Stay on top of the latest design trends, see what’s popular, and learn how to create design work that feels modern, current, and up-to-date.
At the beginning of each year, Design Shack does a roundup of trends that will likely influence the design landscape for the coming year.
Now that we are halfway through 2021 (can you believe it?) it’s time to look at which of those trends are thriving and which ones you can pass by.
Here, we’ll look at some fresh examples of the trends that are still hot for inspiration in your projects.
While there is nothing new about minimalism as a design trend, the application and techniques are ever-evolving.
Some of the most notable changes with modern minimal designs are the use of space, color, and typography treatments. These design elements can make the overall aesthetic seem new and fresh or show a more dated style.
Here, we’ve put together a guide on how to do minimal design right with some best practices, examples, and tips for creating a modern feel.
Let’s dive in!
If you are looking for a design trend that can hold up over time, consider using a gradient. Every time I seem to think this trend might be over, designers come up with new and even better ways to use color variations for immense impact.
I’m not sure this trend will ever get old because there are so many ways to use it.
Here, we’re going to look at 10 different ways to make the most of gradients with projects that do it exceptionally well. All completely varied, and all completely unique!
Let’s start with a definition. Readability is a measure of how easy a piece of text is to read. The level of complexity of the text, its familiarity, legibility, and typography all feed into how readable your text is. Readability is a key factor in user experience.
Why would we ever showcase a design trend that features text that’s not readable? Simply, because it is popular. Does it mean that it’s a good idea? It… depends!
You can read on, look at the examples, and decide if it is right for your projects.
Art elements rooted in math and algorithms might seem like a futuristic idea, but it’s a growing and popular concept.
Fractal art has been around since the 1980s but it seems to be having a moment with more designers looking to this style for backgrounds and main art elements. Another reason for the growth in popularity? Use of this style as an interior design element for wall hangings and more.
This can be a fun design element to think about and incorporate into projects. Here’s everything you need to know to get started with fractal art.
Where did all the people go? In the same way streets are a little less crowded, so are design projects. It’s a design trend that’s rooted in practicality – what kind of imagery is appropriate in the world we live in now?
With so many rules and changing norms, the easy answer can be to eliminate images that focus on people and faces altogether. And while it is a little different than what we might be used to, it’s not a bad solution to a current design problem. It’s also something you can probably deploy with existing image assets if you need to retool a current design.
Projects that feature imagery without people can have other practical applications as well that aren’t pandemic-related. Let’s take a look.
A solid tap target can make or break your mobile website or app. The size, shape, location, and overall design of the button or link determines whether a user successfully completes an action or not. It might seem like a small thing, but can be one of the most important elements of a design.
Modern tappable targets are easy to recognize, work in an expected manner, and encourage engagement.
Today we’re looking at how to design them, ways to craft effective call-to-action items, and considerations around color and font choices.
A lot has changed about the world in the past year. The impact of COVID on human interaction is undeniable. It’s influencing digital experiences as well. If you haven’t started to think about adjustments you need to make to your website design due to the worldwide pandemic and virus, it might be time to develop a strategy.
Here, we’ve got tips on things to consider when it comes to COVID and website design.
Does COVID change everything about website design? Of course not. But it might impact some of the decisions you make about imagery, your general approach to sharing information, or how you communicate some aspects of your brand.
This website design trend is all about contrast… or the lack thereof. More designs are popping up that have large and stunning hero image areas, but text elements are much more subtle. This is a shift from oversized hero area text that has been big (literally) for some time.
These designs make you look because of this difference. It establishes a sense of contrast with other websites, while maybe not creating so much contrast in the design itself.
Let’s take a look at websites with strong hero images and subtle text to help you generate inspiration for your next project.
Website sliders are one of those design elements that we don’t love but have learned to live with. Generally, they don’t provide a lot of click value, but clients seem to love them.
A new design trend that features a new style of image sliders, fixes some of the functionality (and design boredom) issue of sliders. These aren’t your old-school image scrollers (and you won’t recreate these techniques with plugins).
Here’s a look at different design elements and ways of using this design trend so you can find renewed inspiration next time a slider is part of a project.
There are a few ideas about website design that seem to never fade away, even though they are not so true anymore. Some concepts haven’t stood the test of time, and it’s time to revisit whether we should be adopting them anymore.
Do people love sliders? Does simplicity = minimal design? Do you really need to include every page of your site in the navigation? There’s quite a bit to unpack!
Here, we’re going to look at a few web design myths and share modern best practices so you don’t fall into any of these old-school traps.
Stylish geometry is a design trend that keeps coming back around. This time the new twist is that shapes and design elements include touches of animation to bring shapes and patterns to life. It’s easier than ever to implement animation on the web, in a simple and widely-supported way.
It’s also a nifty little design technique that can add visual interest to almost anything and works for all types of elements, from logos or icons to backgrounds to hero images.
Let’s take a look at this website design trend in action.