The year 2018 is just around the corner so I made a prediction of the next web design trends for 2018.

It is not that there is a brutal change regarding the trends in web design 2017 but there is a clear emphasis: Web designs that load fast and adapted or designed exclusively for smartphones.

And this is because one of the maxims in web positioning is that web pages load fast, and in the case of web pages browsed from mobile devices, it is even more important if possible.

And we can not have a super-loaded web page and wait for it to load fast. Let’s see what are the trends in web design 2018 that are already here:

Progressive Web App (PWA)

It behaves like a native application but uses web technology, occupying less space and increasing its functionality.

On the Google Developers page, the company points out that PWA are:

1. Reliable - Load instantly and never show the downasaur, even in uncertain network conditions.
2. Fast - Respond quickly to user interactions with silky smooth animations and no janky scrolling.
3. Engaging - Feel like a natural app on the device, with an immersive user experience.
4. This new level of quality allows Progressive Web Apps to earn a place on the user’s home screen.

Learn more here

Colours and shapes

Every time there is more demand for illustrations and own infographics, leaving behind the image banks and free images. The most interactive designs triumph, giving rise to differentiating designs. Some of the trends that are gaining strength in terms of graphic content are:

1. Bright colors, gradients and bichromatisms.
2. Geometric shapes and skeumorfismo, textures of real life.
3. Background on shape and overlays of simple colors for a depth and texture effect.
4. Flat design or flat graphic design, returning to the minimalist design combined with a clean image and white or pastel backgrounds.
5. Custom shapes and buttons: it is necessary for a website to have personality and character in its design, thus reinforcing the brand’s visual identity.

Gradient

Yes, although I particularly like the flat effect, I have to admit the gradient is back again. But in a more elegant way than before, which is very noticeable. You can be inspired by great brands that are using this trend: iTunes, Spotify and even Instagram, which has radically changed its design in recent times.

Typography

The visual content gains ground to the writing, the font size used is increasing to get the attention of the user:

1. On many occasions typographies are used as forms and not as text to communicate.
2. The “hand made” or vintage typefaces are still present when achieving greater differentiation and distinction from the usual ones, but beware of readability and the responsive version.. However, the circular typefaces and the Sans Serif also occupy a large place among the preferred ones.
3. Uneven typographies, as well as text in superposition with images.
4. The tendency to combine texts or horizontal and vertical titles is perfect to attract the attention of Internet users.

Noto font has a good way to be the favourite in 2018, it is a free source from Google and thanks to it the typography of our website is correctly displayed in more than 800 languages and with about 110,000 characters.

Interactive 3D elements

They will continue to be the kings leading the best web designs. The animated or interactive 3d objects attract a lot of attention from the users, since we are not used to seeing this type of elements in a browser and it goes deep into the website, making us feel part of it.

Some of the most interesting libraries to make this type of 3D animations is Three.js. We recommend that you take a look as it has no waste.

Videos

Beautiful images have been the success of the interfaces so far, but videos have been used more and more and it seems that they came to stay. With access to mobile broadband ever better, the trends of 2018 bet on videos for digital design. While the image is static, the video is dynamic. In addition to being easier to capture user’s attention, it serves as a means of telling a story, of connecting with the user of the interface.

Bold

Something that is being used is the huge font size, creating a strong contrast between the title and the rest of the content. Used mainly in homepages and posters. So invest in bold and large texts, which tend to stand out.

Minimalism

Minimalism is still high! Bigger, bigger titles and simpler and more universal icons. But do not forget: create minimalist designs, but always thinking about the user experience or the reader. Reducing elements is not always the best solution, it all depends on your project.

Scrolling and Paralax

Long scrolling has already been used by some websites, such as Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram, where you scroll the page, and when it reaches the bottom, the site loads more content automatically. This function is a navigation reinvention. That is, a technique very well accepted and used in mobile devices, as it helps in the rapid absorption of more content without any interruption. Parallax is a technique that allows the foreground and background to move at different speeds, creating an illusion of depth and immersion. It allows you to tell a story to the user using only graphics.

Icons

Icons can visually express ideas, actions, and objects. Used properly, they can effectively communicate the concept or intent of a product. Icons are easy to recognize and to associate visually, when the user opens a page, images and icons are the first things to be observed. That is, you will get their attention more easily, but do not forget to think about the design and interpretation of your user or reader.

Some trends in design have become fashionable, others are forgotten. The important thing is to know how and to what extent to use them. Think that it is not only because something is a trend, it will serve everything. You should take the characteristics of the given project into consideration and wisely use what is best and discard what does not suit.