Design trends can shape everything from how designers create to user interface design to future iterations of everything from websites to package design. They can also zoom in or fade out quickly, making it important to pay attention to what’s trending now so that you don’t end up with a design that falls out of style quickly. Lets take a look at what the trends are for 2022 and some super cool examples
Bold & Experimental Typography
In 2022, there’s not a wrong way to do typography. Big bold fonts (even serifs) are everywhere. They look fantastic. When looking at this trend, think about how the typefaces will respond (everything looks different on a mobile screen) and how to maximise impact for visitors. Many experimental typefaces also include elements such as animations or flex options.
From outlines to colour fonts to shifting shapes and fills, bold and experimental type options are dominating website designs. When it comes to today’s web typography, there really are no rules and designers are playing with a little bit of everything.
Non-traditional Scrolling
Today’s website users are very different from website users from twenty years ago. The majority of today’s users access website content using a mobile touchscreen device, which enables a far more fluid and intuitive user experience than the keyboard and mouse-based websites.
This is most noticeable when it comes to the way today’s best websites handle scrolling. In the past, most people expected websites to only scroll vertically. The computer mouse wheel was the perfect tool for quickly enabling users to skim through content and find what they’re looking for.
Fast forward to today, and things are very different. Gesture-enabled mobile devices allow users to swipe vertically and horizontally when engaging with website content. Some of todays best web designers are capitalising on this functionality to create websites that respond dynamically to user interactions in an almost game-like way.
Neo-Brutalism
Brutalism is an architectural style that was very popular from the 1950s up until the 1980s. In particular, institutional or public buildings adopted this style. There are numerous reasons for its popularity, but the main one is associated with World War 2. After the devastation created by the war, there was a huge demand to build offices, schools, churches, and other buildings very quickly. Following on from the war there was an abundance of cheap concrete and steel which are the primary materials used to build brutalist buildings. The affordability and practicality were crucial elements, and so Brutalism slowly took over the big cities of the world. In particular, the UK and Eastern European Communist countries.
In 2022, we will encounter many neo-Brutalism trends in design including websites. Brutalist websites and designs stand out. You’d have to agree that most conventional designs today look the same. One of the reasons for this is that they are all copying each other and following the same popular trends. There is nothing wrong with that, but this means that it becomes more and more difficult for individual designs to stand out. So this reaction could be fuelled by an attitude of complete disregard to conventional rules to make a statement.
Bloomberg’s stark, no-nonsense design went live in 2016 and was refined in 2018. It is often touted as a leading example of brutalism’s growth online.
Nostalgia
Nostalgia—that longing, idealised gaze backward. We are re-experiencing this through Memphis design patterns, simple emojis and primitive internet frames. Fond childhood memories reign supreme through bright colour blocks and dripping slime. Though all of this was implemented with tragic and often hilarious results, the web designers of 2022 are reviving this trend with the added benefit of nearly 30 years of collective design experience.
While the 90s internet was a showcase of unnecessary gimmicks, graphics and colours, it was also a time when the rules had not yet been written.
Let’s take a look at Erik Bernacchi an Italian designer based in Sydney. You are teleported into an old hacky computer. For full effect definitely go old skol and don’t look at this through anything but a computer screen.
Inside, you are able to chat with a grumpy cat bot, play weirdly designed synths, make your own memes, vandalise his own sculpture, discover easter eggs and much, literally much more while enjoying his work. All without leaving the page.
Every detail, even the seemingly “useless” or “no-sense” plays its role here, the one of depicting Erik’s personality and skills. Which, at the end of the day, it’s what a personal website is all about.
Dark Theme
Dark mode is super hot right now. In 2022, this design will continue to be one of the top trends. Among the top reasons people are falling in love with this trend include:
- Dark backgrounds enable colours and design elements to stand out easily
- A dark theme reduces eye strain and improves visual ergonomics
- Dark themes look ultra-modern
Through the years, the best website trends have had practical beginnings. Dark themes are an excellent fit for OLED screens, which efficiently save power and extend screen lifespans. This utility, however, doesn’t stop dark themes from still looking great.
Bison Studio utilises the dark theme beautifully which allows their work to stand out from the page. Scrolling down the site the continuing black theme highlights their design and visual content.
Looking at design trends in 2022 has got us all excited for the upcoming year. We can’t wait to see how creatives use these design trends in 2022.