Programmers work on web development By Good Studio
In this day and age, there’s almost no question why entrepreneurs must take their businesses to the internet. An online presence, particularly a website, can ensure a brand’s visibility and relevance to its target audience, especially in today’s landscape.
It’s true, creating and running your own website requires more than setting up shop and advertising on social media, which is an equally great way to promote your business online. But if done properly, a web page can be a powerful vehicle for converting leads into sales.
A website must be designed well to be effective, especially amidst growing competition. For inspiration, we’ll take a look at some of the best engagement-driving web designs that you can use on your own page today. Shaped by the habits of a new consumer generation, these modern web design trends could be your ticket to a highly successful domain.
Why Modern Web Design Matters
Admittedly, modern web design will entail a considerable investment because of its dependence on technology. But trust us when we say it will be worth it. Here’s why: Research shows that it only takes 0.2 seconds for a customer to form a first impression of a business upon browsing its website. Moreover, 75% of consumers judge a company’s credibility based on web design alone.
All this to say that in this digital age, your website serves as a major point of customer contact, and thus a valuable marketing tool. Its design could spell the difference between a successful sale and an abandoned cart.
It’s important to note, however, that modernist web design goes beyond aesthetics. A beautiful website layout can certainly attract eyeballs, but it’s the way elements interact on your page that holds a user’s attention.
Best Modern Website Designs for Businesses Today
Now it’s time to dive into some great stuff! Check out these 10 modern website design examples to help you visualize the possibilities for your own page.
Responsive Images and Layouts
When it comes to creating anything digital, one of the key points to remember is that audiences consume content on different devices, so any modern website must have a responsive design. This basically means that images and layouts must be able to adapt to different device specifications, whether that’s on a desktop or laptop computer, or mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.
You’ll naturally want to populate your website with attractive visuals—keep them that way by ensuring they are responsive. This will not only create better readability but also optimize your website for faster loading times and smoother transitions between sections and pages.
Multimedia Features
Everyone would probably agree that, when it comes to digital content, video is king. In fact, studies reveal that almost 70% of consumers prefer videos over other content formats while a whopping 90% say they help with buying decisions. And why not? Videos are dynamic, impactful, and informative in an entertaining way.
There’s no limit to the ways you can use this medium on your website. Use them to illustrate abstract concepts in long features, share customer reviews, or show examples of your products in action.
We’re seeing a lot of embedded videos on headers, too. These are the first things visitors see upon landing on a website after all, so they are prime real estate for media. Seize the potential and pull visitors in with an immersive brand or product reel on your homepage banner.
Interactive Elements
The advancement of web design has opened doors for more customization and animation opportunities. These days, almost every element of a website’s layout can be programmed to not only look a certain way but also perform a specific action. For example, text and thumbnails can change shape or color on hover, while background illustrations can turn into a game when clicked, and transitions between sections and pages can be animated.
These interactive details add mystery to your content and pull visitors deeper organically by piquing their curiosity. In an era of shrinking attention spans, these moving elements can be almost non-negotiable.
This theme from Creative Market lets you swipe left and right via an oversized arrow that follows your cursor as you move it around the page. See this perfect example of interactivity in action here!
Dynamic Scrolling Effects
A website’s scrolling mechanism is another area rife with opportunities for engagement-driving customization and animation. Visitors will scroll through your website a lot as they browse your content, so you definitely want to make that experience dynamic. People are spending more and more time on the internet, so the key is to introduce more innovative experiences that can keep them engaged. Such is the rationale for this design trend.
There are different ways to create dynamic scrolling effects, with parallax animation being one of the more well-known. Parallax animation uses different scrolling speeds for a website’s foreground and background to create the illusion of depth. This tribute site for the classic American film The Goonies is a great example of this popular trend.
This landing page template from Creative Market, meanwhile, makes use of the same effect to add movement to its elements. Peek at this live preview to experience this web design magic firsthand.
Generous Amounts of White Space
Today’s consumers are more tech-savvy and distracted, which is why modern website examples don’t scrimp on white space. Don’t misunderstand, though; this design trend isn’t at all limited to white. You can dress your page in whatever color, pattern, or texture suits your brand, just remember to leave generous amounts of empty or negative space between sections to keep it clean and organized.
Apart from being easy on the eyes, white space is a good way to establish a visual hierarchy between your website’s elements and highlight easy-to-read content that will give potential customers the information they need to stay interested in your brand and products.
Serif Fonts, Illustrations, and Patterns
Some might think that a web page with lots of empty space will be boring. On the contrary, it can look more timeless and appealing. What’s more, modern web design is seeing a growing arsenal of decorative elements like custom illustrations, patterns, handmade graphics, and the like that can be used to enhance a layout.
Serif fonts are also making a comeback and proving to be an easy way to give modern websites an extra oomph.
These seemingly inconspicuous accents, when combined, can create more visually appealing layouts and greatly boost a page’s personality.
Striking Typography
Typography is arguably one of the most powerful tools in modern website design. It’s a smart and simple way to make an impact in a short amount of time. Big, bold type can at once streamline a web page’s layout while effectively communicating important ideas or details about a product or brand.
With all the font options available today, typography is also a great way to express your brand’s personality and add flavor to any part of your site. Use it to anchor a landing page, introduce a hero product, or break a text-heavy section.
Retro Revival
The wave of nostalgia sweeping across the globe is palpable even in the world of web design. Clean, straightforward minimalism had been the convention for so long, now web designers are shaking things up by bringing back the vibrant and unrestrained aesthetics of past decades.
Retro-inclined website design can take inspiration from design trends from as far back as the ‘40s to as early as the ‘90s. They typically feature bold colors, vintage fonts, and visible borders or table layouts and are unapologetically unique and expressive. A good option for businesses that wish to stand out.
The grids, blocks, fonts, and colors of this template are pleasantly reminiscent of ‘90s pop television and Trapper Keepers, don’t you think?
Dark Mode or Low-Light Palettes
As you may have noticed, a lot of modern web design trends are a departure from old design ideas that have persisted for so long. There’s no stopping technology from advancing, and people are spending more time online as a result. The internet is no longer so novel, so the focus has shifted to innovating the browsing experience to inspire a newfound appreciation for digital spaces.
Enter dark mode and low-light palettes. Quite simply, these design trends, as their names imply, make use of shades of black or gray as the primary page color. The dark hues reduce eye strain, thereby creating a more pleasant browsing experience that encourages consumers to stay on your website for longer.
Popular digital channels like Facebook, Instagram, Viber, and WhatsApp have already rolled out their own versions of this trend, and we’re betting many great websites will soon be following suit.
Digital Brutalism
Brutalism is an architectural style from the ‘50s characterized by blocky geometric shapes with rough and heavy-looking finishes. In web design, this translates to plain colors and asymmetrical layouts with a raw, attention-grabbing quality. It bypasses refinement and opts for a tougher appearance with bare, overlapping elements.
Brutalist web design is, in a way, a modified version of minimalism. It can pair well with other trends like typography, white space, and interactivity. Curate it well and this web design trend could very well make your brand stand out.
Easily Create Your Own Contemporary Website With Creative Market’s Design Templates
Want to try these web design trends on your own modern website? Creative Market can help you! Easily recreate them with our library of over 8,000 web themes, plus thousands more fonts, illustrations, and other design assets to help you build your dream layout.
Sign up today to gain access to these and more web design inspiration from creative minds all over the world.
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