If 2017 taught us anything (and we’re not sure it did) it’s that the right typography can make all the difference in the world.
Case in point?
The disastrous Oscars mix-up, which, thanks to unclear typography and word placement, led to the wrong winner being called out for “Best Picture.”
Yes, typography is important when it comes to making your website content easy-to-read, and your logo able to be frequently resized.
But in 2018, typography will make the list of the top web design trends for another reason: because bespoke fonts will allow you to better connect with your target market and express yourself as a business.
Think about it: you don’t offer the same products and services as your competitors. So why are you using the same or similar fonts in order to sell them? Custom fonts help to build your brand recognition, so that no matter where on the web people see your content, they’ll know instantly that it’s from you.
Couple bespoke fonts with animation for a winning combination.
3. Pastel Hues
It’s time to say goodbye to those headache-inducing neons, and hello to the softer touch of pastel colors when it comes to the web design trends of 2018.
You might think that pastels won’t work for your business, or that (especially if your target market is mostly men) they’ll give your website a more feminine look than it needs.
However, you might be surprised to learn that there are plenty of “tougher” pastel options out there. Think light blues, muted yellows, and even pastel color-saturated photography.
Especially if you want your visitors to feel calm and relaxed on your site (perfect for a spa or a beach vacation rental site) pastels are the way to go. Plus, pastels will help you to connect to that fickle — yet incredibly lucrative — millennial market.
4. Endless Scrolling
Next up on our list of the top web design trends?
Endless scrolling.
First of all, this makes navigating your website much easier. While it’s still a smart idea to have a menu bar, clickable photos, and links to your social media account, you want to encourage your visitors to stay on your site for as long as possible.
Endless scrolling works especially well when it comes to blogs and product pages.
Pro tip: to make sure that your web content is getting lost because you’re taking advantage of endless scrolling, we suggest working with a professional SEO management company to get the most out of this design trend.
5. More Video Content
This might not be what you’d expect to see on a list of web design trends, but trust us when we tell you that if you don’t embrace video content in 2017, your company is going to go the way of the dodo.
To keep your content as engaging as possible, we suggest creating videos that are under 20 seconds. And while we don’t advise you to go with autoplay options, which can slow down your website, we do think you should embed video content onto your homepage.
This will help your site visitors to learn more about your brand faster than ever before, and it’s a great way to explain the more detailed features of your specific products.
You’ve Mastered 2018’s Web Design Trends: What’s Next?
Thanks to this post, you’re going to be well ahead of the curve when it comes to web design trends for the new year.
But if you want to continue to beat out your competitors, website design is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to your digital marketing and branding strategies.
You’ll also need to consider things like SEO, mobile-friendliness, affiliate marketing tools, and much more. If you aren’t sure what any of these words mean, then you definitely need our help.
Take a look at our awesome free SEO training videos to master the basics and rank higher in search engine results. Still need a little assistance?
If so, create an account with us to get access to incredible SEO and digital marketing tools that will make 2018 your best year ever when it comes to website conversions and more.