As the world shifts into a new normal, one where social media and e-commerce is its driving force, more and more brands are waking up to the importance of CX design.
This is especially true of their final digital destination - the official website. Indeed, what was once an afterthought in a campaign deliverables list is fast becoming the central focus.
Over the past few weeks, I've been putting together various proposals for different clients on website and CX design. Here are some of the biggest trends I've pulled and expect to develop as we continue to make headway into 2020's new digital way of working.
Trend #01:
You’re my type of hero… area.
2019 saw various experimentations in the design of ‘hero areas’ - the first part of the website that you enter, also known as the above the fold area - and one of the biggest trends set to emerge from those experiments is text-only heroes.
So while hero areas have typically been styled with different elements such as standard text-on-image and (shudder) carousels, this ‘text-only’ trend will be intriguing for it’s removal of the background image and just letting typography do the work.
Naturally, this means that a strong emphasis on typographic design and punchy copywriting will be needed, with a more editorial approach and bespoke font selection.
Trend #2:
Mesmerizing 3D Digital Artwork.
The increased use of digitally rendered 3D artworks is expected to adorn websites in 2020. These abstract elements offer an otherworldly interpretation to familiar materials and act as tempting points of visual interest. They are quite effective in luring in visitors’ attention and funneling their focus from fold to fold.
While not new in and of itself, these elements are now becoming more widely used beyond their traditional ken of cinematic design. Combined with chromatic and pearlescent colors, the result is futuristic and energetic, infusing any site with personality and a future-forward focus.
Trend #3:
Geometric Patterns with gravitas.
2019 saw the dominance of fluid elements in website design. This year sees a rise in the opposite - bold geometric shapes, lines and patterns will be making a comeback for 2020.
These elements, when skillfully combined with typography, will also be used in exposing the website’s grid system. This will make it more visually dominant and the primary design aesthetic. Large rectangles, thin keylines, different sized ‘cells’ and brightly colored ‘cards’ - all aligned in a visible grid - will give websites a near-architectural sense of space. Intriguing, when considering the effect it will have on mobile screens.
Trend #4:
Interactive Animations.
Traditionally, animations on websites have been left to their own devices. Literally. They occur on their own, independent of any action website visitors may take on the page. The new trend is to have the animation triggered by some type of interaction from the visitor.
Fusing user action with elegant animation and beautiful typographic design is a fantastic way of uplifting overall website design.
Trend #5:
Fashion-forward color palettes.
While most brands have a set color palette that does not (and should not) change, an exciting new trend thats still being experimented with is secondary, trend-based color schemes to complement the primary brand palette.
These color schemes are derived from a variety of sources - seasonal fashion colourways,
music, digital technology, futurism et cetera. Depending on category and focus, brands now have the option of adding increased depth and nuance to their visual identity. The added advantage of complementary color schemes is that they can be used as an extra tool in the CX experience. Colourways can influence mood and create excitement - a subconscious thread to the brand narrative tapestry & website story.
Closing Statement:
It's my belief that abstract digital art, editorial storytelling and innovative CX are all set to collide and go supernova in 2020, making websites the hero in a brand’s advertising eco-system - on par with social media and experiential. If observed and applied correctly, these trends will go a long way in transforming a brand's forgotten dot com into a powerful 'must-swipe-up' destination, with the power to inspire and engage the new at-home digital native.
Comments