As the year draws to a close, our team has done intensive research on the upcoming web design trends in 2018. Just as when we brought you 10 web design trends for 2018, this isn’t about following the creative herd: it’s about taking stock of where the industry is right now and creating our own personal guidelines for 2018. So whether you follow these trends or not, it’s helpful to know what they are…
Trend 1
Truly Responsive
Like many parts of the world, Malaysia’s 2017 mobile usage was higher than desktop browsing. In fact, nearly a quarter of Malaysia’s digital population are “mobile only” users. It’s because nowadays, it becomes more convenient to access social media, banking, and even to be involved in online communities with mobile phones.
This means that if your website is not responsive, you are directly cut off 25% of online opportunities from these “mobile only” users. Therefore, a truly responsive website should be ensured, including a “Responsive Table” and “Responsive logo”.
Responsive Table
4 common approaches to getting to an accessible, simple, responsive table; Squash, Vertical Scroll, Collapse by rows and Collapse by Columns. Note there is no single solution to make any <table> appropriately responsive. It all depends on the data contents and requirements.
Responsive Logo
The idea of altering the logo in web design is to make it responsive and thus will not occupy a big portion of the mobile screen. However, some companies have been refreshing their logos into modern, simplified versions over the past few years, and responsive logo design is the logical next step in meeting the demands of today.
Trend 2
Animation
Animation is widely used to catch user attention. It can also help provide information and lead the user through more active engagement with the design. And to increase user engagement. Basically, it adds life and energy to any structure, regardless of whether it’s serving as the backdrop to a web page or as transitory elements in a mobile app.
Animations don’t have to be quite so obvious or big enough and be superfluous; they only need to aim to provide subtle cues for feeling, interaction and progress that will satisfy and delight the user.
*See above: Animation to illustrate Responsive web design.
*See above: Animation to emphasise on the service provided.
Parallax scrolling animations have been so popular in overseas websites, some of Malaysia web agencies still stick to the old school methods, it’s time to catch up!
There are plenty of other ways to use a scroll to encourage user engagement. (You can mix in a little parallax too; don’t go crazy.)
An example of parallax scrolling shown here is from the game Firewatch, which uses six moving layers to create a sense of depth. It’s great because there’s no scroll hijacking (which often accompanies the parallax effect), and it’s only used at the top of the page – the rest of the site is still so you can read the information without getting seasick. If you want to see how it’s done, here’s a nice demo on CodePen.
Trend 3
SVG for High Image Quality & Accessibility.
Old and well-known PNG, JPG, and even GIF images are a thing of the past. In the modern world, more attention is paid to images’ quality and accessibility. SVG will be the #1 most popular extension and deserves to stand alongside other items in Malaysia’s web design trends 2018. Easy to scale and no loss of quality. Additionally, the size of SVG files is, in many respects, very acceptable. This will be the best format for graphic elements.
Trend 4
White Space
Trend 5
Duotone & Gradients
Trend 6
Bottom Sticky Elements
You know your users read from left to right, but have you considered that your users are getting used to clicking at the bottom of their smartphones or mobile apps to navigate?
Since mobile app design is so important to modern web design, website developers are beginning to make sticky menu items scroll from the bottom of the site instead of the top of the site’s pages. Progressive web apps are somewhat responsible for this design evolution as developers start to design for modern functionality.
Trend 7
Typography
Serif fonts will rise in popularity across web design.
Trend 8
More Depth (with semi-flat design)
It seems that illustrated objects with deeper shadows is back in trend recently. We expect more will follow this trend in 2018. The below example beautifully illustrates the the power of shadow to enhance the graphic effects.
Trend 9
Page Speed
Load times matter now more than ever – This affects design decisions
Trend 10
Content is still the KING
No matter what design trends or styles become the next big thing in 2018, Content will always be king.
“Never stop learning. Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” -Anthony J. D’Angelo
Get update on the latest Web Design trends in 2022
Trends of White space,Comfortable Colors, Dark Mode, Interactive designs etc.