Web design trends are constantly in flux. In 2023 the web development emphasis is on creating immersive and unforgettable experiences for visitors and customers.

Even if your business is still in the Web2 world, web developers should note the trends spilling out from the Metaverse and other Web3 technologies. Similarly, web developers and designers should still leave plenty of room to embrace the nostalgia for the Y2K aesthetic.

The Top 7 Web Design Trends of 2023

1. The Y2K Aesthetic is Back with a Bang

If you have stepped outside, browsed the web or paid attention to any facet of contemporary culture, you will have noticed that the early 2000s aesthetic has seen a resurgence in everything from music to fashion, art to interior design. Now that the Y2K trend is being integrated into web design. Forget the idea of the 40-year nostalgia cycle; social media and the digitalisation of culture has halved the lifespan of that cycle.

Retro-futurism, vaporwave, and Cybercore are just a few web design trends that will only get hotter throughout 2023; they can be incorporated by using supersized custom cursors, retro typefaces, and pixelated images and fonts.

2. Customised Typefaces

Generic typefaces are out; custom ones are in. This new 2023 shouldn’t surprise any web developers that have noted the recent rise of text-based web designs. Hand-designed lettering is a surefire way to make a unique impression; as there are no specific styles that will become dominantly popular, web developers have complete freedom in how they embrace the trend.

While you can use font generator programs, such as Calligraphr, FontStruct and BitFontMaker, there is also the option of using digital illustration tools to create customised lettered graphics. Just make sure all the text is as easy to read as it is striking to look at!

3. New Dimensions

2023 is leaving 2D in the rear-view mirror to make room for illustrations with innovative dimensionality. One of the biggest new trends is illustrations that mimic virtual worlds, with Claymorphism and 3D designs at the forefront of 2023 trends. Websites hitting the contemporary curve are now immersing visitors into cyberspace by creating everything from multi-layered illustrations to full-page effects and animations.

Even though Claymorphism has been part of the cultural landscape for quite a while, thanks to the creators behind Wallace and Gromit and Coraline, it is only just starting to see a resurgence in the web design world due to its ability to create tactile visual experiences that allow anyone casting an eye on them to create strong emotional attachments through the cartoonish human features.

4. Interactive Just for Fun Features

In 2023, not everything on your webpage needs to serve a utilitarian purpose. Just for Fun interactions are only becoming more popular through their ability to add an engaging element to a web experience. This trend is a continuation of the 2022 trend of the appification of websites.

You don’t need to place these interactions as the centrepieces of your websites. Instead, place them in a position where the accessibility of a webpage isn’t compromised. The just-for-fun elements can be as simple as adding a button to let love hearts cascade down the page or as eye-catching as the ball pit interactions.

5. Loading Animations

In the early digital days, loading animations were commonplace on websites to keep visitors entertained and engaged as web pages and parts of web pages were loaded. They fell out of trend for a time, but now that Y2K aesthetics are back, so are eye-grabbing loading animations.

Loading animations are the ideal opportunity to reinforce your brand identity and communicate who you are with your audience. As a secondary benefit, waiting for pages to load feels infinitely less laborious. You can opt for animated characters to reinforce your brand or opt for panoramic animated shots of the city you market your products in – the animated world is your oyster!

6. Premium Content Gateways

People value good content, as noted by the rise in subscription-based businesses in recent years. Take the website Substack as the perfect example; the website provides a new model of self-publishing, where readers pay a fee to read the content from the writers they want to read.

Premium content experiences, gated content and membership fees can show your audience that your website provides value. Furthermore, this new trend is a great way to open up a new revenue stream for your business, in addition to gated content giving you more control over your resources and community. For example, web design businesses don’t need to give all their trade secrets away for free in their bid to educate the internet; paid memberships are a great way to share knowledge while recession-proofing your career.

7. Lightweight Websites

This trend is always in fashion!  A flashy website shouldn’t compromise the speed or efficiency of your website. As smartphones have become more convenient for browsing the web, it has been crucial for web designers to accommodate mobile web browsers in the last few years. So this is by no means a new trend, but a visually light and quick website that is optimised for the user should still be one of your first ports of call when developing a website.

Always bear in mind that mobile users don’t always have the best network coverage when they are on the go; the more lightweight the page, the more likely it will be that they don’t abandon your website. For example, if someone is visiting Gold Coast for the first time and wants to find a restaurant that caters to their dietary needs if your website is too slow to load the menu, they will likely look for a restaurant with a quicker loading website!

8. Glassmorphism

Glassmorphism is a relatively new trend in web design that aims to create a UI design with a glass-like or frosted glass-like appearance that gives a sense of depth, transparency, and blurred background. Glassmorphism utilizes translucent or transparent backgrounds, layered elements, and blur effects to create a feeling of frosted glass. It is usually achieved using CSS properties like background blur, backdrop filter, and box-shadow. The result is a sleek, modern-looking user interface that feels sophisticated and futuristic.

Glassmorphism is often combined with other design elements, such as gradients, shadows, and 3D effects, to create a visually engaging and immersive user experience. It can be used in a wide range of web design projects, from websites and landing pages to mobile applications and user interfaces. It can also be used to efficiently draw attention to the text you wish to emphasise in a distinctive way. When using Glassmorphic elements in web design, they work best when they are layered on top of Vibrant backgrounds, colourful shapes, and images.

This web design trend is a great way to add visual interest to your interface.

9. Social Proof

Social proof in web design is the concept of using social signals to influence and persuade website visitors to take a desired action, such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or downloading a free resource. This technique relies on the idea that people are more likely to trust and follow the actions of others, especially those in their social circle than to make decisions independently.

This growing trend will be even more predominant in 2023 because it is an effective way to build trust and credibility with website visitors. When people visit a website, they want to feel confident that the company or brand they are interacting with is trustworthy and reputable. Social proof can help to establish this trust by showing that other people have had positive experiences with the company.

Social proof can take many forms in web design, including customer reviews and ratings, testimonials from satisfied customers, social media shares and likes, and endorsements from well-known individuals or organisations. These elements provide evidence that the company is credible, reliable, and provides a valuable service or product.

Reviews and ratings not only build trust and help grow sales, but they also help support your SEO efforts.  So adding social proof to your website in a win win!!

Ready to Get in Line with Web Design Trends?

Small business web design doesn’t have to break the bank; with our web design Gold Coast services, you can make an engaging impact for the same price as paying for a barista coffee a day. Our website development professionals will work to understand your brand and audience before finding ways to make you outshine the competition.