Want to know how to design a website in 2021? In light of globalization, innovation, and a certain global pandemic, our world is becoming increasingly digital. People around the world are spending more and more time staring at their screens, and are seeking a tactile and interactive online experience akin to “real life”. At a time when we are often isolated physically, the web of 2021 will connect us through realistic, user-centered experiences. This year, designers are creating an online utopia. 2021 web design is grounded in the real world, and perhaps even makes improvements upon it through beautiful visual design, customizable experiences, and an abounding sense of play and optimism. Although it is far more than a trend, 2021 is also the year that web design becomes more accessible than ever, propelling us into a more equitable future. We’ve scoured the web to uncover what the current web design trends are, and will be, for the rest of this year. We’ll give you our 2021 web design trend predictions, give you examples of web design trends, share tips for modern web design, and tell you what we think makes a good website in 2021. What are the latest web design trends that you’ve noticed?

We all know that audiobooks and e-readers are replacing paper pages, digital music is replacing tapes and CDs, and Amazon has put countless brick-and-mortar stores out of business. But amid all of these changes, a counter-movement in digital design seems to be growing. In 2021, expect to see more websites drawing their inspiration from print layouts and adopting a style that is more realistic and rough around the edges.

Designers are adding grain, utilizing muted colors, and allowing visual imperfections to show through in order to make their work feel tangible, natural, and visceral. With neumorphism, artists are reimagining the hyper-realistic style of skeumorphism in a more minimalistic way—think flat design with a lot more depth.

Retro is coming back in a big way in 2021. But designers aren’t just reusing old trends, they’re updating aesthetics of the past to bring them into our modern world. Just like with the transition of skeumorphism to neumorphism, designers are making their mark by re-molding the metaphorical clay given to them by artists of the past. In 2021, expect to see lots of retro typefaces with a modern flair, and look out for long-standing techniques, such as Gaussian blur or scrolling cards, used in new ways.

Over the past year, many aspects of our lives have been confined to a digital space. Designers are looking to broaden our virtual horizons and create a deeper, richer online experience by incorporating augmented reality and other immersive elements into their sites. Although a screen will never be able to replace the real thing, we’ve got to admit that the digital “world” is looking pretty good, and in 2021, it’s only going to get better.

One of the top web design trends for 2021 is the use of motion and animation. Having movement where a static visual is expected can be a powerful tool in telling a story or highlighting important information. Many designers are incorporating motion specifically with scrolling—horizontal scrolling to reveal extra information or navigate through a photo gallery, parallax scrolling to add depth and texture, unique scrolling cards, and more.

But be careful! As fun as motion can be, it can also distract from the purpose and functionality of a site, and it can be unpleasant to some users. Use a light hand when it comes to incorporating motion, and give users an option to turn it off if they wish.

In 2021, users will experience a web that is more customized to them than ever, and designers are helping make that happen. Customization will manifest in a variety of ways, from what kind of content a user sees to how that content looks on the page. More and more brands are using questionnaires to tailor their sites to a user’s preferences, allowing the brands to offer personalized online experiences. And the user should be able to control how those experiences appear, with options to pause or play audio and video, to turn motion on or off, to tweak the overall visual appearance of a site (think dark mode and light mode), and to navigate in a variety of ways (clicking, scrolling, hovering, etc.)

Speaking of customization and options, have you ever wanted to read an article, but ended up skimming through it because it was too long? Us too. Luckily, in 2021, more websites will be incorporating audio alongside text and visuals, which opens up a whole new world of possibilities. This not only gives designers another medium with which to tell a story, but also gives the user a variety of ways to experience that story, and makes a site more accessible to boot.

It is not uncommon nowadays to be searching for some bright spot amid a lot of darkness, and in 2021, the web is going to be one of those bright spots. Designers are adopting bold colors and incorporating friendly cartoon illustrations to soften and humanize their work. Abstract illustrations are making a comeback with fun, expressive shapes. Designers are also using custom cursors as a delightfully unexpected way to tie together the visual identity of a site.

Irreverence and playfulness have always been a part of the internet. In 2021, it is seeping into more corners of the web than ever before as people seek optimism, support, and encouragement during a difficult time. You can also expect to see more websites with the sole purpose of fun and entertainment because sometimes you just need to take your mind off of the real world.

Thanks for reading! Now you’re ready to take on web design in 2021. Looking for someone who can help bring your ideas to life? Contact us to learn more about our web design services. And if you want to know where we got our insider tips, check out these websites: Webflow 99 Designs Editor X Creative Boom.