We have a slightly sceptical relationship with trend lists. Plenty of past "trends" (parallax everything, hamburger menus on desktop, 100vh hero videos) aged badly and hurt usability. So this list is filtered through one question: does this make websites better for the people using them?
1. Real photography over stock
Visitors have become very good at spotting generic stock photos and obviously AI-generated images. They read as "this company didn't bother." Real photos of your team, your office, your products and your work, even if they're not perfect, build more trust. We're budgeting for a half-day photo shoot on more projects now, and it shows in the results.
2. Bento grid layouts
Named after Japanese lunch boxes, these are layouts made of boxes of different sizes arranged in a grid. They work well for feature sections and service overviews because each box holds one idea. They also adapt naturally to mobile, where the boxes just stack. Apple made them popular, and they've stuck because they're genuinely practical.
3. Bigger, bolder typography
Large, confident headlines with plenty of space around them. Variable fonts make this easier, since one font file can provide many weights and widths without slowing the site down. Good typography is one of the cheapest ways to make a site feel premium.
4. Subtle, purposeful motion
Not spinning logos and elements flying in from every direction. Small animations that help people understand what happened: a button that responds when tapped, a smooth transition between pages, a card that lifts slightly on hover. Browser features like View Transitions and scroll-driven animations make this possible with very little code. And always with a reduced-motion option.
5. Dark mode as a proper option
Not just an inverted colour scheme, but a properly designed dark theme that follows the visitor's system setting. More people use dark mode on their phones every year, and a bright white website at night is jarring.
6. Interfaces that explain themselves
Less clever, more clear. Menu labels that say what they mean ("Pricing" rather than "Invest"). Buttons that say what they do ("Book a free call" rather than "Submit"). We've seen this "boring" approach improve conversions on almost every site where we've tried it.
7. Accessibility as part of the look
High-contrast colour palettes, clearly visible focus states, larger tap targets. A few years ago these were treated as constraints that made designs uglier. Now some of the best-looking sites are also the most accessible. Good design and accessible design are converging.
8. Personality in small places
Custom illustrations, a distinctive cursor on a creative portfolio, a playful 404 page, a hand-drawn underline on a heading. With so many sites looking similar, small touches of personality help a brand feel human.
What we're leaving behind
- Autoplay carousels (nobody waits for slide four)
- Chat popups that open themselves after five seconds
- Scroll-jacking that changes how scrolling feels
- Low-contrast grey text that looks elegant in a mockup and is unreadable on a phone in sunlight
The trend underneath the trends
If there's one theme across all of these, it's sincerity. Real photos, clear words, honest interactions. As more of the web fills up with generic, automated content, the sites that feel like they were made by actual people for actual people stand out more than ever.
