UX/UI Design

The UI Design Trends Flourishing in 2021

So far, 2021 has been a year of digital acceleration and customer-centricity. The pandemic has forever changed the way that we work, consume, learn, and socialize. In order for websites and mobile applications to be successful in this digital landscape, they need to deliver a streamlined and intuitive experience to end users whose expectations for user interfaces (UI) are higher than ever. As the final quarter of 2021 has officially kicked off, we take a look at some of the UI design trends that have been flourishing this year.

Lisette Bragg

Sep 3 2021 • 5 mins Read

What is UI Design?

For those who would like to refresh their memories or are seeing the word for the first time, we will give a brief overview of what user interfaces are and why it is critical to a site's or application’s success.

The user interface refers to all the digital interactions a user will have with an application in order to accomplish a task. Whether that task is reading up on the latest news on a mobile phone, ordering dishes from a restaurant’s touchpad, or selecting music to listen to with the touch screen in a car. User interfaces services are all around us and are constantly increasing as more tasks are completed digitally.

The user interface design refers to all the processes that designers apply to create interfaces in applications or software, with a focus on style or appearance. When creating user interfaces, UI designers need to constantly consider what makes sense to end users and pay attention to what they might find appealing and easy-to-use.

Now that we have that cleared up, let’s continue with a guide of UI design trends for 2021.

Trend 1: Minimalism

People spend a lot of time in front of screens consuming content; social media posts, videos, ads, and more. A minimalistic design that is stripped of excessive features will highlight the best qualities of your product. With fewer distractions, consumers can better focus on your core product or main message. A website or app with too many illustrations can take away from your user interface and ultimately the user experience that you are providing.

Minimalism

Trend 2: Animated Illustrations

Much like last year, unique and funny-looking illustrations remain a trend in user interface design. Illustrations are attention grabbing and help users to engage with your products. They can be used to tell your brand’s story, clarify your message, visually represent your products or services, or simply to decorate and enhance your user interface without distracting from it.

Trend 3: 3D Graphics:

Another type of illustration that remains popular in web and mobile interfaces are 3D graphics. These graphics create a sense of realism in a design and can help to improve a product’s appeal. We anticipate we will keep seeing this trend into next year. In 2022, even more websites and mobile applications will utilize 3D graphics to provide users with an intuitive and appealing user interface.

3D Graphics

Trend 4: Geometric Structure

This trend has been around for a while but seems to have really flourished in 2021. By using individual shapes like rectangles and squares, designers can create an illustration with character. This type of design gives the user interface a clean yet conservative look. These geometric structures are often combined with some kind of optical illusion to grab the users’ attention. For example, by adding shapes in different colors you can create the illusion of shade which gives geometric illustration a 3D appearance.

geometric design

Trend 5: Storytelling

Storytelling has become an essential element in marketing. It helps brands to make their content resonate with their audiences. The same goes for the user interface. You know the saying, a picture is worth a thousand words? Visual storytelling is a powerful tool to resonate with your audience. The best UI designs assure users that you understand them and their problems. Storytelling helps you to engage your audience on a deeper, emotional level.

Storytelling

As you may have noticed, there is a thin line between user interface (UI) and user experience (UX). Although the two are indeed closely related, they are not the same thing. In one of our recent blogs, you can read more about UX and the benefits of improving user experience. If you feel like you could use some help regarding UI/UX development or product development, then don’t hesitate to reach out to Pixel506. We are here to help you.

Key Takeaways

In order for websites and mobile applications to be successful, they need to deliver a streamlined and intuitive experience to end users whose expectations for user interfaces are higher than ever.
A minimalistic design that is stripped of excessive features will highlight the best qualities of your product and can help consumers to focus on your core product or main message.
Animated illustrations are used to help tell a brand’s story, clarify a message, visually represent products or services, or simply to decorate and enhance the user interface without distracting from it.
3D graphics create a sense of realism in a design and can help to improve a product’s appeal.
Geometric structures such as rectangles and squares, are used by designers to create illustrations with character. These structures are often combined with some kind of optical illusion, like shade, to really grab the users’ attention.
Visual storytelling helps companies to resonate with their audience and to deliver positive experiences that build brand awareness, trust, and loyalty among users.

About Pixel506

Does the user interface of your website or mobile app need a revamp? If you want to stay relevant and up-to-date with the latest UI trends and UI technology, Pixel506 can help. We are an innovative digital marketing agency that helps companies with their strategies, technology and designs. We offer nearshore services and consultations for companies operating in all industries. Our UI/UX experts provide intuitive design solutions that deliver responsive and user-friendly experiences. You can contact our team for a customized offer. As a professional UX and UI design services company, we take the time to get to know you and your business, so that we can offer a ‘pixel-perfect’ solution that will help you grow.

The UI Design Trends Flourishing in 2021