13 Most Interactive & Engaging Web Design Trends

Web designing is a constantly evolving field. Over the years, web designing has become more than just a means to declutter your website and make it appear professional. With technological advancements, the field of web design has seen immersive and groundbreaking design trends that have fueled the success of several websites. 

Initially, web design used to focus on the user experience for desktop browsers, but in recent years, it has shifted its focus to mobile and tablet browsers since most users browse websites from these devices. A good web design should not only please the eyes but also reflect a brand’s values and promotes easy accessibility and seamless navigation.

If you’re looking to design a successful website, you must be familiar with these 13 latest web design trends in 2022.

1. Complex Gradients

Gradients are color transitions where one color blends into another. Gradients can come in monotone, duotone or multicolor. Complex gradients aren’t exactly a fresh design trend, but they are regularly used in web designing to add depth to flat designs. 

Gradient designs made a remarkable comeback in 2018 with Instagram’s gradient logo, and since then, it has been setting up a new creative benchmark. Gradients can create an illusion of movement while keeping the overall design of a page minimal. They are versatile and can be part of any design element, from logos to texts and more. 

There are many gradient generator tools that you can use to decide on the color scheme or take the help of the Adobe Color Wheel to pick shades that match the vibe of the web page. 

2. Scrollytelling 

Scrollytelling is also known as narrative visualization. It is a series of visual elements woven together and arranged chronologically to present a story or message to the visitors. Just like you’d read a book at your own pace, this web design trend allows you to navigate through a website and control the flow of information as per your choice. 

Scrollytelling allows transition between different visual and styling elements such as alternate texts, animated effects, interactive background and sizing changes. These visual effects captivate the users and keep them engaged until the end. This design trend is apt for long-form journalism, brand storytelling and product pages. 

Scroll-based interaction is simple and spares the readers from second-guessing what to click, swipe or press to read the entire content. The dynamic interplay of text, images, videos and sound gives Scrollytelling content an engaging flavor. 

In addition to the conventional and intuitive vertical navigation, Scrollytelling also works wonders on a side scroll layout. This is especially useful to showcase portfolios, online galleries, catalogs, images and more. 

3. Neo-Brutalism

Neo-brutalism is inspired by brutalism, an architectural movement of the 50s that emphasized raw and exposed materials. Digital brutalism is characterized by plain backgrounds, asymmetric page layouts, untreated images and default computer fonts. But in 2022, digital brutalism has transformed into a less extreme version known as neo-brutalism. 

This style incorporates the essence of digital brutalism and pairs it with minimalism resulting in something substantial, bold and striking. Neo-brutalism brings much relief from the traditional layout concepts and plays around with super-high contrasts, purposefully clashing colors and quirky typography.

Neo-brutalism is an apparent yet subtle rebellion against the standard norms of web designing. It is one of the best approaches to a great user experience, mainly because it breaks the monotony of standard design practices. This design trend is apt for brands that want their products to amuse or entertain users and stand out from the rest. It is also a fantastic trend to be adapted by art and design sites that want to break the monotony.

4. Memphis Design 

Memphis design is a web design trend that originated in the 80s but is making a comeback in 2022. Bright colored shapes and lines characterize it. This design combines circles and triangles with black and white graphic patterns. Alternatively, scattered shapes can be directly placed behind the subject, creating a burst of abstract colors.

Memphis is more than just a design trend; it challenges the norm and signifies uniqueness and creativity. It encourages boldness in design and reminds us how whimsical elements can bring a great sense of styling to your web pages. Designers who don’t want to use flashy graphics in their entire design can opt for miniature Memphis design, where a small dose of the design trend can add the much-needed kick to the overall look and feel of a webpage.

5. Visible Borders

Although websites are designed on a strict grid and arranged together seamlessly with the code, they are made to look natural by omitting those grids and borders to create an impression that they are neatly floating in space. However, when left visible, borders can create a clear-cut layout and separate different sections of the page. This helps in an easy browsing experience.

Adding simple borders and frames to your web page can distinguish one section from another and make room for more content without the clutter. It also saves users the guesswork of where to head next on a web page. 

2022 is all about implementing visible borders as a part of the latest web design trends. The line weight is something graphic designers can play with to match the theme of the page. Fine lines reflect a minimalist and sophisticated vibe, while chunkier borders are playful and unconventional. Both thick and thin borders complement muted color palettes and bold typefaces. 

6. Handmade Graphics 

As 2022 brings you a host of technologically-advanced design trends, it’s easy to miss out on the sense of personality you can achieve with handmade graphics. DIY graphics are rising as brands try to incorporate relatable interfaces into their websites. 

Handmade graphics can include doodles, hand-painted sketches, handmade cutouts and more. This web design trend is meant to bridge the gap between digital and traditional designs and offer a real-world experience to the users. 

Handmade graphic design works well with websites selling eco-friendly products, sites running environmental-friendly campaigns, and those offering innovative products and services. Imperfect hand-crafted designs can bring much-needed change from vector illustrations and add a sense of organic human touch to your web pages. 

7. Maximalism

Maximalism believes in “the more, the merrier.” The motto of a maximalist design is to put in as many elements as you can into a page plus something extra. Flashy texts, bold images, bursts of colors and anything that speaks extravaganza in web designing can be incorporated into the realm of maximalism. 

While maximalism can be an easy pass for most designers due to an overwhelming amount of elements added together, it can be an approachable design trend for those who can correctly tune and refine different page elements to create harmony. 

Maximalism welcomes not only a bold and contrasting mix of colors but also typography styles. In contrast to minimalism, it plays around with the complexity of design elements by experimenting with layering, clashing patterns and more, leaving a greater scope of spontaneity, which makes this design trend a hit among youth culture like fashion brands, teen magazines, photography agencies, etc.

8. Typographic Hero Image

If you believe in the saying- first impression is the last impression, this design trend of 2022 is sure to impress you! The top part of a page, known as the “hero” section, is a crucial part of your web page. It is the first thing your visitors see, and if it fails to impress them, there is less probability of them scrolling down further to explore the rest of the page. 

In the last few years, the hero section of a page mainly consisted of eye-catching images. However, this year, it’s different. The hero section in 2022 is all about oversized typography. Usage of big, bold and thick typography in single solid colors sans images and videos is the trend now. They can quickly grab attention and are a style that can blend well with other design elements.

The typographic hero image showcases how creative typography can work as a standalone design element and present essential messages in a captivating way. This style can work wonders for news portals to highlight the top news of the day or any breaking news headline.

9. Off-the-Grid

A grid is one of the most important tools for a designer. It helps you decide the placement of your texts, images, animations and videos on a page. Thankfully, with lots of experimentation happening in web design, designers are now challenging conventional design theories.

Going off the grid is unconventional yet a welcome move from the known website layouts. Off-the-grid designs can bring life to a web page when combined with large typographic, dim-lit images, soft color transitions and a hint of minimalism. Off-grid layouts allow designers to develop unique yet engaging page arrangements and allow businesses to distinguish themselves from their competitors. This design trend works well for fashion, photography, and art businesses.

A distinct styling element of off-grid design is making page elements overlap. If you are not confident about the overlapping designs, you can break your page elements into containers. These are grids of different sizes containing different elements such as texts, images and videos and organized in blocks throughout the page. However, when experimenting with off-grid designing, it is essential to mind the whitespace to emphasize important elements of the page.

10. Imagery Multilayers

For the last few years, designers have focused mostly on minimalistic designs that promote clean interfaces. Working with visually complex designs is something that many designers avoid to make web pages more receptive to users. However, it is good to see some designers breaking the norm and stepping up their designing game by taking up complex elements and playing around with them. One such example is the use of imagery multilayers. 

Imagery multilayering is the usage of images in different layers. These images tend to be wide-angled and easy to understand to set the context of the page’s content. The right combination of photos, illustrations and animations can offer a visually cohesive experience to the users and get them to spend more time on a website. The imagery multilayer design is ideal for sites that want to put out plenty of information in a limited space. 

However, you must be careful about choosing visuals for this web design trend. Images that can fade easily without losing their essence can be utilized for multilayering. You also need to avoid clutter by trying not to assimilate several images together in layers. Imagery multilayer as a web design trend will work well for an array of businesses when used thoughtfully. 

11. Subtle Parallax Effect

The Parallax effect as a web design trend has been around for a while. In the Parallax effect, the website foreground moves faster than its background, creating a 3D effect and offering an immersive browsing experience to the users. However, the classic Parallax effect had seen a slow death a few years after its inception, especially when designers began to overuse it in not-so-good ways. Sites, where the parallax effect was executed, saw poor website usability paired with the slow website loading speed and endless scrolling.

So what makes it worth mentioning in 2022? Well, this year, we get to see a toned-down version of the parallax effect being used by many designers. There is less usage of heavy design elements that make sites slow and hard to scroll, and there is more focus on simplicity. 

Modern parallax focuses on smoother transitions which make it appear that an image gently glides onto another. Another way to utilize this trend is to divide an entire page into 3-5 sections and run the parallax effect in sync with the reveal scrolling effect for a fantastic browsing experience. There are plenty of other ways to use the subtle parallax effect alone or in combination with other web design trends. The actual usability will depend on the web page you are working on and its contents. 

12. Web-based Scavenger Hunts 

Scavenger hunts for web work best for contest pages and game-based websites. It can be used to unveil a product launch, a new video release or to make an exciting announcement. Using this design trend, you can daisy-chain different pages and add password protection that will stop visitors from accessing other website pages until they solve a problem or answer a question on the existing page.

Several creative ways exist to set a scavenger hunt and reveal prompts to help users move from start to finish. You can use the power of web design to create an engaging scavenger hunt. You can play around with word-based riddles, decode a cipher or ask users to find hidden clues or clickable elements on a page. You must provide subtle hints and workarounds to help them find the answers.

13. Glassmorphism

Glassmorphism is a technique where you combine blur effect with transparency to impart a frosted glass-like texture to the web design. Glassmorphism is a relatively new web design technique that saw a rise in 2020. It works by creating a veiled layer of transparency that is achieved through a mix of opacity, layering and blur value. 

Blurring is the critical aspect of glassmorphism and is tricky to get right. The background image in glassmorphism should appear as if it is being viewed through an out-of-focus lens. If you make the blurring effect too light, there is a chance that the background image can bleed through. For a safe bet, adding borders around the elements of glassmorphism can help add definition.

The background color also plays a vital role in determining how the glassmorphism effect can turn out. Background colors can’t be too simple and dull, or the effect won’t be visible. Vibrant colors can bring out the essence of glassmorphism by creating a contrast that makes the effect stand out. Glassmorphism is a versatile web design trend that any website can adapt.

Conclusion

Web designing is fascinating, with new trends being introduced now and then. While every web design trend may not gain popularity, each is a humble attempt to break the conventional design styles or modify them to bring a unique and noteworthy experience for the audience. How you incorporate them into a website depends on your creative outlook and the type of website you are designing. 

Which web design trends do you think will sustain in the long run, and which trend will fade away with time? Let us know in the comments.