A New Year in the Digital Sphere

As a design agency, we’re constantly running after the latest trends in tech and digital engagement. Here’s a few we predict will reign in the year 2018. Consider them jumping stones for staying relevant in all things digital.

Much of the following trends to come (or in some cases, trends to continue) have been inspired by recent innovations – like the iPhone X. As ever, Apple is leading the way in cutting-edge technology and we’re left riding in its wake. Better to keep up and stay fresh, than grow stale.

IMMERSIVE INTERACTIVITY

Creating immersive brand experiences is not a new concept, but more recently it’s built a reputation as “the” way to engage users both online and off. What better way to do that than full-screen images. Sayonara, image carousels.

Known as the backbone of design, single, simple images can relay your entire brand story, giving users a sense of tone, of product and service benefits, of feeling – right from the get-go. But it’s high res or the highway. Pixelated, low-production photos aren’t going to do you any favors.

The same goes for edge-to-edge videos. They’re dynamic, highly digestible, and can capture in a few seconds what you want users to learn from your whole website. So why not give them your full (screen) attention?

BORDERLESS DISPLAY

No offense to grid concepts – they’re an excellent tool for maintaining balance and order in the web world. And they allow users a degree of comfort and familiarity. But they can be a bit restrictive as far as a designer’s visual storytelling abilities. Modern design is more about stretching (and breaking) the boundaries to reach new levels of creativity, not lounging around in caged complacency.

Going beyond the grid can help us crack into new types of interfaces and apps with increased depth and motion.

VIBRANT COLORS 

While 2013 was the year of muted colors and flat design, where websites were stripped down to only their most necessary and basic elements, we’ve moved into the age of personality (slash personalization). Don’t get us wrong (we love minimalism), but it’s important not to let it drain your website of its own unique identity. Otherwise, it’ll just blend.

That’s why we expect 2018 to be the year of zesty, experimental color palettes that enhance and power up the visuals they’re applied to.

BOLD TYPOGRAPHY 

We’ve never been fans of traditional, “used to death” fonts and it seems like we’re finally on page with the rest of the designverse. Typography is such an easy way to personalize your web design and complement all the vivid imagery, videos, animations and colors you’re putting front and center.

Making your type bold and intimately related to your graphic design scheme (as opposed to falling back on a *shudder* default font) is a no-brainer.

All of these trends adhere to a general movement towards the creation of websites that are customized, user-friendly and understandable. More and more, users just want to get in and get out without having to guess what they’re looking at or what you’re offering.

Just imagine every user telling you on repeat, “Don’t make me think.”