Here are some of the more notable things we can expect to see in web design in 2019.
Flat Design
Flat Design is a inconspicuous design approach that features the use of clean and open space, light colors, and simple two-dimensional illustrations.
This style of design started off as just an additional trend, but over the years, it’s grown to become the standard for web design.
The rise of flat design can be attributed to the need for fast-loading websites that provide users with an enjoyable browsing knowledge on both mobile and desktop.
Flat design relies primarily on simple illustrations which are much less data-heavy than sites that use large images or heavy visuals. This means an overall much faster loading time.
This style of site is also ideal by many users from a UX perspective.
Reducing the clutter and unnecessary ornamental parts of a design helps users to focus on the important parts and make it easier to navigate.
App development platform Zero ode uses flat design on its website to present users with a clean yet friendly appearance. The use of bright colors in the hero illustration grabs users concentration while also communicating to users what the company does.
White Space
As mentioned above, web design is moving in more of a “less is more” mindset.
That means we’re seeing websites opt for simpler layouts with greater amounts of white space. White space (also referred to as negative space) is simply the empty space on a page. Think of it as the breathing room around page elements.
Using white space to separate the different sections on your pages helps improve readability and makes it easier for users to digest important information.
Sketch as the Go-to Web Design Software
Over time, there’s been endless, polarizing debates in the tech world; Mac vs. PC. GIF vs. JIF. Apple vs. Android.
For those in the web design space today, we find ourselves in the midst of a fight for top design tool: Photoshop vs. Sketch.
For years, Photoshop was the go-to tool for executing web design, conversely, over the past few years, Photoshop has begun to lose ground to draft.
Sketch is a software that’s built specially for web designers and can cover the bulk of the design process from creating designs to prototyping to client presentation.
Due to Sketch’s influential open-source library of plugins and its ability to handle so much of the design process, I’m predicting in 2019 more companies will begin to make the switch away from photoshop and move over to using Sketch as their main design software.
Broken Grid & Asymmetrical Layouts
Recently, web design has put a lot of stress on designing within a set grid.
A grid system helps designers uphold alignment and consistency throughout a design and frankly, makes it easier for developers to bring it to life.
However, we are beginning to see designers break outside of the standard grid more and more. This helps designers have more creative freedom with their work and create another level of hierarchy on a page.
Creating this extra level of hierarchy is extremely helpful when it comes to guiding a user’s eyes down a page and pull them into the most important actionable parts of your site and frankly, it allows for more fascinating and unique designs.