Recent years have shown that web design is closely related to the Muggle world, and that world is anything but predictable. So, as we look at what might happen in the next year (or five), think of it less as a set of predictions and more as a wish list.
Predictions tend to be self-fulfilling. So we have limited ourselves to five trends that we believe are positive or, at worst, harmless. Of course, there are no guarantees, but if they are met, we will be in good shape for 2023.
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THE BLOCKCHAIN
The foundation of the cryptocurrency industry is the blockchain. In simple terms, they are a set of data that can be aggregated but cannot be edited or deleted. Think of it as version control of the data.
As with most technology, the first wave has been a way to make a quick buck. However, the exciting development is the blockchain technology itself and the transformative nature of the approach. For example, Doctors Without Borders reportedly stores refugees’ medical records on the blockchain.
Imagine the Internet as a collection of data, editable by a micro-rate and freely accessible by anyone from anywhere. Instead of millions of sites, a single, secure and autonomous source of truth. Someone somewhere is working on it.
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POSITIVITY AND PLAY AND A11Y
Even before world events turned into an endless tirade of grim news, time was running out for boring, corporate, geometric sans-serif design.
We add gradients, we add personality, we embrace humor. And contrary to established business logic, we still make money. In recent years, designers and developers have made extraordinary efforts to examine, test, and advocate for accessibility, and thanks to them, inclusive design no longer depends on the lowest common denominator.
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ALL GREEN
Green is a fascinating color. It has the same visual weight as blue, is substantially more flexible and yet, to date, has been radically underutilized in digital design.
Green has a prominent cultural association with the environment. At a time when technology companies are desperate to emphasize their ethical credentials, marketers will inevitably start promoting a brand color change to green as a quick fix for all those dumped chemicals, strip mines and plastic-filled seas.
We have already seen earth tones gaining popular appeal. At the other end of the vibrancy scale, neons are popular. Green encompasses both approaches with everything from calm colors to acid neons.
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HERO TEXT
A picture is supposed to be worth 1,000 words, although we’re not sure if anyone has tried to measure this. The problem is that sites are increasingly relying on stock images, so the 1,000 words we receive may or may not accurately reflect 100% of our message.
In 2022, a handful of well-chosen words will be worth more than an image, and featured images will take a back seat to great featured text. This is aided by a number of smaller trends, the most notable of which is the willingness of companies to look beyond the geometric sans-serif to a more expressive form of typography.
Reading prediction posts on sites other than this one, almost everyone agrees that large hero text will replace images, which virtually guarantees it won’t happen. Still, at the beginning of 2022, this seems to be the direction we are heading.
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BRINGING THE NOISE
One of the unexpected consequences of recent years has been a renewed connection with nature. Effortless complexity in nature is infinitely appealing.
We have already started to popularize gradients (there are no flat colors in nature) and the next logical step is to add noise.
In visual terms, noise is the grainy texture that looks so good in vector illustrations. Noise has been in and out of trends for years, hampered somewhat by the jump in file size it creates. However, with WebP and Avif file types, noise can now be used at production sites.
At Several we are specialists in web design and development, so if you need our services do not hesitate to contact us. Shall we talk?
