The design industry is always changing, and new trends are emerging all the time. But how much do you really need to know about them?
As a creative and business owner, it's important for you to stay on top of the newest trends in the industry. Not only does it keep your designs fresh and current, but it also helps you stand out from others who may be stuck in their ways. It's important to remember that design trends are not rules. They're merely suggestions — and they should never be followed blindly.
Here are your design trends for 2023:
Bold colour and design
Thumb navigation is increasing of how people are using their devices and the more simple the design the better. But that's also to say that bold colour and design elements can help engage and create dynamic shape and interest when scrolling. They are often paired witha. noisy or textured gradient for a nostalgic old printed feel. Some heroes in this category include rich jewel tones. On the flip side however, more tonal and calming pastels are making an impact instead of traditional neons of the 2000's. If you are going to use this trend, ensure you have enough white space to really allow for the bold element to be the spotlight instead of in the chaos and overwhelm.
Not to mention, Pantone's colour of the year: Viva Magenta! Its Pantone number is 18-1750. Its shade is rooted in nature and represents strength, bravery, fearlessness and a joyous celebration. This colour is electrifying and boundaryless that makes it a stand-out statement for any rebel spirit out there.
Typography
The web is full of boring, uninspiring text — so if you want to stand out from the crowd, then you need to do something different with your typography. Experimental from condensed to distorted and bold typography is making a rise! If you are to use this trend, be intentional of how you use them and if they are are actually legible to get your message across clearly.
Graphic design
Take a blast from the past! There's lots of homage to a retro feel with a presence that's fun and quirky. You'll be seeing lots of line-art illustration for that felt-tip pen throwback feel to funky graphic elements to bring more joy.
Liquid gradients
Okay... before you close this tab, hear me out! There's a time and place for these. It's a great way to incorporate subtle colour and texture and has shown it has more staying power than the Y2K era. This oily or glass like texture that's edgy yet seamless. Great for packaging and backgrounds to be used for a sci-fi feel.
Dark feel and mode
More users are opting into this option when using their devices. Dark mode is a feature that lets you switch to a darker colour scheme for your display, which can help reduce eye strain and make it easier to see your screen. If buyers have increased screen time, dark mode is going to be essential and ensure to design for this use.
Increase of personal branding
People want to work or buy from people they like, let's be real. Or at least it helps! This requires taking the time to really better understand your dream clients and customers. More than ever people are craving that personal and emotional connection with one another. What is going to be compelling for them to interact with? You can add personalized content by ensuring that the copy and messaging you use is geared towards their needs, to humans reflective of your audience in brand photography choices, to adding your Instagram feed in the footer of your design to connect further on other platforms and through the work and content you share there.
Here are your website trends for 2023:
Website and page speed loading time
TheeDigital reported that "website performance has a direct impact on a company’s bottom line. According to data collected during a study, Pinterest reduced perceived wait times by 40%, and this increased search engine traffic and sign-ups by 15%." The overall user experience and loading time has a direct correlation to whether your user decides to bounce or to actually convert and stick around aka your bottom line sales! It also has a direct affect on your traffic and SEO (search engine optimization).
Micro-engagements
Such as slight animations or interactions that interact with your users. This could be as subtle as a button colour change when you hover over or click it to a mini animation movement for an illustration on your homepage banner. It helps elements seem more dynamic and stand out when scrolling.
Optimized design for various devices
Statistica reports that, "mobile accounts for approximately half of web traffic worldwide. In the second quarter of 2022, mobile devices (excluding tablets) generated 58.99 percent of global website traffic, consistently hovering around the 50 percent mark since the beginning of 2017 before permanently surpassing it in 2020."
Increased accessibility
Accessibility is the practice of ensuring that products, services and environments are usable by as many people as reasonably possible. Make sure that your site has good contrast between text and background colours. Text that is too light or too dark can be difficult to read. Use alt tags for images on your website so that screen readers can describe them in words rather than showing an image of the image. Use headings tags (h1 through h6) for each section of content on the page so that screen readers know where one section ends and another begins. Be sure that links are working properly by checking them from several different browsers.
Trends come and go, but they're rarely random — there's always a reason why something becomes popular. There's an increase in personal touches as well as high contrast to lean into the new year with. If you're not careful, it can be easy to get caught up in the hype. But it's important to remember that just because something is trendy doesn't mean it's right for you or your business. Understanding this reason will help you decide whether or not you want to incorporate the trend into your work.
If you're interested in seeing how you can incorporate these trends into a brand or website refresh, feel free to reach out. I'd love to continue creating magic together.
My VIP Design Day packages help to get everything updated and checked off your design wishlist in just one day together! Click here for more information.