Unlike other years, 2020 was marked by a global health crisis.

This crisis forced us to react abruptly and modify many aspects of our daily lives, in order to prevent and preserve quality of life.

With the strong migration of businesses to the digital environment, web design trends for 2021 will be linked as a response and adaptation to the new lifestyles left to us by the pandemic.

On this occasion, we will show you some of the design trends for 2021 that you should keep in mind when you create your website either virtual store.

Dark Mode

We start this list of web design trends for 2021 with a feature that, although it has been around for some time, is making a strong entrance for this new year: dark mode.

There are already many platforms and applications that have integrated dark mode into their designs, and for 2021 it is expected that many websites will begin to use this element, especially to improve navigation on mobile devices.

This display mode is especially convenient for situations in which we do not have enough light to view content.

This helps a lot to give our eyes a rest, which have been more exposed to screens in recent months, and it also gives a much more modern style to the website or application.

Soft and calming colors

In previous years, we saw a preference for the use of bright colors, high contrasts and even gradients; for 2021 things are going to change in the opposite direction.

Soft and calming colors will be the most used colors in web designs, as they transmit tranquility, serenity and security; emotions that are especially sought to be conveyed in these times of pandemic.

To achieve a soft color, simply select a bright color and add white or black (depending on the design you are looking for) to reduce its intensity.

These colors are especially functional when you want to highlight the main message without affecting its readability, since you can use a light or dark font color and still read the text.

You can use your brand colors and apply white or black to create soft colors and start designing your website or graphic pieces.

Soft shadows and floating elements

In an attempt to give websites a more 3D feel, soft shadows and floating elements are being used in the design of websites and virtual stores.

These shadows can be used both in images and in texts, and the use of floating elements gives a feeling of lightness to the website.

The use of these elements creates a much more modern and non-traditional look, aspects that users receive very well and make them stay much longer on the website.

Flat icons and illustrations

Among the web design trends for 2021 that we will see a lot will be the use of flat icons and illustrations, to reinforce the website's message.

These elements have been used before, but in a more intense style. For this year, the use of simpler icons and illustrations helps to give the website a more relaxed and calming look.

In addition, using these resources helps a lot to reduce the use of large blocks of text: with a simple icon or illustration, you can communicate what you had written in 2 lines of text.

Serif fonts and bold use

These two elements are not new, but in terms of design trends for 2021, they will be implemented much more, especially for the titles and subtitles of your website or virtual store.

Serif fonts are one of the oldest and most widely used styles. These two qualities make them stand out as they evoke nostalgia and reliability.

Due to their finished style, Serif fonts are ideal for use in titles, subtitles or any word that you want to highlight within the text.

Speaking of highlighting, using bold is especially useful, as it puts all the visual weight on the highlighted word or phrase, and that is where the eye will direct its gaze and retain the information presented.

Try using these two tools on your website's main banner, and you'll be able to capture the user's attention almost immediately.

Use of geometric and defined figures

2019 and 2020 were full of abstract figures, but for 2021 we see a strong return of geometric figures as a decorative element in design.

Geometric figures are much easier to make, their implementation is very simple and they help to give a sense of order and tranquility, unlike abstract figures.

You can use geometric figures in many ways: with soft colors, to frame content, to emphasize an essential aspect, to mix it with some texture, etc.

Web design trends for 2021 also bring some programming aspects to consider if we want to achieve a successful website that meets its objective.

Below we will mention some programming trends:

Responsive design

Mobile internet browsing is increasing, so if you don't want to lose sales, it's recommended that your website has a responsive design.

Furthermore, if you want to implement search engine positioning strategies, it is essential that your website has a responsive design for cell phones and tablets.

Google, for example, penalizes websites that provide a poor browsing experience on mobile devices by ranking them lower or not showing them in search results.

Loading times

Having a website or virtual store load in a very short time is a web design trend for 2021 that will be essential for a website to be successful.

There are many factors that can affect loading time, such as images, videos, gifs, animations, etc. Therefore, you should always look for a way to reduce the weight without sacrificing quality.

The website can also be optimized from the programming area so that it loads much faster. You should always keep an eye on loading times and, if possible, reduce them even further.

Optimizing loading time will help you position your website on Google, since this is one of the parameters taken into account by the most popular search engine in the world when positioning a website.

Chatbot

Chatbots are tools that allow us to offer much more efficient customer service, since they are active 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition, these tools are highly customizable, you can adapt the welcome messages, personalize their responses and there are even chatbots that learn on the fly, making them much more effective the more they interact with users.

Interface with voice recognition capability

There are many brands that have a voice assistant in their cell phone models.

You just have to look at assistants like Siri, Google Now and Cortana, which can give you many answers through voice commands, and you can even start a conversation with them!

It is much easier to perform a search using a voice note than by typing, and with smaller devices, these commands are especially functional, allowing for a personalized search experience.

HTTPL Security and SSL Protocol

Since 2017, Google Chrome has become more strict with the security of sites, which is why it exposes which sites have and which do not have the SSL certificate installed.

This certificate will show you as a secure site, where your clients will know that their information will not be in danger, it will also protect your content and your brand and, above all, it will help in your SEO positioning.

In conclusion

Web design trends for 2021 are focused on providing a safer and more reassuring experience to users of your website or virtual store.

You must keep in mind both aesthetic and technical aspects to increase the time users spend on the website.

So, take the plunge and consider creating your website with the help of these web design trends for 2021.

And at Gulupa Digital we can help you create it.

Write to us and we will schedule an appointment to talk about your website.

Let's talk today!