As we are now more than halfway through the year, we're taking some time to look back at website design trends we've seen so far in 2021. None of these are brand new trends, but have either resurged this past year or continued their previous popularity. If you're interested in website design Greenville NC, stay tuned to see our list of trends.

Virtual Reality

Our office has briefly explored the world of VR, but the possibilities for VR extend far past playing virtual reality games. Companies have added VR experiences to give users a more immersive experience to their website design Greenville NC. Airbnb is supposedly working on adding a VR feature that would allow guests to take tours to get a feel for the place before booking or arriving for their stay. Websites like WebVR Showroom allow you to virtually move around the showroom and change out the pieces to envision how the furniture would look in your space. With seemingly endless opportunities to utilize VR, this trend will likely continue through to 2022.

Stay Small

Micro interactions and micro animations have become increasingly popular in website design Greenville NC. They both function to guide the user through the site, but can also engage the user. Check out Rouser to see how easily the slight bubble interaction draws users deeper into the homepage.

Ditch the Pics

Images and videos are often used in the hero section, the top part of the homepage that gives the user their first glimpse of the website. Full-width images are used to draw the user down into the rest of the site. However, full-text hero sections are becoming more prominent so far this past year. Large text over colored backgrounds works well at catching the user's attention when they're used to seeing lots of imagery used in the hero section.

Accessibility

Speaking of text over colored backgrounds, strong color contrast between text and backgrounds is trending in 2021. The increased accessibility is visually pleasing, but also benefits disabled users and website owners. More users are able to fully experience the site, creating more traffic to the site and potentially higher search engine optimization (SEO). Hopefully this is a trend that sticks around, creating a more inclusive experience for users and benefitting site owners with higher overall traffic to their websites.

3d Illustration & Animation

Use of 3D illustrations and animations in design have increased a lot this past year. If you go through a few design-related posts on Instagram, you're sure to stumble across one of these bubbly objects and characters. Using these elements in website design Greenville NC creates an immersive experience for the user by adding depth to what's on-screen. You can learn how to make your own, or pull from the vast amount of free or affordably priced 3D icon packs that are available.

Parallax Scrolling

Parallax scrolling is another trend that adds depth to what the user is experiencing on screen. Parallax scrolling works by separating elements between the foreground and background, and scrolling at different speeds based on placement between the two. This effect can engage users and decrease the bounce rate for the site. Check out this beverage site's parallax scrolling effect at Drink Cann.