Over the past few years, website design has been experiencing some big changes. However, some of the mainstays remain, including fresh, relevant content that engages site visitors. However, there are also some other essential elements that go with modern website design.
What is Modern Website Design?
Modern website design is all about aesthetic quality and improved UX. It includes the use of up-to-date elements and design principles.
These elements and principles work whether you’re creating a new website for your business, rebranding, or giving your site an update. You’ll have a site that looks more modern and professional no matter the type of website you have.
Would you like to learn more about these imperative elements for your modern website? Read on to find our list, where we’ve put together some of the most important elements for your website.
Most Important Elements of Modern Website Design
Here’s our list of the most important elements of modern website design. Use elements from this list to build a new site or bring your current website up to date.
1. White Space
White space is not a new concept in modern website design. It’s an element that’s been endorsed for years; however, white space remains an integral part of modern website design. It’s perfect for organisation and reducing site visitors’ eye strain.
White space is used to create a visual hierarchy on a website. It’s the space between the content on your webpage. This space is highly effective to include between blocks of text, images, calls to action, and more. White space allows site visitors to focus on the essential message or content on the page.
2. Scroll Effects
Scroll effects are another design element that’s been around for a while, yet it remains entirely relevant for today’s modern websites.
When you choose unique scroll effects, the site visitor has an interactive browsing experience that sits on a clean design.
This design element should not be combined with a busy webpage. Instead, the most effective use of scrolling effects is with a clean design that includes plenty of white space.
Here are some different scrolling effects you may want to consider on your site:
Horizontal scrolling: allows site users to scroll to the right or left rather than down.
Scroll-triggered animations: scroll and animations pop up, while the rest of the page does not change.
Parallax scrolling: when site users scroll down, the background changes.
Long scrolling: allows a site visitor to scroll down one page for a longer period.
Infinite scrolling: the page scrolls in a loop; you scroll down, and eventually the page loops back to the top again.
3. Large Typography
Why not consider offering site visitors a large, warm welcome to your site? You can do this by using large typography. Some designers choose to use a unique font that goes with a more modern appearance. They may cover the entire top fold of the webpage with one word or a phrase that sums up their site. In this case, the text becomes the first thing readers notice and it offers context for those visiting for the first time.
You may want to choose a unique font that fits your business and site, making it more distinctive from competitors’ sites.
4. Device Consistency
Another essential element of modern website design is device consistency. Design consistency refers to making your website look and act the same no matter what device a site visitor is using. This element is important to keep the user’s experience consistent, no matter what type of device they use.
The problem is that site visitors come to your site using a wide range of devices. Whether site visitors are using mobile devices, laptops, tablets, or other devices, your website should deliver the same experience for each user.
5. Minimalism
Minimalism is a key modern design element for today’s websites. With this concept, the designer avoids using flashy features or other design elements that can distract the site user. Only the most relevant elements stand out against a clean background, guiding site users to these essential elements.
The lack of clutter and minimal design elements make today’s websites look more modern and elegant.
6. Clean Layouts
Another essential to the modern website is a clean layout. There are several ways to use a clean layout on a website, including:
Card-based layouts: these are often used on portfolio sites to create a collage. This is a clean, easy layout that stays consistent across screens.
Split-screen layouts: divides the home page into two or more vertical parts, creating an easy, fast navigation experience.
7. Clear Navigation
Website navigation is another classic of website design that continues to be essential for modern websites. Navigation is all about creating some organisation on the site. For instance, links may be placed in menus, and more.
The key here is to make navigation as simple as possible and make it fast for site visitors to get from one of your web pages to another on your site.
8. Homepage Video
The homepage video is a newer design element that’s become immensely popular on modern websites. It makes the page look exciting and unique while also boosting SEO traffic to the site.
Videos also create more engagement with site visitors and can be processed faster than text. So, you can say more with less text.
9. Bold Colours
Bold, bright colours are another essential design element for modern websites. Here, it’s imperative to choose a site colour theme that matches your brand. Remember that some colours bring out different emotions. For example, blue is calming, but it also is associated with security, confidence, and reliable authority. If you’ve ever noticed, many brands in the social media industry use blue.
When choosing a colour for your website, consider your branding, business, and industry. The colour(s) you choose should fit the overall message you want to send site visitors.
Summing It Up
As you can see, there are some classic web design elements that remain essential to today’s modern websites. However, there are also some newer elements you may want to consider when rebranding, updating or building a new site.
