6 Web Design Trends to Watch in 2019​

I know what you must be thinking: background video, bold colours, and animation? That’s so last year! Well, not exactly. It’s a little known fact that design is cyclical — continuously pulling from the past. So, it’s no surprise to see the mergence of aesthetics and technology — again, albeit more than ever before.

2019 graphic designs are elevating 2018’s conventional elements in unprecedented ways and are apt to leave an iconic mark in the decade’s final year. Designers are kicking it up a notch — moving the needle on daring and unique design trends, and giving brands the influence to outshine the competition.

Lindsey Meere, Yardstick Services’ graphic design specialist, lends her expertise to curate the trends she expects will dominate on your devices this year. With a graphic design acumen fostered over years of work with innovative concepts, she has helped clients grow their business with responsive websites. Here, we break down six trends that will shape web design in 2019.

1. Custom illustrations

By far, custom-made illustrations are at the top of the trends for making a memorable impact. Brands like Slack and MailChimp for example (to name but two) are hiring illustrators to help set themselves apart from average sites and show-off their originality and individuality, which are at the heart of these inspired hand-drawn creations. These dynamic and playful elements are helping companies define their brand, and current statistics indicate they can convert seven times more than stock photography. Also, look for illustrations replacing letters in brand logos; often cheerful, they’re both appealing and memorable. Incorporating custom illustrations across your social media channels in addition to visually distinguishing your website, contributes to a cohesively branded online presence.

2. Typography

Bold typography is front and centre to boost your brand’s presence. It’s become a main player in making a powerful statement on its own. A mix of fonts at play makes your message that much more interesting and impactful. Unique fonts, and not just the typical Google fonts, add personality and can change the effect and put emphasis on specific areas on your web page. Plus, buying fonts that not everyone is willing to pay for adds value to your site. There’s also an uptick in custom typefaces (think Samsung and Apple), which give these brand giants a consistent and universal identity.

3. Colour

Colour still impacts. Designers continue to turn up the volume on colour, using louder bold colours and combinations for a mesmerizing effect. More pops of vibrant unconventional colours are expected. Traditional bright red (powerful & stimulating), blue (reliability) and yellow (positivity) are more interesting when combined with a slightly risky colour. Vivid colour combinations elicit a futuristic feeling from designs — colour gradients, too, which deliver excitement and imagination. Bolds are not exclusively trending, however; there is also a more natural, neutral, more organic colour scheme happening as well. Pastel colours still influence web design, which often convey luxury, lightness and elegance.

Move over Millennial Pink, Pantone released Living Coral as the colour of 2019. Described by The Pantone Color Institute™ as vibrant, yet mellow, the coral hue laced with golden undertones embraces warmth. It’s noted by Pantone as “sociable and spirited,” and evokes a comfortable natural feeling. According to photo stock giant Shutterstock, their colour trend forecast for 2019 is more digital tech/neon urban focused, citing UFO Green, Plastic Pink and Proton Purple as colours to trend for the year.

4. Imagery and Animation

When it comes to photography, designers want authentic images. There will always be a market for stock libraries, but they’re gradually falling in line with what their buyers are gravitating towards i.e. there’s a steady shift to provide more natural-looking photos, more Instagramable shots on topical subjects and trending hot colours. Less polished more real is the coveted look. Additionally, 2019 designs favour more diversity in photos like age, culture and gender, particularly now, with the recent big leap towards inclusiveness. Numerous royalty-free sites like Pixabay, StockSnap, Unsplash and Flickr make photo sourcing for genuine images more accessible.

Animation is wildly popular this year and is popping up in ads, website and app designs, especially effective to enhance your users’ experience and make it more interactive. Not only can it communicate your brand’s message quickly and effectively, high performance animation can convey complex ideas — drawing in your users’ attention to learn more.

5. Video

Video continues to be one of the biggest attention-grabbing media forms, not only dominating web design, but social media channels, too. Whether it’s a slick video showcasing a brand’s products, a demonstration, or full-screen embedded video content on a landing page, videos entice visitors to spend more time on your website, which translates into increased SEO ratings. Google measures how much time users spend visiting your page to establish its importance; the longer they stay, the greater the ranking. It’s no wonder that designers will continue to develop video in 2019 as a strategic web design element to engage users.

6. Responsive Mobile Design

Mobile devices outshine laptops and desktops when it comes to users searching and browsing the Internet. Research by Virginia-based Comscore (a trusted partner for planning, transacting and evaluating digital media across platforms) revealed mobile users spend more than double the minutes online than desktop users.

Not to mention a Google report shows over 48% of all users started their search for something on a mobile device. Today, mobile sites are a priority for Google and they are now indexing mobile responsive websites first. So, if your website does not have a strong responsive user experience, not only does it affect your Google ranking (they’ve expanded their use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal), you also run the risk of losing prospective customers. You’ll want to provide all your visitors with the best possible user experience and ensure that your pages perform well on all devices. If you’re looking to hire a developer, all new websites developed by Yardstick Services are responsive designs by default.

If you have any questions about web design or development, or are looking for support, please feel free to comment below, send an email or give us a call: 604.474.3631.