With us now over half way through the year (yes, that’s a scary but true statement) we thought it was about time to do a roundup of the website design trends the industry has experienced so far.
At Edge we are all about latest innovations and ways of doing things, but we definitely also have our feet firmly stuck on the ground when it comes to what we think is too far and impractical. Here are some of the cool new concepts that have taken a stand in 2017, that we also think are eligible and useful for a large number of web projects.
Creative Contrasts
2016’s colour pallet of choice for most designers seemed to largely consist of a sea of 121 different shades of grey. So far this year, things seem to be changing (thankfully).
Contrasting, bold and bright colours seems to be the way to go, with the more obscure the match, the better. We actually enjoyed this idea around this time last year, when we designed a new website for skin care brand Aspire & Co. The use of our colours for that design has been featured on designshack.net and more.
Space, Space & More Space
All designers will be well aware of the all important ‘white space’, which can make or break how great something looks on the page. The need for white space seems to be expanding, with a range of new websites becoming more and more minimalist, with a lot of space and not a lot of anything else going on.
We actually love this concept, as lovers of the ‘less is more’ philosophy, there are some beautiful designs out there that are so simple.
Gradients
Although a concept not so popular with the minimalist approach, leading creatives are choosing gradients to spice up a design. This is actually a major part of our design for our brand new website, which will be on it’s way shortly. There aren’t any rules for use of gradients either, making it fun.
They could include multiple colours, radiate from the centre, come from a corner or fall horizontally. And this could be a whole background or just a slither. The options with gradients are endless.
Let the Video tell the Story
Something that is hard not to notice, as it’s now often filling up a whole landing page, is videos. They’ve been around for a long time, but now not only are they being used to tell a story, they are also just there for the background as a sort of moving template carried through the site.
Originally not too keen on the concept, it’s grown a lot on us as long as it’s done well and doesn’t distract from everything else on the website. A beautiful filter (or gradient) can add an amazing design feature and look a lot cleaner.
Bespoke Illustrations 
The use of cheesy stock imagery is a big no for any designer, but it seems photography all together has gone out the window. More and more you will see doodles or sketches replacing imagery, often from the work of professional illustrators.
It’s a clever way to stand out, define your brand and have something a little quirky on your site, all through drawing. You could even pick up a pencil and create your own masterpiece.
We are sure that we’ve probably only touched the surface here, with so many amazing design ideas and trends out there already this year, these are just once that have particularly caught our eye. Let us know which trends you are becoming fond of.
