20th Dec 2024
Micro-animations and freehand illustrations are set to become even more prominent in 2025. These design elements are subtle but powerful and help bring static websites to life. Micro-animations can highlight key elements, like buttons or calls-to-action, making it easier for users to navigate without overwhelming them. These animations provide intuitive feedback, guiding users’ attention to where it matters most. At the same time, freehand illustrations are gaining popularity as they replace traditional photography in some cases. Furthermore, illustrations not only load faster due to smaller file sizes but also offer a creative flexibility that photography can’t match. This trend is likely to continue, as websites shift towards more expressive, visually distinctive designs.
Artificial intelligence is revolutionising web design by making customisation more dynamic and personalised. AI-driven design tools are allowing for the creation of custom graphics, layouts, and colour schemes based on user behaviour and preferences. In 2025, AI will help designers craft more personalised web experiences, ensuring that every visit feels unique. For example, websites could adapt in real-time to a user’s location, browsing history, or interests, providing content that feels more relevant and tailored.
AI is also helping designers streamline their processes by automating repetitive tasks and enabling the creation of complicated design elements in less time. The integration of AI-generated designs will make websites more intuitive, engaging, and responsive, giving users a truly personalised experience.
Web accessibility continues to be a top priority, and this trend will grow in 2025. Websites must be designed with inclusivity in mind, ensuring that users with disabilities or varying needs can navigate and interact with content seamlessly. This includes optimising contrast for readability, simplifying navigation, and creating content that is adaptable to different devices and screen readers.
More and more businesses are focusing on ensuring their websites cater to people with visual, auditory, and cognitive impairments. Accessibility is also about creating a universal design that’s intuitive and culturally sensitive, considering factors like language, age, and familiarity with technology. This shift toward more inclusive design practices will help create digital content that is accessible to everyone.
Text is becoming a more dynamic part of web design, moving beyond its traditional role as a simple communication tool. Kinetic typography, where text is animated or moves in response to user interaction, is gaining popularity. Kinetic typography adds a sense of life and energy to a site, drawing attention to key messages and making content feel more interactive. These text animations can also improve accessibility by simplifying the delivery of information. Websites will use text in a way that’s not only visually interesting but also easier to understand, especially in multilingual or global contexts.
This trend is part of a larger movement to create websites that feel more like interactive experiences than static pages. Kinetic typography can make a website’s content more engaging, offering a more immersive journey for users. In 2025, we can expect to see more businesses utilising this technique to engage users and create visually compelling narratives through their websites.
Parallax scrolling is where background and foreground elements move at different speeds to create a sense of depth. It’s predicted to be making a comeback in 2025, but with a twist. Modern parallax effects will incorporate live content, video, and other multimedia elements, turning a simple scroll into an engaging narrative experience. Instead of static images, visitors will experience a dynamic flow of content, with videos, animations, and live interactions guiding them through a site.
Parallax scrolling can enhance storytelling and creates a much more engaging user experience as users become immersed in the site’s content. This trend for 2025 reflects the growing demand for websites to offer more than just information and rather an experience that really captures an audience's attention.
These web design trends for 2025 are the result of advancement in technology and creativity, and the need for more engaging user experiences. Web designers will use AI and advanced animation to create immersive, personalised and accessible websites. We’ll see trends such as micro-animations, AI-generated designs and an emphasis on inclusiveness, all focused on meaningful user experiences.
Clearly, web design in 2025 won’t just be about aesthetics, but about creating interactive and engaging experiences that connect with diverse audiences. We can’t wait to see the new, innovative and interactive web designs over the next year, no pressure on our Head of Web, Ben!
If you’re interested in adopting any of these exciting trends, check out our web design services here.
Or get in touch with us to talk about your website needs!
Sources:
Coursera: 5 Major Trends in Web Design for 2025
Webflow: 7 emerging web design trends for 2024 and beyond
