7 innovative web design trends for 2020

Trends in web design are constantly evolving. The technological possibilities seem infinite in 2020, and we see designers playing with extremes, reinventing previous models, and continually experimenting with new methods. Simultaneously, some common trends, such as the ever-present minimalism and colorful flat illustrations that we have been seeing for some time now, will not go away.

So, what will the 2020 trends in web design be? You will need guidance from the experts if you want to discern the newest trends early on. In the 99designs network, we asked some of the top designers what 2020 web design trends they are seeing. Based on their knowledge of the art, here's what they came up with.

Here are the most significant web design trends for 2020:

1. Dark mode

In addition to looking ultra-modern, dark mode web designs are simple on the eyes and make colors and design elements pop.

The most visually spectacular trends in web design often have realistic beginnings. For OLED displays, dark themes are better, saving power and extending screen lifespans, but that user does not keep them from looking good. For a genuinely dynamic design, dark backgrounds boost the visibility of other accent colors.

The dark mode design aesthetic also suits well with other prevalent 2020 design trends, including dark and moody color schemes coupled with glowing neons and futuristic but dark cyberpunk and dystopian designs, coincidentally.

2. hand-drawn elements

Imperfect, hand-drawn design elements inject emotion and humanity into websites that consumers continue to crave for years after seeing perfect yet impersonal graphics dominate web designs. Adding some hand-drawn realism in 2020 gives web designs that tourists to the heart and soul find appealing.

Next year's central theme will be hand-drawn icons. They are more psychological but on a good note. This pattern is related to the desire for more positive things around us, brightening up the day.

Indeed, who, these days, could not use a little extra positivity. Unique and stylized, hand-drawn icons, and other elements expose your brand's personality and stand out from your rivals. This rebellious trend is almost a counter-movement to the pixel-perfect flat design trend, so flaunt your scratchy edges and concave shapes to demonstrate how your brand is human and lifelike.

3. Immersive 3D elements

3D graphics have always delighted individuals; technology and the (previously) costly price tag held this trend back. But as Pinch Studio describes, the technology is now in a position where, without NASA-tier equipment, you can design in 3D, opening the door to more and more designers.

The only way to formulate an immersive experience for your site before VR becomes more commonplace and cost-effective is hyper-realistic 3D that often takes up the entire screen. The interactive 3D architecture allows users to linger longer, not just for graphics but also for UX. This is a benefit. As 2020 unfolds, more interactive 3D web designs are expected to pull users in and visually break down the limits between digital space and reality.

4. Soft shadows, layers, and floating elements

A pseudo-3D effect is created by soft shadows and floating elements, making the design more layered and interesting.

All about creating depth is this theme. Much like the 3D effect above, but do you want to tone it down? Soft shadows and floating elements add interest and depth and offer a "3D Lite" look to your web page. It is not just graphics either: with text and images; you can use this effect, too.

Taking the material design concepts a step further, designers can add a little extra pizazz to 2D layouts for expanded depth with soft drop shadows and layering elements on top of each other. These effects offer a lightweight feeling to the design, as though the components float over each other, a sharp contrast to the classic, impenetrable flat system where the layers look, well, dull.

5. Mixing Graphics with Photography

A very personalized message is conveyed through the use of actual images combined with diagrams or graphics. These pictures will more completely promote branding and help websites stand out from the crowd, whether they are photographs of goods or individuals.

On top of real images, overlapping original graphics produces a memorable visual that lends itself to letting your imagination go wild.

This trend is a flexible collage-like one; you can use it to add an exceptional cuteness and beauty to otherwise bland product photography (TSP stoneware, above). You can use its more extreme qualities to convey better complex or abstract concepts such as tech or finance. It is a way to customize your imagery and bring more personality to your web design (a recurrent theme in 2020).

To make the most of this trend's versatility, be sure to align the illustrations and graphics style with your company's personality.

6. Glowing, luminous color schemes

Next year, futuristic color schemes and models will be on-trend, continuing with the isometric trend and bringing colors such as blues and purples—hot pink to offer designs the glowing futuristic feel.

We will see courageous color pairings as we head into 2020, used strategically to make web designs leap off the frame. Using glow-in-the-dark neon and highly saturated colors in conjunction with darker, subdued shades to give the designs helps create a luminous feel, web design is becoming more bold and daring.

In particular, Duotone web designs make this trend shine. To clutch its position at the forefront of design, Duotone keeps reinventing itself. Produce truly vibrant visuals, this new version is the boldest yet, relying on futuristic, neon bursts of color and stark color opposites.

7. Ultra minimalist navigation

In 2020, more video with voice script and less text will be website content, moving towards precision over definition. Overall, to encourage simpler navigation, web design would be more straightforward.

Web design is typically thought to be smaller with the rise of wearable devices such as smartwatches. Navigation, the glue that binds a website together, is the area most affected by this. Navigation has been becoming easier and easier over the last few years to handle incredibly small devices and much shorter attention spans.

Most of the difficulty of usability is taken away by highly minimalist navigation. Instead of thinking how the less a consumer has to worry about moving around, the more time they spend absorbed in the web, actually moving around.

At the same time, the value of imagery is rising. , though Large-scale photographs and videos using just the bare minimum of text are your chance to impress users.

Looking forward to web design trends 2020

Web design trends for 2020 embrace futurism like never before, with those annoying 2010s drawing to a close. All robust markers of this latest 2020 theme are attention-grabbing graphics and colors, 3D effects, and old trends reinvented. As with minimalist navigation and less eye-straining dark design, this trend often spreads beyond the screen, with modern web design emphasizing more user-friendly site experiences.

Web designers are looking to the future and the past for inspiration on the verge of this new decade. And it is fair to assume that web design in 2020 will be full of surprises due to this multitude of competing design patterns, movements, and styles.