From websites without images above the scroll, to ecommerce that disguises itself as content, to bright blue everything, here’s a look at what’s trending this year.

No Art Design

The no art design style used to be reserved for ‘coming soon’ of construction pages that didn’t yet have suitable images to use; but this trend is growing even for websites with plenty of other imagery.

If you have a message or statement that is the most important thing for users to know right away, this can be an effective design technique. It works because there’s nothing else to see. To make the most impact using this style designers must concentrate on using beautiful typography and strong colour choices.

Bright Blue

It might not come as a surprise that a bright colour is trending. But the hue might surprise you. Bright blue backgrounds, text elements, overlays and more are everywhere. The colour is rather cheerful and works with almost any content type.

Blue is traditionally one of the most used colours among all website designs. Mostly because of associations that are harmonious, pleasing and trustworthy. This brighter blue adds to that with a somewhat lighter feel.

Ecommerce That Looks Like Content

More ecommerce websites are deploying site architectures that look less like pages of items for sale and more like integrated content elements with a “buy it” button included, carrying over trends from social media.

Content is king… even when it comes to online sales.

This idea makes sales more about lifestyle and uses a product placement philosophy to sell items. This design concept can take a lot of time to plan out and design effectively, but it can be worthwhile if it resonates with your target consumers.

It’s an interesting way to create a more authentic connection with users, a key marketing concept, particularly among millennial shoppers and audiences. It’s one of those design trends that has a lot of potential to grow.