Web design trends for 2022.

Introduction.

The second turbulent year of the pandemic, 2021, saw huge cultural and societal changes throughout all aspects of life, which can even be evident in web design. What’s more, technological devices continue to become more powerful, allowing for more advanced interactions and design choices. But alongside progressive and forward-thinking design techniques, there is an opening for more simple and mindful design too…

In this blog post, we outline some of the web design trends that will define 2022.

 

1. Have some fun.

A trend that is definitely making headway in 2022 is fun and playful web design. As people are much more familiar with digital platforms, there’s space for more experimental and avant-garde websites. This can be seen with designers opting for bold colours, striking typography and engaging features to create an optimistic online presence. 

A great example of this is the information site about the 30 years of independent Ukraine. It consists of large, bold typography, accompanied by quirky illustrations and lots of colours. Its interactive qualities are triggered as you scroll, making the learning experience not only fun but also informative.

 

There is also potential for a comeback of the 90s internet aesthetic, with designers looking back to old times for inspiration. This era can be characterised by bright coloured backgrounds, robotic typefaces and gimmicky graphics. This can be seen on the site for skincare brand Starface, which utilises a retro style to showcase their products.

 

2. Keep it simple.

Next is the transition to simpler and mindful web design. Generous amounts of white space, earthy tones, and stripped back graphics. This type of design understands the need for a calming online presence, that doesn’t overwhelm the reader with too much information or hectic visuals. It utilises the concept of revealing and expanding, rather than condensing and overcrowding.

The yoga site Hoboken Yogi adopts this mindful and tranquil aesthetic. With muted tones and soft transitions, scrolling through the site becomes a peaceful experience. It’s also heavily inspired by nature, which a lot of people turned to during the various lockdowns during the pandemic.

 

 

Linework illustrations are also set to trend in the new year. For example, take a look at creative studio Appart Agency’s website. Using ultra-fine lines, it promotes a very minimalist effect with lots of breathing space.

 

3. Explore the future.

New technologies in web design are always pushing the boundaries of what designers can achieve and prompting new design trends. 2022 will be no exception!

Take the trend of variable fonts, for example. This is a technology that brings together multiple weights and styles of a typeface into one font file. It opens up new possibilities for expansive and expressive type design opportunities in web design as well as reduced file size. For these reasons, we expect to see variable fonts all over the web in 2022.

Check out the Monotype’s Helvetica Now Variable typeface, as they say: “it offers designers more creative freedom; more typographic expression; and more power”. As well as Laika font, another dynamic typeface that changes depending on a user’s mouse movement.

 

 

Another trend to watch is glassmorphism, where design elements have a glass look and feel. Designers can explore transparent, glossy, and blurry elements that give a futuristic look. It has started to find its way into a number of websites over the past year – such as Tyler Galpin’s design portfolio.

 

4. Make it faster.

In June 2021, Google started rolling out its Page Experience update, putting a much greater emphasis on user experience, loading speed and interactivity. This algorithm change means faster load times, among other factors, could benefit your search engine rankings. Google’s continuous technological push encourages designers and developers to make websites load more quickly and also provide a good user experience on mobile devices.

As time goes on, slow websites will most likely suffer from a loss of traffic, conversions and past SEO rankings. In a digital world of short attention spans keeping users engaged is crucial. That is why in 2022 we fully expect to see more websites putting even greater emphasis on page experience.

Conclusion.

At KOTA, we are excited to see how these trends get implemented in web design in 2022. We are expecting a year of forward-thinking design techniques pushed by new technologies, as well as websites that offer a simplified and mindful approach after a turbulent time for us all.