Every year brings a new list of design trends, and most of them are forgotten by the next one. The trends worth following are the ones that make a website easier to use, faster to load or more memorable for the right reasons.
These are the directions I’m using on client projects, and a few I’d avoid.
Worth following
1. Big, expressive typography
Large serif or display headlines carry a brand’s personality without heavy images. They load instantly and look sharp on every screen. Pair them with a calm, readable body font.
2. Bento grids
Content arranged in tiles of different sizes, like the services section on this site, lets visitors scan several ideas at once. It works especially well for services, features and portfolios.
3. Motion with a purpose
Subtle animations that show a process, reveal content as you scroll or respond to a hover make a site feel alive. The rule: motion should explain something, and it should never slow the page down. Respect visitors who turn motion off in their device settings.
4. Dark, rich colour palettes
Deep backgrounds with one warm accent colour feel premium and keep attention on the content. They need careful contrast so text stays readable.
5. Real photography and real work
After a wave of identical stock and generated images, genuine photos of your team, space and projects stand out again, and they build trust faster.
6. Speed as a design feature
Fast sites feel better designed. Lighter pages, modern image formats and less third-party code are now part of the design brief, not an afterthought.
7. Bilingual by design
In the UAE, more brands now design English and Arabic layouts together from the start, rather than adding Arabic later. The result feels native in both languages.
Trends I’d skip
- Scroll-jacking that takes over the scroll wheel and fights the visitor.
- Autoplay video with sound, or heavy hero videos on mobile data.
- Low-contrast “minimal” text that looks elegant in a mock-up and is unreadable on a phone in sunlight.
- Generic generated imagery that makes a brand look like everyone else.
A trend is worth following when your visitors would miss it if it disappeared.
Where to start
You don’t need a full redesign to benefit. Stronger typography, cleaner sections, real images and a faster page can transform how an existing site feels.
Want a fresh look at your website? Send me your link on WhatsApp and I’ll suggest where to start.
