In 2024, the bar for web design is high. And when it comes to websites for businesses, the look of your site can be a vital first impression.

Wondering how to keep up with that ever-ascending bar? In today’s blog, we’ll be breaking down the latest trends in web design, as well as how to leverage those trends to enhance the user experience and stay competitive.

Automatically generated images and content

While we’ve seen quite the AI boom in the last few years, more recently the technology has been facing some flack, both on ethical and legal grounds. And when it comes to publishing purely AI-generated content on your business’s website, bear in mind that consumers are growing increasingly attuned to the almost imperceivable giveaways of AI art (if the hands in your images feature one too many fingers, brace yourself for some online outcry). The same is also true for AI-generated copy.

But while these tools perhaps aren’t quite the godsend we’d hoped/feared they were a year or so ago, they can absolutely come in handy when it comes to inspiration. Designing a website from scratch can be a massive undertaking; the ability to play about with different concepts and bring your ideas to life instantaneously could get you on the right track far faster than staring at a blank page.

Scrolling effects

Scroll effects aren’t a new concept- but even in 2024, not every website looks like Apple’s! These effects were once far clunkier and more limited. Nowadays they can inject all sorts of interactivity into your website, making for a far more engaging user experience.

Parallax scrolling can be a particularly effective, yet simple, design choice for your website, the idea being that the background of the web page moves at a different speed than the foreground, as the user scrolls.

Microinteractions

A good microinteraction is subtle, but meaningful, and makes for a more dynamic website. Typically they’ll be animations that respond to hovers, scrolls, or clicks, which can bring to life an otherwise static web page.

They won’t drastically alter the user experience- but they can certainly enhance it. There are a range of creative ways you can utilise microinteractions on your website. They don’t even need to be animations, necessarily; one of the most well known (and most effective) examples of microinteractions is Google’s suggested search terms, which will come up instantaneously as you type something into the search bar.

Interactive storytelling

Storytelling has long been one of the best ways to get prospects familiar with your brand, but your website allows you to tell that story in a uniquely interactive and engaging way. Every element on your home page (the design, copy, animations, and multimedia elements like videos) will all work together to convey a singular message, and guide users through your story. A website utilising targeted, interactive storytelling can have far more emotional resonance than a broader, run of the mill website.

Bento box design

Bento box UI (user interface) has been gaining more and more momentum in the past few years. It’s a simple but efficient concept: a web page broken up into distinct squares or rectangles. Bento box design is one of the most effective ways to convey your brand’s visual hierarchy, and allows for responsive layouts on any device.

Navigating the latest web design trends: conclusion

Web design is always changing, and some trends will catch on more than others. But if your website is responsive, and tells your brand’s story in an interactive way, you’ll be well equipped to make a valuable first impression.

Ready to elevate your website design and captivate your audience? Embrace these trends and unlock the potential of your business’ online presence today. Let's transform your website into a digital masterpiece together – get started now!