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How to Design a Modern Website for the Contemporary Market

Nov 1, 2022 | Web Design

elements of modern website design

Websites are the main drivers of traffic in organizations, especially modern ones that rely heavily on digital branding to get their message across. From generating leads to converting them into actual customers, a website has a crucial and diverse role. Therefore, it is essential to have a well-designed website and one that utilizes the most modern elements.

A visitor’s initial perception of your company is often formed based on the web design, and efficient design can increase sales. This means that modern web design should be a key component of your marketing plan now more than ever. The question then arises: which cutting-edge website design trends will be prevalent in 2022 and beyond, and how can they be utilized to update a website?

Personalized Illustrations

Your company’s name and website come to life through illustrations. Modern web design draws its graphical inspiration from print media and other conventional art genres. When your creative graphics reflect the style of your business, they not only provide your brand with a unique identity but also raise brand awareness.

Consider the work of acclaimed designer Alice Lee as an example. She has created original illustrations for well-known companies like The Washington Post and Macy’s. Whenever you hover your cursor over her homepage, the heading of her website changes. Her work has contributed to the rise of unique, storybook-like images for businesses that appear as if they belong in a magazine.

Additionally, with improved coding abilities, illustrations are progressing beyond 2D design. Even today, 3D illusions are incorporated into digital designs to give the Internet more dimension. In 2022, websites will incorporate unique artwork into their cutting-edge web design, ending the days of generic stock photos.

These include but are not limited to digital cut-out patterns that resemble those created by cutting designs out of paper stacked in layers, 3D cursor interactions that encourage people to stick longer on your site, gradient shading, and the gradual transition from one hue to another.

Page-Long Headers

In 2022, full-page headers will be the standard for contemporary web design. Although web designers can use many different header configurations, a common one involves placing important call to action (CTA) icons or text to the left of the heading and visually appealing graphics on the other side. This is due to the fact that readers frequently concentrate their attention on the top-left corner of your site’s respective page. A notable example is the website Discord, which offers a text and voice chat tool for gamers.

Discord often promotes the advantages of their subscription service to the left and displays a cute and funny graphic to the right of their header. In addition, their CTA buttons are well-labeled and provide users with step-by-step instructions on obtaining the extra experience.

As you scroll down, you’ll notice that Discord organizes the site’s components into cards, which keeps the fun factor while making the content slick, accessible, and easy to read. As a result, websites might be seen to create a sense of whimsical sophistication.

Graphical Scrolling with Parallax Effects

Another cutting-edge web design trend for 2022 is parallax scrolling. One variation of parallax scrolling allows you to reveal a significantly larger portion of the site with each scroll, making it appear as though the site is narrating a story. There are many examples of websites that serve as an illustration of how relaxed scrolling makes the content engaging and interactive.

Dynamic scrolling, where the video only plays when viewers scroll, can also include background video. This method can also be used to start animations and give your photographs a magical appearance.

Vacant Space

With purposeful white space, modern internet design is returning to minimalism, much like print magazines. Similar to natural currents, white space builds a visual grading pattern where nothing detracts from the total while guiding users around your website’s pages. In addition, the white space’s breathing room lets viewers ease their eyes.

By indicating the connections between page elements, it also facilitates comprehension. Human eyes will observe two things as one when they are near to one another and have minimal empty space between them. Alternatively, eyes can also notice different items individually if they are farther apart.

Visitors can see your site’s hierarchy by using white space. Knowing how to use white space on your website can help you make it easier for users to find the most crucial information on your pages (UX). Examine the white space in web and interface designer Myles Nguyen’s online portfolio, for instance.

See how it guides you directly to all the crucial information. His contemporary site design offers enough white space, giving your eyes plenty of places to rest. This example of modern web design redefines minimalism through its careful use of white space.

Amusing Cursors

Cursors are a common component of contemporary websites, which changes how pages are viewed. In 2022, adding animated cursors to your website might be as easy as changing the cursor’s form or as tricky as programming them. In either case, your visitors will love interacting with distinctive cursors.

An excellent cursor is set up in Paolo Fornasier’s web portfolio, for instance. Scrolling over the text of the vertically positioned navigation menu, the cursor shows several photographs with a piano tone and rippling animation. Users can easily spend a few minutes floating their cursor over the menu navigation due to the animation’s entertaining nature.

Your cursor need not be as detailed, but including a distinctive touch will liven up your page. As a bonus, this illustration uses sound, another current web design trend!

Increased Attention to UX/UI

Humans were the primary emphasis of contemporary web design trends in 2020, which will continue to be so in 2022. In 2022, the UX of your website must be seamless, uninterrupted, and interesting. This implies swift page loading, little clutter, and relevant, scannable SEO content as well as multimedia content.

To produce a great user experience, web designers combine functionality and creativity, leaning toward clean design while being original and distinctive in all the right ways. The best site designers inject a little chaos into the otherwise antiseptic and white realm of technology. The user interface (UI) of a site needs to be simple to use, working hand in hand with UX.

This signifies that it incorporates the following elements, including voice-activated user interfaces, photo captions, transcriptions of videos, a distraction-free interface, and symmetrical motion framework.

Businesses can improve the UX/UI of their website by: delivering user-friendly interfaces and content to visitors and satiating their desire for visual freshness.

Additionally, it’s crucial to remember that mobile browsing will increase in 2022 compared to 2021. Mobile devices already account for more than 50% of all Internet traffic, and this percentage is only going up.

A website’s elements must work flawlessly on desktop and mobile in 2022 for a successful modern web design. Animation and videography that are mobile-responsive will be increasingly crucial for site design.

Consider Chobani’s svelte mobile design as an example. Chobani’s mobile site features a modern, completely responsive layout that makes excellent use of white space. With enticing, palatable images of their items, their text is simple to browse. Chobani really knows how to draw in their mobile audiences with a CTA banner that is simple to click at the bottom of the screen. Who wouldn’t want to register for exclusive yogurt deals?

Grid Layout

In 2022, contemporary web designers will continue experimenting with grids, and an asymmetric layout is anticipated to grow in popularity. The online portfolio of Jingqi Fan serves as an example of how useful an asymmetrical layout can be. His website features lots of white space, a minimalist aesthetic that showcases the project photographs, and an asymmetrical layout that keeps it interesting and new.

A 2D grid layout method for Cascading Style Sheet, a scripting language that specifies the layout of an HTML site page, is sometimes referred to as Grid. A grid enables web designers to more simply and reliably construct layouts for complicated responsive web design across browsers. Not to mention that it makes it simple to produce a tidy, organized appearance.

Even though CSS grid layout has a ways to go before it is compatible with all user interfaces, it is expected to be a major trend in web design by 2022.

Image Captions and Headers

Many contemporary websites are experimenting with having an image serve as their complete header, which has become rather popular. This is because a full-image header not only attracts users right away, it also makes a statement.

Consider how Adidas attracts people with a striking image. This full-image header’s contrast is appealing, neat, and distinctive. It also has two CTA buttons that direct viewers to the next stage of their site discovery.

These are subtle elements that, when incorporated well, can completely transform the way people interact with a website and perceive the brand. When the website is designed effectively, it contributes to generating more revenue for the business.

Headers that are totally images will capture the eyes and attention of the viewer much better than anything else. Text doesn’t have the same effect as a picture because that is how the human brain is wired. It absorbs visual cues much better and faster than other elements.

Impactful, Interesting Stories

In 2022, telling stories will be a strength of contemporary websites. Learn how to tell gripping stories in your content and marketing campaigns if you want consumers to truly engage with your website and your business. Your site will enchant and educate your target audience with its stylish website design and captivating narrative.

A model for story-telling websites is the page for Every Last Drop. This website offers a story to educate visitors about water wasting in an effort to make a lasting impact. Another tendency we found is the usage of parallax scrolling to tell the story in Every Last Drop. The most popular website out there may just be this one! The full functionality of print layout is brought to the web by many renowned designers using CSS Grid Layout.

2022 Color Trends

Every year, a new web-friendly hue emerges as part of contemporary website design’s exploration of color palettes. It was blue in 2019 and mint in 2020. A.I. Aqua, a tech-inspired shade of blue, was chosen by color experts and trend forecasting firms as the year’s trendiest shade for 2021. Experts believe that by 2023, web color palettes will be more subdued.

From 2021 through 2022, gradients have been the preferred choices for web designers, and they will continue to push the limits of what they can do with them. Additionally, gradients are ideal for reaching a broad audience because they include a variety of hues. The psychology of shades will also have a significant impact on 2022’s web design trends. So before creating a new color scheme for your business, do some study on the psychology of color.

Your colors must complement your brand. In terms of color, there will probably be a few modest trends in web design in 2021 and 2022. It appears that information and backdrops are represented by gentle, cool colors (blues, teals, and greys). Warm, vibrant hues like red, orange, and green are calls to action (CTAs).

For a prime example of project organizing and collaboration tools, see Trello’s website. This website is an excellent illustration of how to use subtle color schemes and gradients in an elegant, artistic design. They even use a vivid hue to showcase their CTA! To take advantage of this web design trend, it’s important to use color combinations wisely, use complementary hues, and maintain brand consistency.

Conclusion

Modern websites are all about the various elements that go into their construction. Piece by piece, these items make up a unique and compelling website for audiences. Therefore, it is crucial to consider and incorporate the elements mentioned in this article because together, they facilitate the creation of such a website that can not only attract customers efficiently but funnel them through the sales filter going from leads to purchasers in a short amount of time.

 

Nora Kramer Designs, Team 2

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