Reactive Graphics predicts the web design trends set to dominate 2022

USA - English

• USA - English

LONDON, Dec. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Reactive Graphics have recently announced six web design trends projected to take off in the new year. These range from aesthetic choices to functionality requirements, and have experienced growth in popularity in the later parts of 2021. Listed below are the predictions:

1. Minimalist Design

In 2022, Reactive expects to see clear, minimal design with generous use of white space, which allows users' eyes and the content to breathe. Referred to as "Mindful web design", this is an approach which understands that people don't want to be overwhelmed with excessive information or graphics. Minimal web design is further benefited by Google's recent algorithm update, whereby making a website load faster benefits it in the search engine rankings - the simpler the design, the less content to load.

Minimalism, sometimes called "flat design" isn't a new trend in web design. It is usually associated with black-and-white web design, but this should not limit anyone's colour palette. In 2022, Reactive expects many web designers to experiment with colourful minimalism to add flair and character to their designs.

2. Innovative Scrolling

Web users scroll vertically up and down a page most of the time. On mobile devices, they do the same with their fingers without thinking anything of it. However, the expansion of technology is letting developers innovate new ways to make scrolling exciting for web users in 2022. Two examples in particular are horizontal scrolling and gesture control.

Horizontal scrolling means that websites scroll to the side as the user moves their mouse wheel, which can add something creative and different to new websites. Scrolling on all planes allows better interaction with the device. The same can happen during website viewing, as users can check the products from any side or angle.

Gesture control utilises a user's webcam so that they can navigate through a website using real-life hand gestures. Although this is currently still in its early stages, with new self-recognition technologies on the horizon, web users may see these practices become much more common in the future.

One web design trend that's currently growing in popularity is "narrative visualisation". With this, as users scroll and read a long-form article, users get fun little visual treats, from elegantly typeset columns to quirky inset images to subtle animations and more.

3. 3D Design

Although it is not a new trend, 3D elements continue to flourish in web design. Web designers are keen to embrace 3D design, animation, VR, and large scale video and high-quality interactive imagery, to make their websites more engaging and entertaining.

3D design, which uses computer-modelling software to create objects with a three-dimensional appearance, is also a popular trend in graphic design, typography and digital art. It is seen everywhere in web design, from large business websites to personal portfolios, and we expect this trend to continue gaining steam into the new year.

4. Retro Takeover

With retro music, clothing and other media all prominent trends right now, we also see retro UI taking off in web design. More and more businesses, particularly those targeting younger, 'trendier' demographics, have turned to retro fonts (think simple 60s and 70s typography) and design elements to create interesting, nostalgic designs not seen since decades ago.

There is also a slew of 1990s design characteristics coming back to the forefront. As the creation of the World Wide Web increasingly becomes a far-off memory, today's web users are taking inspiration from the early days of the Internet. Web designs of the 90s was characterized by bright colors, bordered table/box layouts and robotic typefaces.

Reactive can see these elements being used in a more controlled manner in 2022 – there were a lot of laughably ugly web designs 30 years ago - but today's designers have brought through the best parts whilst leaving the less desirable characteristics in the past.

5. Big, bold fonts and colours

Big typography is back and better than ever for 2022.

Designed to make an impact, big, bold typefaces make an impressive visual statement in web design – especially when they are utilised within a more minimalistic design. Opting for a bigger size of text can be great for creating a striking first impression, and also for tying other design elements together.

In addition to larger fonts, many web designs find themselves moving away from subtle colour palettes towards brighter, more eye-catching designs. Bold, saturated colors help a brand stand out from the soft neutrals that many companies have chosen over the past few years, especially when they are offset by suitable colour pairings.

6. MORE Accessibility!

Accessibility is by no means a 'new' web design trend - in many places, all web designers are required to design their sites in accordance with a list of accessibility standards.

Some elements that can help websites to improve accessibility include:

• Strong contrast between text colour and background colours.
• Adding focus indicators, such as rectangular outlines around links that shows up when using keyboard navigation.
• Using labels and instructions within form fields rather than only giving users low-context placeholder text.
• Always utilising alt tags for images whenever possible.

More websites are integrating theme and font customisations for a variety of reasons, and accessibility is at the top of that list. This includes operating system features such as dark mode (so a website doesn't cause strain to peoples' eyes when surfing the web at night), and useful accessibility features like font scaling and contrast adjustment are becoming much more widely implemented across modern websites and apps. With better performance and high accessibility scores, a website will work more efficiently and rank higher in search engine algorithms.

For these reasons, in 2022, Reactive expects more and more businesses to start paying more attention to accessibility. Incorporating analysis tools for accessibility such as Google Lighthouse and Visual Composer Insights, to comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines standards will become a standard benchmark of modern web development.

Media Contact

Andrew Cox, Reactive Graphics, +44 20 7018 0909, [email protected]

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SOURCE Reactive Graphics