Top Website Design Trends for 2022 (Part 2)

Due to its complex and flexible nature, web design can be considered an organic subject that’s constantly evolving. It showcases new design elements as it continuously adapts to emerging technological innovations.

For website owners and operators, web design is a powerful tool that they can utilise to make their sites more engaging and responsive. Through the use of various design elements, they can attract the attention and interests of online users and encourage them to interact with their website, which can then lead to higher conversions.

In our previous post, we discussed the different design trends that people can expect to see more of in 2022. This article is a continuation of that topic and tackles other web design techniques that will become common features in websites in the following year.

bold colour

Image Source: SquareSpace

Although the use of soft and neutral colours became a go-to design element in the past couple of years, 2022 is expected to go a different route. Specifically, bold and bright colours for characters and backgrounds are emerging styles seen in many websites. A number of companies are starting to use eye-catching colours as this technique helps their brand stand out.

website speed

Image Source: Google Developer

Aside from the website’s appearance, its load time also plays a huge role in attracting and retaining visitors. According to studies, many people expect web pages to load in about two seconds or less. If a website takes more than two or three seconds to load, visitors will most likely leave. This means that having a slow loading time can have a direct impact on a site’s conversions.

Test your website speed at PageSpeed Insight by Google.

Smart Content Load

One way to help sites load faster is through the use of a technique known as lazy loading. This practice enables browsers to only download the content that currently appears on the screen. By prioritising the content that’s shown to users, lazy loading prevents wasting server resources and boosts a site’s loading time. Currently, the most common types of sites that utilise this technique are those that have infinite scroll features, such as Facebook.

Dark Mode

Images Source: Google

Although the use of vibrant colours is considered an emerging design trend, dark mode can also benefit websites. Aside from giving websites a professional and ultra-modern look, dark mode, which involves the use of a plain black background, also has practical functions. For instance, its non-distracting appearance highlights the important content and design elements of a web page. It also helps reduce eye strain.

gradients

Images Source: Pinterest

The use of gradients has been a staple web design style for a long time. Due to its ability to produce eye-catching backgrounds and create new colours through gradual blending, gradients are expected to remain as an effective design element for websites. This technique can help generate dynamic backgrounds that can catch the attention of site visitors.

organic/natural shapes

Image Source: Pinterest

In the ever-changing world of web design, organic shapes, or those that have natural edges, have replaced straight lines and geometric shapes. Using fluid shapes and curved lines helps break up the sections of web pages in a casual manner. Aesthetically, they are more pleasing to look at than geometric shapes that have rigid angles and edges.

lead generation forms

Image Source: LinkedIn

Using online lead generation forms, which can be commonly found in landing pages, helps website owners learn more about their visitors. Ideally, these forms should only ask for minimal information from visitors, such as their name, email address, and general location. In addition to learning about certain details regarding the traffic coming into their website, site operators can also use the information they have gathered from lead forms for their next conversion campaign.

material design

Image Source: Google Design

Material design is a technique introduced by Google in 2014. This design element makes use of various effects such as shadows and light to make objects look three-dimensional. The icons in Google’s software suite features this design technique. Although it isn’t as prominent as other web design elements, material design can help prevent the content of web pages from appearing dull and flat.

interactivity

Image Source: Muffin Group

Incorporating interactive sections and features into a website is another emerging design trend. Usually, these features give visitors a way to directly interact with a site to learn more about its services and products. For instance, the website of a courier service could include an online calculator that provides users with a price quotation based on certain details that they type in, such as the weight and dimensions of a package. Other interactive features that websites can use include quizzes, surveys, and contests.

vintage themes

ImImage Source: Athemes

Although most popular design elements are geared toward making websites look modern, using vintage-inspired styles will still be a major trend in 2022. This technique involves mixing current web design styles with vintage fonts and imagery. Aside from appealing to the sense of nostalgia of some visitors, the use of vintage themes with modern elements can make a website appear trendy.