5 web trends we love, versus 5 we'd like to see less of!

5 good

Great Texts

It's not just about capital letters; it's typography that shouts, dances and catches the attention. Large fonts can help the user focus on exactly what you as a designer want in the center. They contribute to the visual hierarchy of your website, ensuring that the most important elements are captured first. Besides the immediate benefit of being able to guide your users, large fonts also look just amazing! They add a bombastic and eye-catching dimension that can arouse curiosity and wonder in visitors and perhaps even motivate them to click ahead.

3D figures

The use of 3D figures is increasingly on the rise! Immediately, we see it as a unique opportunity to present products or figures in a completely new and captivating way. It can create a strong impression if used correctly, but one must also be careful not to overdo it! In one's eagerness to create a captivating visual experience, one must not overlook ease of use and responsive design. In other words, a nice 3D model should not spoil the overall website experience, but rather complement the overall look. In general, we can recommend services such as Splinethat can help create a virtual scene that can be easily and quickly integrated with your website.

Visual Edges (Grid Layout)

The visual layouts of a website can be supported by using a clearly delineated layout, such as by using lines to mark the edges of a layout. By this we mean that your website elements will be broken down using markups. This provides a clear breakdown of how the elements of your website communicate with each other. We typically use a thick line with a large shadow around our elements to create a visual narrative of how our elements are related. See, for example, this page for Comundo (which we have developed by the way), where the line breakdown is clear:

Here we see how the lines are used to delineate the content, while creating a clear understanding of how things are related. We hope to see more of this trend in 2024, as it offers a simple understanding of the visual hierarchy and at the same time is aesthetically pleasing to look at.

Vivid Colors

It probably comes as no surprise that we love colors! Like someone who takes your breath away so you stop and think, 'What happened here? ' We obviously think it's most fun when design dares to challenge the eyes, so you have to take a second look and form an opinion about it — whether you think it's brilliant or crazy. In any case, we believe that colors, like the choice of typography, create character and recognizability. What colors do you choose and how does your design affect character?

Sustainable Web Design

Did you know that websites can actually be developed with a focus on minimizing the climate burden? There are several services available to calculate whether your website has been developed to be less climate-damaging and whether or not it uses green energy. Some of these services include GreenPixie.com and websitecarbon.com. So how can you make your website greener? A good start is to choose hosting that runs on green energy. For example, we use Webflow hosting, which is powered by sustainable energy.

But it doesn't stop there. Another important factor is to reduce the amount of data your website generates and requires. Consider using the most efficient data formats, ensuring your fonts are optimally configured, and avoiding unnecessary use of third-party applications on your website. By implementing these steps, you can not only make your website more environmentally friendly, but also improve its performance and user experience.

So the next time you're thinking about launching or updating your website, why not think green? It's not only good for the planet, but it can also be good for your website's effectiveness and long-term success. You can read our article on sustainable web development, among other things, if you want to know more about how to achieve this.

5 trends we'd like to see less of

Scroll Takeover

Scroll takeover can feel like an unexpected guest suddenly taking over your website visit. Perhaps you have experienced it when visiting a website and want to scroll down, but the “scroll” function feels dull and unresponsive. This design element, often used to present messages or ads, seems easily distracting and disruptive to the user's natural flow on the page. It's a classic example of how websites sometimes think more about expression than functionality. As a designer, it is important to remember that integrating visual elements such as scroll takeovers requires careful consideration to ensure that they enhance the user experience without disrupting it.

Poorly executed contrast

Poor contrasts on a website can significantly degrade the user experience. Contrast, which refers to the difference between colors or luminosities, is essential for the readability and perception of the content. Insufficient contrast between text and background can make the text difficult to read, especially for people with vision problems. Likewise, poor contrast between interactive elements and the background can prevent users from correctly identifying and using these elements. To avoid these problems, it is important to choose colors with appropriate levels of contrast and ensure that text and interactive elements are clear and easy to distinguish from the background. You can use tools such as Coolors Contrast Checker to evaluate the contrast of your color choice. This not only improves accessibility, but also creates a more user-friendly website experience.

Infinite Scrolling

Endless scroll - a design trick that can create a seamless and seemingly endless stream of content. While this can be attractive for certain types of websites, it can also have drawbacks, especially when it comes to finding specific content and straining websites' performance. If you as a user would like to reach the bottom of the page and find the footer, but are constantly loading new content, this can be problematic. A trick if you want to present a lot of content might, for example, be a simple button that the user has to press to load the next items on the website - that is, removing the infinity loop and actively letting the user choose when they are ready for new content.

Overuse of Popups

Popups — every internet user's love-hate relationship. These windows that leap forward and try to grab our attention have potentially powerful properties. They serve the purpose of guiding visitors toward crucial actions or providing important information, and in that sense they can be a valuable resource for website owners.

On the positive side, popups can be used to collect email addresses for newsletters, offer exclusive deals, or guide visitors toward an important conversion, such as a purchase or sign-up. They can create an interactive layer on the website and help direct visitors towards targeted content.

However, the excessive use of popups can easily tip the balance from useful to annoying. When popups bombard a user and pop up repeatedly, they can result in a poor user experience. Visitors may feel upset and this can even lead to them leaving the website in frustration.

It is important for website designers to weigh the use of popups carefully and strategically. Implementing them in a balanced way that respects the user experience is essential to avoid popups becoming more annoying than beneficial. The key is to deliver valuable content and information in a non-intrusive way that compliments the user's journey through the website rather than disrupting it. That way, popups can continue to be a useful tool without harming the overall user experience.”

Poorly Executed Responsive Design

Responsive design is essential to ensure that your website runs smoothly on a variety of devices — both mobile, tablet, laptop and even large screens. Poorly executed responsive design, however, can have the opposite effect by creating frustration and disruption for visitors.

The essence of responsive design is to adapt to different screen sizes and devices so that users experience a consistent and comfortable view regardless of whether they are visiting the website from a computer, tablet or smartphone. When responsive design is executed correctly, content automatically adapts and navigation remains intuitive.

Problems arise when responsive design is poorly implemented. This can result in elements that overlap, text that is difficult to read, or navigation that does not work as expected. Visitors may experience frustration when they cannot find the desired content or navigate smoothly, which can lead to them leaving the website.

Designers must therefore carefully consider the technical aspects of responsive design and test the website on different devices to ensure a consistent and seamless user experience. A well-functioning responsive approach not only makes the website more accessible, but it also reflects an attention to user needs and an investment in delivering a positive online experience across devices.