5 Web Design Trends for 2017

2016 was a rollercoaster of a year for many reasons. One result of this is a new and exciting landscape when it comes to design and technology. Now more than ever, design has to be dynamic and scalable to ensure brands stay relevant and messages stay strong in the mind's eye of the consumer, with web design taking a lead role in brand awareness and the communication of concepts and ideas.

As we creep tentatively into the early days of 2017, we have taken the opportunity to look ahead at the web design trend predictions for the coming year. We’ve condensed five key insights from our industry to give you the best concise overview of what to expect from the world of web design in the next 12 months.

5 Web Design Trends for 2017

1. Fierce colour schemes 


As described by web bloggers Clicky, beautiful bright colours will be a focal point for web design teams this year. The preference for clean layouts and the heavy use of whitespace in design we’ve seen in recent years is the perfect base for a healthy splash of colour to stimulate and engage website visitors. Too much colour in a busy design would end up too visually noisy for the viewer to digest, so we would recommend keeping it simple and bold.

2. The end of flat design

Although on the surface we see huge variety in modern web design, if we start to peel back some of the layers many websites have similar generic layouts. The Next Web blog suggests that this year could see the start of many more unique layouts, as designers strive to break the moulds and create a fresh approach to the rules of web design, ditching traditional templates.

Spotify are a good example of bold colour:

3. Microinteractions

The subtle details that make a website that little bit more engaging. We’ve seen microinteractions become popularised in recent years, and 2017 is set to continue that trend. Envato predict that the use of finely tuned interactions such as gentle hover effects and satisfying transitional elements will be taking centre stage this year.

4. Big bold type

Another popular forecast. We should see the inclusion of lovely bold fonts in web design this year, allowing brands to deliver impact with dramatic, stand-alone statements as key design features. As Webflow says, we don’t just mean big and bold font but we also mean big and bold statements - a few concise, powerful words to cut through the noise.

5. VR

Virtual reality is at a very exciting stage, because although the technology has been developed and popularised to an extent we are only scratching the surface of what has the potential to be quite revolutionary. Echoes of science fiction nightmares make VR a daunting prospect to many, but the possibilities in terms of social media, gaming and online shopping are quite exciting. Prodo Digital says to keep your eyes on the travel and retail sectors to see developments in VR for web design.

In summary, 2017 looks interesting. The trend predictions all allude to more feisty, dynamic and ambitious design, with creatives being able to tear up the rule book and push boundaries to new and exciting places.

Head of Creative at Nexus, James Morrison, reflects on one of our favourite projects from last year:

“We ended 2016 with the launch of a beautifully bespoke site for our client BoxBird Gallery.

Functionality was crucial but so was the desire to inject personality into the design and move away from templated options. Not for the sake of it but for the desire to deliver a unique and enjoyable experience for Boxbird customers which couldn’t be found elsewhere. We wanted to create something which was truly representative of the brand. The entire site was designed and developed from the ground up and the end result was a website which raised the bar and set BoxBird apart.

We anticipate that 2017 will continue to see a shift from templated sites toward more engaging, bespoke solutions which are brand driven and designed to resonate with the target audience."

Fancy taking a look at the BoxBird project we launched last year? Pop over to our case study page.

Thanks to Clicky, TNW, Envato, Webflow and Prodo Digital.