Out with the pastels, in with the bold.
Over the past few years, we have seen softer and more muted colour schemes come in and out of fashion, from pastels to beige neutrals and even monochrome hues. That time is over. We are ready for a year of bold, stand-out websites that are daring to be seen. In utter excitement, we jumped on this bandwagon as soon as it started emerging, giving our own site the full makeover from a highbrow monochrome aesthetic to deep greens and neon pink. We have totally embraced an eco-punk aesthetic to help us propel our vision for web-beautification and sustainability.
AI Chatbots on the frontline.
Compared to a few years back, chatbots are becoming smarter and less invasive than they used to be. Since the Covid-19 pandemic and the shortage of call centre employees, large companies have developed their chatbots enough so that the majority of enquiries can now be answered right on their website without the need of talking to an advisor. They have come such a long way since the dusty days of Microsoft Clippy, and can now almost act as the first line of support on most websites.
Typography … but make it XL!
If anything, the underlying trend for this year is that bigger and bolder is better! We believe oversized typography is going to be all the rage. From bold infills, striking outlines and even animated text, experimental typography is dominating the world of web design in 2022.
Check out our homepage for some mega neon typography – You won’t be able to miss it!
Unique Scrolling Experiences.
Vertical scrolling has become way too mainstream for us in 2022. After 2 years of that ‘same old’ feeling, we have been aching for some real excitement when visiting our favourite websites. Engaging your audience simply by switching to horizontal scrolling can create an utterly unique customer experience and even result in increased page times … We can already hear your SEO Manager cheering on the sidelines!
Scrolling experiences can add a real wow factor to your website, giving the user full control with scroll-trigger animations or scrolling to reveal timelines or stories relating to your brand. This is such a simple yet effective way to switch up the usability of your site.
We’ve implemented sideways scrolling experiences on our own freshly designed website and people are loving it – check out our ‘Story’ and ‘Team’ pages.
Colour Gradients … Yes you heard us correctly!
Since Instagram’s logo change in 2016, the colour gradient has desperately been trying to make a comeback … but not in the tacky Microsoft WordArt way you’re thinking of. Colour gradients are set to influence a large number of websites as the effect can create great depth and texture to both pages and typography infills – if done well of course!
A colour gradient is a great way to generate your own unique design and colour palette for your site! Take a look at Plymouth Science Park and the way in which subtle gradients in the background have been used to blend sections together.
Make it Memorable with Micro-Interactions
Enhance your user experience further with micro-interactions; small, unique moments where the user and website design/code interact. When micro-interactions are done right, they are a really great way to instil positive feelings about your website, leave a mark in someone’s memory, and influence your user’s actions.
An awesome example of micro-interacting can be found over at one of our client’s sites: Cleanup My Shhh… (check out the robot’s eyes!)