— 29 comments — Text by Stuart Brown
t's been well over a year since I compiled the original list of web cliches, so I figured it was time to revisit some of the trends currently prevalent in web design now.
Things have definitely moved on since last year; Web 2.0 is not so en vogue as it was, instead being replaced with richer colours, rougher textures and (on average) fewer rounded corners.
So what trends have emerged? What's hot, inspiration wise?
Odd one, this. Seems the current trend du jour is to employ a cutesy vectoresque graphic character. This fits in with the tendency to use strong colour and graphical elements in the current crop of designs rather well.
The human element of the cartoon also serves as a fashionable replacement for the cliched stock imagery of yore - no longer do you need a photograph of a woman talking on a phone to convey what your business is about. These days, you can utilise a cartoon character to achieve the same effect.
Examples: Elitist Snob, Freelance Switch, sr28, Global Zoo, Wishlistr, and NetNova.
The world of web design has seen some sweeping changes since its inception years ago - many of the limiting factors that were once such a concern are no longer in place. With far more bandwidth to play with, and a limitless palette from the full 24-bit gamut (a far cry from 'Web Safe' colours!), the once humble background image has now become the underpinning feature of many designs.
Complex swirls, flourishes and rougher drips and sprays are a common choice these days, and they are a great way to add some spice to an otherwise plain backdrop.
Examples: Rawnet, taDesign, Høy puls, imloušekStudio.
Creative use of backdrops has also meant a lot of designers opt to 'break out' of the conventional box model. Why bother rounding corners when you can ignore them completely?
With better CSS support in browsers comes more creative use of backgrounds, absolutely-positioned elements and full transparency - perfect for breaking down hard edges and enabling freer designs. The humble basic <div> boxout isn't going anywhere yet, but it's always nice to have options.
Examples: Cult-foo, Web Designer Wall, Airborne and dreaming, Belchatów.
Ah, yes. Oft a joke at Web 2.0's expense, the oversize RSS icon is very much alive and well. Perhaps not as ubiquitous as it was, the size of the RSS icons is still the prime concern of the webmaster looking to promote their feed.
Examples: ReviewMe, ShoeMoney, and the Daily Star.
Whether it's wood, paper, stone or a combination of all kinds of texture, anything other than flat colours or basic gradients has been hot this year. I suspect it's a backlash of the gradient-led design that prevailed in 2006, but rougher backgrounds are in, and cleaner designs are out.
Ink spills, scrawls, scratches and other real world effects have played a strong role, as well - 'busy' is most certainly the look to aim for, it would seem.
Examples: Jesús Rodríguez Velasco, Cottonseed Oil, and Dulles Dodgeball.
The neon hues of Web 2.0, such as Flickr Pink et al, have toned down a bit and found a more earthy set of hues in many current designs. Darker reds, burgundies and browns are a popular choice - and these pair well with the ubiquitous dark grey background, favoured by a lot of sites.
Examples: 9rules, OnWired, ScoreReviews, SayHej!.
So there you have it - another six trends that seem to have bubbled to the top of the collective design community. Things have gone from Web 2.0's clean and simple to busier and less conventional designs. Colours have gone from electric neon to more muted rich reds, earthy tones and textures. What on earth will 2008 bring?
Good roundup of current design themes - though I wouldn't call them cliches, cliches by definition have become old and hackneyed, while these are just signifiers of a current trend or fad. What I think is most interesting is also how these themes are now escaping the web and finding their way into other media - a lot of print media and video also use cutesy characters, lush & rich backdrops, broken borders (especially in advertising). It's interesting to see how "web 2.0" is leaking slowly out and influencing design in other media - rather than the tradition of online design being derived from offline.
Cliche is probably a little harsh - trend is probably a more accurate term. Give it another year or so, though, and some of the styles might be a little more tired :)
Things have definitely got a lot richer, more complex, in the last year - the web's slow to react to changes, but broadband penetration is high and CSS support is better than it's ever been (although some distance from perfect).
IMO, http://joyent.com/ has the best illustrations and 'cutesy' cartoons. Very well done list. I have certainly enjoyed most of these new design trends and am envious of the creativity/skill/talent it takes to create some of them.
Great roundup. Ironically, the next version of my website fits in a lot with these trends. I don't think these trends are bad, it seems refreshing to me and I think they will stick around for a while.
Great collection. The designs this year have definitely been a lot more complicated, and a lot more "outside the box." I'm liking it a lot!
Good write up, and while cliché may be the wrong term now, they certainly will be soon.
However, I do like quite a few of those trends. Dark background / rich colours being one, and also the borders that break out.
thanks for this list! i have also noticed these same trends. but this is a much nicer writeup of them than i would be able to create :-)
Nice post. I don't think you were overly incorrect to use the term 'cliche', but that's just me.
P.S. Am I blind, or is there no in-site way to submit your articles to Digg, etc?
I want to make my RSS icon like the one on Daily Star.
Oh my god! That is hilarious. I am sorry, but I just don't find any of those sites to be as professional as they could be. Thats why I designed my publication all around grid design and fibonacci sequences. There is now a space open at my publication for contributing writers, there will be a space open for you guys! Contact me!
Spot on.....and what about the popularity of 'distressed' typefaces?
I attribute the 'cartooney' stuff to Pixar and its enormous popularity and exposure. But I'm also seeing a real flow of images/colors/styles between commercial design/art and what's showing and selling in the fine art galleries......INTERESTING!
Hello. Thanks for your article. However, I think you forgot "uncluttered design", isn't it ? :)
Same sort of list here. I like these lists.
http://www.thinkvitamin.com/features/design/web-design-isms-7-surefire-styles-that-work
I loved this roundup. I think you did a great job of capturing the movement of the current trends to the new trends. I posted a while back about 2006-2007 design trends (http://bajooter.com/archives/2006-2007-website-design-trends) but I really think these trends will carry on into mid 2008 if not almost to 2009. Oh, don't you love the new darker hues? BTW you have a fantastic design! I really dig it.
guilty!
I wouldn't call it a cliché just yet though. Anyone still sticking with common trends a year later maybe.
Awesome post. As for myself, I've very much enjoyed browsing sites using the dark grey background with earthy and sometimes bright colors. These designs make Web 2.0 pastel colors look like BLAH!
I enjoy most of those visual treatments, but not those "cute" characters - hope that trend fades out soon! Typo in the sub-heading - "earty tones"?
Nice article. I also blogged about trends a few weeks ago. It's nice to see that as a design community we are all pretty much on the same page.
http://colorspretty.blogspot.com/2007/11/design-la-web-whats-hot.html
I love these posts :)
Most of these are so often emulated it's ridiculous. Not strictly limited to the web either, just look at some of the more popular magazines on the newsstand and I guarantee you will find an example of each and every one of these styles.
If you want a good example of a website that uses all of these just check out LoveBitesandBruises, it's a classic example of web cliches gone MAD.
Web 2.0 is the only cliche/trend of 2007. Great job leaving it out. Don't quit your day job...unless your day job is a web designer.
Broken borders a cliche? Well it has been done for years with Billboards I guess...
Great observations. I think you're pretty much right on as far as I've been able to tell looking at trends this year. I just got done writing my own article about the most irritating design trends of the past year that you may find interesting:
http://nuttersmark.com/articles/32
Nice article, explaining really new trends at Web 2.0 '07 designs. Thanks :)
total nonsense
most of the things we've seen for years now
you sure don't surf a lot, at least not much further than the usual 'I-am-a-webdesigner-look-at-my-blog' websites
A scathing counter-riposte, Pieter. I can only assure you I spend plenty of time surfing the internet, far beyond the safe harbours of the design clique.
But, like fashion, web design exhibits certain tropes and nuances that are 'en vogue' at any given point - and in my experience, it's the types of sites I linked to in the article that serve as such examples of design.
Sites by web designers pioneer web design trends shocker. Film at 11.
I think you did a great job of summarizing the web "fashion" trends of the year. Like clothes, what's old is new, and then there are the classics. Some can get away with wearing the wild new fashions and on others, the "business suit" still looks best.
Found you via a Stumble - I'll be back for sure!
You forgot "Light Bursts"