Website Design Trend Predictions for 2018 (Part 1)

Web designs seem to change all the time.  Ok, maybe not all the time, but we certainly see trends emerging over the course of a year.  Part of that has to do with adapting to emerging technology.  How we use websites and even why we’re using websites has changed over time.  This will continue to do so, which means it’s important for web designers to keep up.  All that being said, we’ve got the top 11 web design trends that are likely to emerge in 2018.

11. Brutalism

What is brutalism, you ask?  When it comes to web design, it’s the rebel of the family.  It rebels against the clean, organized and light designs that we see most frequently today. It’s brutal in that it feels raw and unpolished.  Essentially, it breaks every rule of web design and user experience that we’ve been told to follow.  This isn’t my favorite type of design as I tend to follow rules and appreciate structure, but there is something to be said about this kind of design. Brutalist websites tend to follow their own design aesthetic. They don’t conform to any aesthetic trends.

10. Split Screen Design

One trend that we are seeing is what is called the split-screen layout, instead of a hero image.  This trend features either one or two images that take over the entire viewport, split vertically down the center of the page.  I personally think that this looks cluttered, but I like to see clean lines and “white space” when I’m on a web page.

9. Interactive Storytelling

Now, this is a design that I can get behind.  Publishers not only need to find new ways to deliver their content, but they also have to find unique ways to capture their audience.  Which is why it’s anticipated that storytelling will become more interactive using animations and videos to help illustrate various parts of the story. A really good example of this is CNN’s most recent story about global warming and the melting glaciers in Greenland.  As you scroll, you will begin to see the story being told in different paragraphs.  These paragraphs appear and disappear at times.  The video in the background changes as well.

8. Bright and Bold Color Schemes

Choosing your website colors is extremely difficult. Especially if you’re trying to go for a bold look.  In 2018, expect more experimental color schemes that are bold and bright.  In fact, you are likely to see some experimental color schemes that combine colors you wouldn’t normally see together.  But they work!

7. Rounded Corners

For some reason, we tend to move between circles and squares in life.  I don’t mean that in a metaphorical way.  Think about cars, for example – some years we see a lot of round edges on cars, and other years they tend to be more square.  That’s no different for web design. Although, it’s much more subtle and you probably don’t notice it.  It’s anticipated that rounded corners will come back in place of flat design.  Twitter’s new tweet box is a good example of this if you’re looking for an example.

6. Diagonal Section Breaks

Breaks on a page no longer have to be horizontal.  This concept is making my brain melt.  More recently, designers, have bee playing around with different kinds of design breaks.  By separating sections of a website using a sharp diagonal, it helps add visual interest and produces a unique website layout.  This can help separate your site from others who are still using horizontal breaks.