Open compositions & Asymmetrical Design
At the moment, the most common and popularly used web design trend is open composition. For many years, designers have been using boxes and frames encasing elements in a strict order, being symmetric with text and having images all visible and accounted for. In 2019, designers are to embrace more open compositions, where the user will feel like there’s an entire world off the page. Gaining popularity is using open-styled, bespoke designs where elements seem to be floating off-screen. Of course, this trend does have the potential to get cluttered if you aren’t careful with it.
Vasjen Katro
We are moving away from strict, predictable grids and now pushing towards frameless compositions that deliver a feeling of interest and wonder as the user scrolls. The user feels a distinctive curiosity about where the content and information might go next. An asymmetrical layout works in an app or on a website where you want to demand attention. Designers can use it to create harmony and to balance the whole composition by intentionally avoiding traditional balance.
Nike Flyknit Fun by Michael Martinho
Illustration
This is a major trend that has kept growing for many years. From landing pages and icons to entire websites. An example of a fully illustrated website is a Moscow based digital agency Brand Studios which is chaotic in many ways but also fun and attention grabbing – the site has won multiple awards for site of the day. Custom made illustrations are taking the web design industry by storm.
Sarah Maxwell / Folio Art
Isometric Design
(Top) MORPHINE Motion Graphics
(Bottom) Custom typography for Fast Company magazine by Mohamed Samir
Isometric design has been popular for many years. In 2019 it’s taking over all design fields. While open compositions work with white space, isometric designs create whole universes in small spaces. This trend gained popularity with icons but has now taken over hero images on websites. The pros of using isometric design is that the file size is much smaller than a 3D design. Therefore you get the depth that a flat design can’t compete with but with no slow loading speeds.
3D
Random Type Projects by Muokkaa Studio
The effect of three-dimensional work is striking and will literally jump right off the page. 3D rendered compositions are mostly popular with typography, but is now merging with fashion, product advertising and editorial photography. The popularity of 3D type has risen thanks to the project #36daysoftype. Designers contribute their work under this hashtag on Instagram. However, you do not need to be a designer to play with 3D text, Google Fonts and Vectary have created free online templates where you can have some fun with 3D typography.
Vivid colours & Gradients
Mateusz Machalski
Gradients have been a well-recognised trend from 2017-2018 and are here to stay in 2019. Colour transitions have been used by names like Apple and Instagram in their branding and logos. The vibrant colour trend is going to grow bigger where colours will be even more daring. Pantone has revealed their colour trends and colour of the year being a vibrant ‘Living Coral’. This year, designers are urged to use bold colours if they want their work or branding stand out.
The complete opposite is also on trend this year…
Black & White
Gothamsiti
Colour is usually seen as the most important element in a website. Impressive black and white websites are becoming increasingly more popular in 2019, making a statement all monochrome or with minimal amounts of colour.
Elite Paris landing page
Black and white photography is also trending this year. When colour is missing from a photograph, textures and shapes become clearer and sometimes more striking. Staged stock photography is dead in 2019, we are now looking for more natural photography. Elite Paris is a model agency that executes natural looking photographs in black and white. Designers are also adding an accent of colour to make points of interest and calls-to-actions stand out breaking up a fully monochrome website.
Glitch Art & Typography
SEAT Arona Global Launch
Glitch art and typography is a form of retro design making a comeback. It can draw the viewer’s eye to those parts of the site that are double exposed and glitchy. This type of art intensifies the feeling of disorientation by giving websites a psychedelic appearance.
Micro Interactions
(Top) Qaitomo UI
(Bottom) 3D flip menu by Minh Pham
In 2019, we will find that micro interaction will be found behind every UI element. A micro-interaction is where there is a small action on mobile, app or website and there is a specific response to it. Hovers, timers, tab bars, menus and scrolling animation will help involve the user in your website and subtly make the web page feel a little smarter. These small animations can now be seen more often on landing pages (see scroll animation from Monograno Felicetti). The purpose of using these small animations should be augmenting the UX and not making it more complex.
Augmented Reality
Airbus IFLY A380 Mobile application, Clémence Gouy
Augmented reality is a relatively new trend to keep an eye on in 2019. AR is making itself present in web and app design and many online stores are using it to allow customers to interact with products.
Double-duty design & Personalisation
Gamification in email from Neiman Marcus
In 2019, personalisation is on the rise with email design. This is for a good cause as the subscribed customer preference is in mind, rather than the emails being irritating and ending up in the junk folder. Using personalisation will help your email appear as an attentive pleasant gesture. Designers in 2019 will be including questions, check boxes or simple interactivity that will ask the customer if they found the email interesting. Interactive images or GIFS is a simple way of getting customers clicking through to your website. A little more complex and lesser-used tactic is gamifying your emails. This will help grab attention of your subscribers and everyone of all ages loves playing games on Facebook or on their phones. Gamification of emails is a great way to promote sales or new products. Read more on SendPulse’s blog on how to use gamification effectively.
Other trends to keep an eye out for this year include:
- Bold fonts replacing imagery
- Artistic logos & illustration
- Art Deco
- Eclectic
- Deep flat colours, and 3D in the dark (Dark themes)
- Custom Fonts