Web design is of course an ever-evolving field. As technology and user behavior changes, so too does the way we build and populate websites. And, as we change the way we build websites, and new innovations come along, that in turn alters user expectations and behaviors. Such is the cycle of the internet’s evolution.
Some innovations and trends at the forefront of web design you might read about in this sort of post are usually out of reach for most small and medium-sized businesses, which generally aren’t able to spend $25,000, $50,000 or even $100,000 on cutting-edge web development.
But those aren’t the type of web design trends for 2020 that we want to address. Here we discuss the current trends that are shaping the way small business websites look and operate at this point in time, focusing on elements that will become more in-demand—both from the site owner’s perspective and the user’s—as the year goes on.
So, if you’re looking to build a new website in the near future, or you want some inspiration as to how you can tweak or redesign an existing site, familiarize yourself with these web design trends for 2020.
2020 Web Design Trends
- One of the foremost web design trends for 2020 is increased use of on-site video. There are plenty of ways to use video for branding and marketing purposes, and your website is one key place for it, along with social media, emails, and other mediums. Creating brand explainer videos to replace or expand on written About page content, offering video tutorials or troubleshooting guides about products, showing off behind-the-scenes footage, sharing informative video blog content, and other uses of video will all be showing up in an even bigger way through 2020 than it has over the course of the past few years.
- Websites that forgo color are notably trending at the start of 2020. They’re black and white with grayscale images, and they have an elegant, minimalist feel. This look can work particularly well for upscale and more reserved brands—but it’s essential to consider whether this approach is in line with your brand personality before deciding on it just because you like it.
- Giant fonts are increasingly being used to make an instant, bold impression—especially on the smaller screens of smartphones and other mobile devices. We’re talking big, blockish fonts in which one or just a few words take up most or all of the entire screen above the fold (the part of the page that’s visible before scrolling). It’s a minimalist approach, eliminating the possibility for much copy, but also visually stimulating. It can be very effective for quickly communicating a name or idea, as well as a sense of power, authority, prominence, and so on.’
- Data visualization is showing up much more often on brand websites across countless industries. No longer is this just a tool for sites like academic publications, news outlets, and government agencies. Maps, pie charts, graphs, and other graphic representations of data are a simple, engaging way to quickly convey information to the user—and they’re even more compelling and beneficial to the user experience when they’re interactive.
- Accessibility is an important issue in web design, and fortunately, it’s starting to get the attention it deserves. Basically, “accessibility” refers to making websites as user-friendly as possible for people of varying abilities. It means features like captions on video for the hearing impaired, and audio versions of written content for the visually impaired. But it means a lot more than that. For a better idea of the sort of web design issues that affect accessibility, take a look at Vox’s Accessibility Guidelines: The Checklist.
