In 2024, Brands Live Online, Does Yours? Your website is often the first impression potential customers have of your business. That’s why web design isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s a strategic blend of design principles, user psychology, and cutting-edge innovation.

The key to a successful website lies in striking the perfect balance between what’s trendy and what’s timeless. While incorporating modern design trends can keep your website fresh and exciting, it’s crucial to maintain a foundation of user-friendly functionality and a clear brand identity.

We are all about keeping your website ahead of the curve. And that’s why we’re excited to deep dive into some of the hottest web design trends of 2024.  But wait, there’s more! To get the inside scoop on how these trends can benefit your small business, we’ve enlisted the help of our resident web design gurus, Ally and Nick. 

Trend 1: Kinetic Typography

What is it?

Kinetic typography involves animating text to engage visitors, convey emotion, and enhance the overall user experience. By infusing movement into words and phrases, kinetic typography adds a layer of interactivity and visual appeal to websites, capturing attention and encouraging exploration. This dynamic approach not only brings static content to life but also creates memorable and immersive digital experiences that leave lasting impressions on users. 

Ally: Kinetic Typography works well if used sparingly. If used too much on a website it can get quite overwhelming and too busy. It’s also important to have the animation at the right speed. Too slow and visitors will get bored (attention span these days is down to seconds before moving onto the next thing), too fast and it can make the experience over stimulating and stressful.
Nick: I agree with Ally here, less is always going to be more. Like anything, it’s easy to let shiny object syndrome become a distraction. It’s a cool trend – but it needs to serve a purpose, substance over style – always.

Trend 2: Structured Typography

What is it?

Structured typography stands as a strong design trend capable of leaving a lasting impact on visitors. It revolves around employing robust, bold shapes and uppercase lettering to still a feeling of solidity and organisation on the webpage. This approach proves especially impactful on homepages, can easily capture the visitor’s attention, and seamlessly direct their journey through the site.

Ally: Structured typography is a great way to grab the reader’s attention. Typography in my opinion is best used when limited to just a few words in the hero. If used for every header in the website, it can lose its value.
Nick: I love this trend, and I think it works well, as Ally said when used with few words. The reason is – it forces us to cut to the core of the messaging – what is it that matters and what is important for us to say?

Trend 3: Layering 

What is it?

At first glance, overlapping objects in website design might seem risky, but with careful execution, they can result in visually captivating layouts. Layering involves stacking different elements, such as images, text, and graphics, on top of each other to create depth and dimensionality within a webpage. This technique adds visual interest and complexity, enhancing the overall user experience by guiding attention and organising content in a structured yet engaging manner.

Ally: Layering is a great way to add depth to a website and is a good opportunity to utilise other brand elements like shapes, colours, graphics, etc.
Nick: Just like any trend on this list, it can be overdone. The hard part is, figuring out where it is perfect. It is a good way though of adding some flair and style to a design, without taking too much away from the clarity of what you’re trying to achieve.

Trend 4: Skeuomorphism

What is it?

You may not be familiar with the term, but skeuomorphic design has been a staple since the early days of computer systems (think icons like the recycling bin or the save file icon). Previous occurrences of skeuomorphism have focused on replicating physical objects or materials in digital interfaces. This trend has re-emerged with a new modern take, focusing on realistic textures, shadows, and lighting to create digital experiences that feel as authentic and immersive as interacting with physical objects in the real world. 

Ally: I think Skeuomorphism is great! It works across so many platforms and is very universal. This can be especially helpful for the older generations (Gen X and Baby Boomers) and make it a more streamlined transition into technology.
Nick:  In the past skeuomorphism was a big thing (think Apple’s early iPhones, Web 2.0) – lots of heavy shadows, textures, and replication. But modern skeuomorphism is cool, the approach that Airbnb has taken to it, I love, they use realistic isometric layouts to convey a feeling of creating a little bit of life in the digital world.

Trend 5: Grid Lines

What is it?

In 2024, a prominent trend continuing to dominate is the adoption of grid lines. This approach is straightforward: grid lines provide order and simplicity, ensuring an aesthetically pleasing layout and a clear, concise flow of information.

Ally: If done correctly, grid lines appear very clean and organised. It gives the reader instant access to several elements of the website and a geometrically organised layout.
Nick: This is definitely becoming more common, I’ve always been a fan of having a well structured layout. Again like anything, this could be overdone. 

Trend 6: Accessible Web Design

What is it?

Accessibility, a crucial component of web design, ensures everyone can use and enjoy websites, regardless of their abilities. It’s like adding ramps and elevators to a building so that everyone can get in without any hassle. Features like alternative text for images, keyboard shortcuts, and high-contrast color combinations help users with visual impairments or colour blindness navigate the digital space with ease.

Incorporating accessibility into code is important. Using ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes further enhances usability by providing additional context to screen readers. By considering these aspects—alternative text, keyboard shortcuts, colour choices, and semantic code—designers create a welcoming digital environment, ensuring everyone feels at home online.

Ally: Obviously there are lots of pros to an accessible website. It gives every reader easy access all the information they need. It gives an overall sense of inclusion for all.
Nick: This is a trend, that I can get behind. Unfortunately this really just isn’t a focus for a lot of businesses, but it needs to be. It is become a more common and more trending topic – but in most cases, it’s an afterthought. It shouldn’t be a trend, it should be common practice.