Jenny Traster — December 24, 2019 Is one of your 2020 New Year’s resolutions to redesign your website? While not the traditional health or wellness goal, revamping your company’s site may be a worthwhile endeavor. After all, your website is the first interaction anyone has with your company. But with website design and user experiences continually changing, it may be challenging to know where to start. Not only is the look and feel important – you want it to be inbound-friendly to help generate leads and maximize revenue.
Continue reading for some crucial tips, trends, and examples of good website designs to spark inspiration for your redesign in 2020.
Who Will Design It?
If you want to redesign your website, there are two common options: working with a third party or designing it yourself. You know your brand best, and communicating ideas can cause headaches occasionally. However, a website design project is a massive undertaking and may overwhelm your team.
That’s why using an agency or firm has benefits that the DIY approach may not offer. An experienced agency is skilled in making user-friendly, branded websites that look great and drive business growth. They’ll guide you through a seamless experience and ensure it works and keeps up with trends.
What Elements Must You Have?
Many website components are fundamental and do not change over time. For example, maintaining a good user experience (UX) is crucial, and that’s not going to disappear in 2020. That means things like having a responsive design is imperative, so your website conforms to every and any device your visitors may be using. Some companies’ websites offer a great desktop version but lag on mobile, or vice versa. Your website should also be easy to navigate and easy to scroll on both desktop and mobile.
You must address your target audience or personas’ pain points within the content of your website. Place easy-to-use contact forms strategically throughout your site that correlate with your site’s messaging. You should also be sure that the style and syntax of your copy should be consistent as visitors jump from page to page. Ultimately, your design and UX features should work in your favor and never distract from the core message of your website.
What Trends Are Emerging for 2020?
Perhaps the most fun aspect of a website redesign project is redoing the design. New styles continuously surface. The sheer number of trends that evolve throughout the year and into new ones is impressive. While it’s not necessary to include every new design into your website, here are some that are set to take over in 2020:
Dark mode web designs. These designs directly oppose tradition. They’re modern, clean, and uncluttered. These designs are highly responsive and easier to develop because they’re based on grids. If your website traffic varies massively between desktop and mobile, this is a good choice. It’s essential to keep the bulk on your critical information on the left, leaving the remaining portions minimal.
Dark mode web designs
With the influx of dark mode settings across devices and applications, website designs are predicated suit in 2020. Dark mode designs will focus on giving users an option to enable a dark theme — one that’s ultra-modern, easy on the eyes, and helps make other design elements stick out.
Motion
There are already various forms of movement on websites across the world, with no signs of the trend slowing in 2020. From micro-animations to fullscreen video headers and animations, these interactive pieces can grab website visitors’ attention quickly. Be sure to apply in carefully-considered places, as motion can sometimes be distracting when misused.
Minimalistic designs
Stripping your website down to its simple colors, shapes, and content can be compelling and continues to interest designers. Strategically used white space, for example, can help simplify your web interface and user interactions with your site, driving home what you consider is the most vital component of your brand’s messaging.
Contextual marketing
Utilizing contextual marketing, a strategy that makes your website’s content more relevant to individual users, creates a more personalized experience. With HubSpot’s smart content, for example, you can take advantage of this trend by tailoring forms and copy across your site.
Unique typography
Some businesses have begun using different approaches to typography on their websites to communicate particular messages more clearly, and it appears it will carry into 2020. More designs now utilize a mix of horizontal and vertical texts, different size texts, larger and bolder designs, and mismatched fonts. There’s more color than the standard one or two in some designs.
Solid color blocks
For a visually striking layout, try employing this trend for your website redesign. Using solid color blocks can break up your content into even parts and create an appealing design full of different colors, shapes, and more. Just make sure to align your design neatly so your visuals complement one another.
Voice technology
Many website experts agree that the use of voice technology across web interfaces, designs, and apps will be more prevalent in the upcoming year. As more people adopt voice technology in their everyday life, it’s no surprise that this trend is predicted to be significant.
Website Design Inspiration
If you’re looking for websites to inspire you and your team, here are some examples that incorporate some of the upcoming year’s design trends:
Birkman International: Birkman International’s site features smart content, solid color blocks, mixed typography, and powerful content to create a design that’s unique to them while still being appealing to the masses.
Miller Zell. Miller Zell employs bold typography, strategic white-space, motion, and simplified navigation across its website to engage with their audience.
ThoughtTrace. ThoughtTrace is another example of a compelling website design that mixes white space, unique typography, small animations, and visuals to interest its visitors.
Marketing Evolution. Marketing Evolution’s website features contextual marketing to split up the site by persona and industry, as well as thoughtfully-placed white space and colorful text.
Final Thoughts
You should treat your website, and subsequently its design, as an extension of your sales and marketing teams. The design should be effective, both in style and usability. Redesigning your website in 2020, especially if you haven’t touched it in some time, is a solid New Year’s resolution.
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