Build a Modern Website: Design Inspirations and Tips

Why you should pick a modern design

There are many benefits to selecting a modern design to make a website. One of the most important reasons is that it will look good and be easy to update in the future. Modern designs update frequently with new trends and technologies, so you can stay up-to-date with no hassle. Additionally, these designs make websites more user-friendly and low maintenance, which is great if you're busy running your business or have several online obligations.

Modern design also is more visually appealing, which may increase conversion rates on your website by drawing attention away from potential consumers. Finally, today's competitive market requires businesses of all sizes to stand out from their competitors, and a modern design can help achieve this goal better than any other type of web development.

Modern design elements

The best modern design elements will vary depending on your personal tastes and preferences. However, some of the most popular contemporary design trends that you may want to consider include a focus on clean lines, Scandinavian design principles, the use of natural materials such as wood or stone for furniture or walls, organic patterns and colors, minimalistic designs with a hint of whimsy, and an emphasis on functionality over fashion.

Modern website design trends

There are several modern website design trends to be aware of if you want your site to look its best. Some popular trends include using transparent backgrounds, adding dynamic shadows and highlights, using soft fonts, and implementing lightboxes for gallery or video content. Combined, these elements can help to make your site look sleek and stylish.

Beyond the visual aspects of website design, it's also important to consider how users will experience your site. For example, creating easy navigation paths and making sure all content is accessible via keyboard shortcuts or screen readers. By following these tips, you can ensure that everyone who visits your site feels comfortable and informed about what they see.

Top trends include:

Full-page headers

Full-page headers are an oldie but a goodie. From the early days of the web, designers have incorporated full-page headers into their website designs in order to draw attention to specific pages on your site.

A full-page header is also useful for creating branding consistency across multiple pages of your website so that users know exactly where they’re going when they land on any page of your site.

The use of full-page headers has been around since websites were created, but it wasn’t until the rise in mobile use that this trend really took off. Now more than ever, full-page headers help draw user attention to specific pages on your website and can also create branding consistency across multiple pages.

Image headers

Image headers are similar to full-page headers in that they provide a focal point for your website content. But image headers take things a step further by incorporating images into the header itself. This makes your site header more visually appealing and draws user attention away from other elements on the page, like text content.

As with all design decisions, find a balance between using too many images and not enough text; otherwise, your site will start looking cluttered and unprofessional.

Grid design

Grids are an easy way to create a unified look across your site’s pages, no matter what device users view it on. Creating a responsive website with flexible and scalable grids makes site navigation easier for visitors, regardless of their screen size.

The basic idea behind a grid-based design is that you lay out all your content within a set of predefined rows and columns, then use CSS to determine how much space each element gets. For header images, you can either center them or align them on the left or right side.

White space

There are many ways to incorporate white space into your website, but the most popular way is to make your images bigger and add more white space around them. With this method, users see more of your content, which can be especially helpful if you have a lot of text-heavy pages.

For example, Airbnb keeps its content simple by adding extra white space around it and making sure all elements are clearly marked as buttons or links on hover.

Color

In 2022, color will be everything. With the use of color and contrast in websites, users can better understand the information they’re viewing.

Custom illustrations

When it comes to modern web design, illustrations are a big trend. They’re a great way to break up the text on your site and create visual interest that will keep visitors coming back. Professional custom illustrations are also a great way to establish brand identity.

Lighthearted cursors

In the past, designers have used clickable cursors to indicate important areas on websites. Today, you can use this technique for fun.

A playful, custom cursor is more engaging than a typical arrow or icon. They’re generally larger and more colorful than traditional icons—so they stand out from the background better. And their shape and size are usually something unexpected, like a smiley face or an eye.

The playful cursor is a great way to attract visitors' attention with fun design elements that stand out from your background. You can use this modern web design technique to grab users' attention in several ways.

Parallax scrolling

Parallax scrolling was popularized by Facebook and Twitter, and it has become an essential part of their design.

The parallax effect occurs when the background image moves at a different speed than the foreground image, creating depth. This creates an impression of motion and depth, making content more engaging for viewers.

Engaging stories that generate leads

Stories aren’t just effective at grabbing attention—they also encourage users to interact with your site. This helps you generate leads, drive engagement, and generate sales. It's no wonder that brands are looking for ways to tell stories through their websites or why storytelling will continue to become more prevalent in 2022.

Increased focus on UX/UI

The traditional user experience has focused on the visual design of a website. It's no longer enough to create an effective user experience. We need to start paying more attention to usability and user interface as well.

Visitors are used to interacting with sites in various ways, from clicking on buttons or links to scrolling through pages and selecting text. We assume that they know how the site works already—so we don't focus on making it easier for them to use the site. Instead, we focus on making sure that their visit won't be a frustrating one. We often make things harder than they need to be, for example, hiding menus by default.

Modern web design tips

In designing a website, there are many tips that can help you achieve the look and feel that you're aiming for. Here are some of the most popular:

• Use clean and organized design principles. This will ensure that your website is easy to navigate and looks professional.
• Use high-quality images that capture your target audience's attention. Featured images, backgrounds, accent colors, for example, all play an important role in making your site stand out from the competition.
• Make use of typography to create an engaging user experience. Good typography includes well-written copy accompanied by clear text formatting, which makes web pages easier on the eyes and helps raise reader retention rates. Fonts such as Arial or Verdana make great choices for both body and headings due to their legibility at any size.
• Keep white space minimal so pages load quickly without sacrificing readability or eye appeal.
• Use buttons sparingly.
• Optimize page loading times by using compression techniques when possible.
• Make brand consistency your maxim.

Begin designing your website

Although web design has come a long way, there's still something about a visually appealing website that pulls in more potential customers. With the right web design, businesses can achieve a sleek and modern look that will help them stand out from the crowd. Mailchimp offers businesses the perfect platform to achieve a modern look while keeping costs low, which is only one of the reasons it’s perfect to use to design your small small business website.

With these tips in mind, your business can have the best website design on the net.