The digital landscape is a competitive one. In the attention economy, eyeballs matter.
The goal is to grab the user’s attention and keep them there for as long as possible. You want to get them to do something such as buy your product or contact you.
How can you set yourself apart from the pack, though? This is where a graphic web design comes into play.
They can serve as a powerful tool to transform your online presence. They can elevate the user experience to new heights.
In this guide, we’ll inform you of the top examples and trends of today. Before you know it, you’ll have many tools in your graphic web design toolbox to use on your next site. Keep reading to get started.
A significant portion of web design is to keep the visitor engaged. This means doing so in subtle ways.
Hover animations have been a way to do so for a while now. In 2023, graphic web designers are kicking things up a notch by integrating hover animations in ordinary page elements. This is especially useful with product reveals.
These micro-interactions allow for a much more immersive experience. The website comes to life and prompts the user to click or submit forms.
You can even use animation as the user scrolls. This encourages the user to stick around, decreasing the bounce rate. Keep in mind, the more animations you add, the slower your load time will be.
A busy site is often unnecessary. This is especially true when you need to convey a short amount of information as concisely as possible. Freelancers we’re looking at you.
As a graphic web designer, sometimes all you’ll need to work with is the client’s contact information, a few links, some projects, and photos.
The advantage here is it’s easily glanceable and the speed times will be very fast. Use your skills to choose a modern font and you’ll be golden.
Rather than having a static 2D website, why not go 3D? Video games and the metaverse are more popular than ever.
This approach enhances the experience by taking the user on a digital journey. Use your creative modeling skills to build the world. To make it even more immersive add sound design.
Movies like Tron can be your inspiration.
As a graphic web designer, you shouldn’t feel like you need to fit everything neatly into tiny little boxes. Feel free to express yourself through text and typography.
What you may give up in legibility you gain in style. Take a page out of last year’s neo-brutalism and make it your own.
Many graphic web designers are taking a page out of retro print magazines. The aesthetic is to have big bold typography. You aren’t afraid of making a statement with this design approach.
At the same time, you want to show some restraint. Show off your white space skills. This can be as effective as bold imagery.
Odds are you’ve come to a page with a 404 error on it. Rather than going with the boring 404 error page, they’re using it as an opportunity to show their more light-hearted side.
This is accomplished by using animations or mini-games. This again encourages the user to stick around.
While it may seem ironic at first, it is a great way to show your brand’s transparency and human side. We all make mistakes that are far from perfect. From a user’s perspective, it shows that your brand doesn’t take things too seriously and is willing to own up to it.
What’s old is new again with 90s navigation. Those familiar with that era will feel right at home. Things like records and books from yesteryear make the user feel right at home.
The web designers’ job is to bring these to life by making them feel like you can reach out and touch them. Let your imagination run with glitchy icons and text or bright menu color blocks.
You can lean more into nostalgia with the scrapbooking aesthetic too. This is an updated version from 2010. Now it is much more interactive and alive.
Parallax scrolling is a technique that involves multiple layers of content moving at different speeds as the user scrolls. This creates an illusion of depth, making the foreground elements appear closer and the background elements seem further away. Parallax scrolling has been used to significant effect to add a sense of depth and storytelling to web pages.
The dark mode trend has caught on in recent memory. Many favor dark mode since it reduces eye strain and saves battery life.
This is a nice touch to give people the option of having a button to turn it on and off. Dark mode is especially beneficial for websites with multimedia content and can be seamlessly integrated into various design styles.
It is essential to note that the potential negative impact on SEO largely depends on how these design elements are implemented and optimized.
Proper image and video compression, performance testing, and maintaining a balance between creativity and SEO considerations can help mitigate any negative effects on search engine rankings while still offering an engaging user experience.
Ultimately, a well-designed website with a positive user experience is more likely to attract visitors and generate organic traffic, positively impacting SEO in the long run.
Graphic web design is an indispensable element in modern web development. It ensures that your site remains visually captivating and memorable.
Leverage the examples and trends we highlighted in our piece. That said, don’t feel like you have to go at it alone.
Hiring a graphic web designer with Ascendance Website Solutions will take you to the next level. Do not hesitate to contact us for a free personalized quote. We cannot wait to hear from you!
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