Trends might come and go but in order to stay relevant, it’s imperative that you follow web design trends to satisfy your customers. With today’s instant gratification rush and fluster, customers are more in tune with brand messaging and the online experience they desire. If your website fails to meet their needs, in just two taps they can leave you to dust for a more personalised experience. In our eCommerce trends article, we discussed the importance of optimising for mobile. This holds for all websites going forward, as Statista research shows mobile internet traffic surpassed desktop in August of last year at 51.65%.

In this article, we will discuss the top 5 web design trends that are expected to take 2020 by storm. If you’ve been thinking about switching up your website to carefully curate your content for your readers, or are switching up your services and need to make it more eye-catching, then check out these top 2020 web design trends for a dose of immersive web design innovations.

If you’d like some expert advice, why not reach out here for more information?

5 Web Design Trends to Enhance Your Website in 2020

1. Clear and Concise Typography

Web users are no longer taking their time scrolling through websites to grab the pieces of information they need. They expect it to be there for them, in clear writing and without much searching. 

• Think bold statements and large text that clearly states what your brand does, the fewer words the better;
• Incorporate this oversizing trend into your images, videos and menu buttons. If you have a sidebar menu, enable it to take over half the screen when it opens. This straightforward navigation allows users to think about what steps they want to take next, rather than fussing over zooming in on menus and buttons;
• Adding to this trend is horizontal and vertical writing in bold fonts. The contrasting horizontal and vertical text breaks up sections in your website and makes it easier to digest, rather than reading reams of text. Use this sparingly as it can be overwhelming, but is a great way of setting your website apart from your competitors. 
• Image and text masking involves placing an image inside your big text, which is then contrasted with the plain background of the website. This is another great way to layer your website content and make it stand out from the background and can highlight messages or CTAs throughout your web pages. If you’re interested in experimenting with text masking, why not try out Be Funky as it’s free and easy to use!

2. Distinct CTAs

Gone are the days when the user had to scroll to the bottom of the page to contact you or find out about your services and opening hours. Users now want the most important information above the fold (the area of the page that first shows before you scroll down the page), or multiple CTAs scattered throughout the page. 

Mobile devices are getting even bigger and faster, allowing for brighter and clear messaging so users don’t have to scramble to find what they’re looking for. It’s super important to optimise your website for these mobile web design trends as Google favours these websites (hello high SERPs!), especially for eCommerce websites as more users are now shopping on their mobile devices. 79% of mobile users have made a purchase online through their mobile devices in the last 6 months. 

Making the most of white space, which ties in with our first web design trend, highlights these CTAs. Don’t be afraid to experiment with CTAs; big, bold buttons contrasted against white space and no text adds to their importance and brings users to their requests quickly. 

Pop up forms are used whenever there’s gated content available, but these types of CTAs are now advancing to fill the whole page. These are easy to read, with few text boxes to fill out and are quick to dismiss – use a clear “X” in the top right corner. 

The benefits of full-page forms include highlighting the CTAs’ importance, getting the reader thinking in a new context because there isn’t the distraction of the text behind the pop-up, and they are targeted to the reader’s desires.

If you would like to learn more about full-page pop-ups, why not get in touch with us! 

3. Dark and Grey Web Design Themes

I know I know, we did just say to ensure you’re making use of WHITE space on your website. What we mean by white space is keeping it text free and not cluttering up the website, but the space doesn’t necessarily have to be white! 

Black and white or monochrome is making a massive comeback as a web design trend in 2020. What was before associated with luxury brands and expensive items, is now transferring to all other areas. 

Black and white is a great way of presenting your services or products in a clear manner because there’s no colour to distract the reader, they are simply focused on your content. B&W often adds to the minimalistic feel, so users don’t feel overwhelmed with choices. Want to see what some of your site images look like in B&W? Try out this online tool that converts them for you! 

4. Grid Referencing

Designers often use grids when they first start creating the website but phase them out for colour blocks and other design choices as they develop. This top trend encourages you to include grids in your website going forward. After all, grids help guide the user along a path as they skim your website, and can make it easier for them to follow the steps to your services or contact us CTAs. 

Grid design is simple yet creative, as you can also layer the boxes or grids to suit your services and products. Grids also enforce the notion of white space, by placing text within the grids and leaving the outer areas free of illustrations or text. 

5. 3D Design and Illustrations

What with 3D and AR (Augmented Reality – think the latest Instagram filters and voice-changing videos!) taking off, it makes sense for these to take off in web design too. 3D printing and modelling is becoming more mainstream, so adapting to these through web design keeps you to the fore of your users’ minds.

3D imagery is a great way to highlight your product and make it literally stand out from the crowd, against a plain background. If you can custom-design 3D creations to perfectly match your logo and brand, then better again as these neon and eye-catching visuals will draw your readers in. 

Illustrations such as the ones used on the ie Domain Registry (see below) captivate the reader and spruce up text boxes and login forms. Visuals tell a story and can help relay your brand messaging. Bold images and colours allow your energetic company to shout from the rooftops, or soft pastels can hint at calm and serene services. 

Why not take visuals a step further and use them to draw the customer in by getting them to click on the visuals, which can then take them to the next step or page. This type of User Generated Content makes for a far more memorable and personalised website experience.

Starting a new decade can only mean one thing; rejuvenated and fresh perspectives as well as rebranding and redesigning for a tech-driven future. Here at Matrix Internet, we’ll guide you through the many wonderful web design trends that will directly target your readers and convert them into customers. 

Our services range from creating and designing your website or app, increasing your brand awareness and improving your online sales or using our Digital Marketing solutions.

How are you going to implement these mobile and desktop web design trends?! If you want to get ahead of the crowd, contact us today to discuss these trends and how we can apply them to your website in 2020!