The world has adapted to a new sense of living, “virtual living.” People work from home more or function within a hybrid workspace, kids may attend some classes online, and Ecommerce has gotten increasingly popular.

Nearly all businesses and services have undergone a digital shift.

For web developers and design teams, design trends and approaches to design have changed to accommodate the increase in virtual living worldwide.

Although these trends do change year by year, 2023 has some interesting and creative approaches to UI design in this day and age.

As a UI practitioner yourself, you might already know that very well.

But what about 2023? What design trends are making a name for themselves? 🤷🏻‍♀️

What UI trends and new design concepts are we expecting to grow and take the world by storm? Are we going to see facial recognition? Virtual realities, maybe? What about air gestures or react-native UI components? What does the future of digital design have in store for us?

Our list below will tell you how to stay relevant and find the best types of illustrations and design development trends that work for your brand in the competitive space that is design!

  • The Importance Of Design 🎨
  • The 10 UI Design Trends To Follow 🧩
  • Important disclosure: we're proud affiliates of some tools mentioned in this guide. If you click an affiliate link and subsequently make a purchase, we will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you (you pay nothing extra). For more information, read our affiliate disclosure.

    The Importance Of Design 🎨

    Before we dive into the 10 UI Design trends, let's quickly establish why design in general is so important in the world we live in.

    Design plays an important role in our lives. It influences how we interact with others, what products we buy, where we live, and even how we think about ourselves.

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    A well-executed design for a marketing campaign or a website can attract a large audience and promote a brand, physical or digital product, or an idea across the globe.

    Design has a place in nearly everything we interact with in our everyday lives. Design is a form of visual communication from an artist/designer to the world. It can affect how we feel about a topic, person, or place.

    For brands, this last point is an important one to keep in mind. Your audience is more interested in looking at authentic visual design images and representations of a concept or idea that your brand wants the world to see rather than facts and figures.

    This is not to say analytics and metrics are not important, rather people just prefer engaging with visual content that catches their attention and sparks further interest in a product or idea, especially if it's a certain design style they like.

    It is also important to remember that with every design trend, there are design risks associated with design decisions; however, design risks can often lead to impactful and memorable design.

    At the end of the day, what is important is that your target audience responds well to your design and that your design showcases your brand and its values.

    The design process starts by understanding who your audience is. What do they want?

    How will they react to certain elements like bold colors, bold fonts, muted colors, 3D icons, authentic images, and more?

    What is also important to remember is since the advent of touch screens, UI design has had to continuously adapt to fit the changing needs of consumers, day by day, as technology gains new developments, it is vital that designers keep up with the evolving trends present in the UI field.

    Once you know this information, it’s easier to figure out which colors, fonts, and layouts work best.

    The 10 UI Design Trends To Follow 🧩

    Design trends come and go, but we have grouped together some of the most popular and returning trends that designers all around the world are adopting into their design strategies.

    Bold Text 🆎

    If you’re looking for a way to grab a reader’s attention in a sea of words, it’s definitely by setting certain text in bold.

    Let’s face it; bold words will always stand out. They’re heavier than regular text, and that’s enough reason why people will notice them immediately. In UI, bold typography is primarily used to emphasize, establish priority, and convey the relative ranking of the given information.

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    Bold fonts are there to help designers and content writers alike establish a typographic hierarchy

    That’s why we see headings, subheads, and page numbers usually in bold to highlight the importance of certain ideas/topics.

    It keeps users engaged and not overwhelmed with a long wall of text that is all the same size.

    Image Source: UX Planet
    Image Source: UX Planet 

    As you can see above, the websites consist of different themes - black and white, muted, and a site with bold colors. What do they have in common?

    That’s right, bold oversized text emphasizing the most important points. Bold text usually works the best with minimalist design approaches and white backgrounds or flat color backgrounds; however, these are not set in stone.

    Every design project is unique and will require an in-depth approach best suited to it and its target audiences' needs (and wants).

    Voice Commands 📢

    Whether it’s asking Siri to look for the nearest coffee shop or requesting Alexa to play classic Christmas tunes, we’re pretty sure you’ve used voice commands before.

    As we're in the age of advanced technology, tech giants, and Artificial Intelligence, the popularity of voice-enabled technology is growing with each passing day.

    In fact, ComScore reports that more than half of all smartphone users were engaging with voice search in 2020. An estimated 41% of adults use voice search at least once daily.

    User engagement is an important factor to consider when using a variety of design elements, and the user journey needs to be enjoyable and seamless.

    No wonder more and more digital marketers and businesses are now investing in voice-enabled technology to enhance the digital experience.

    Forward-looking developers will certainly need to explore the possibilities of introducing voice commands into their apps. And yes, that includes you.

    If the stats haven’t convinced you enough (though we’re kinda confident they have), here are six benefits of incorporating voice control into your UI design:

    • You can use text-to-speech in real-time
    • It captures speech way faster than typing
    • It helps boost productivity and cross-platform development in many businesses
    • It makes you completely accessible to those with a vision or speech impairment
    • It enables hands-free work
    • It saves more time

    In terms of application, voice-enabled features come in handy in the following areas:

    Virtual Assistant

    Perhaps the best thing about voice technology is getting to have your very own virtual assistant.

    This is especially helpful for users who may have disabilities and need alternative methods of communication.

    If you have many things going on at a time, you can always count on voice assistants developed by tech giants like Alexa, Siri, or Cortana to perform those extra, less important chores for you.

    Social Media

    Voice messages are currently on the rise on social media platforms as one of the popular social media strategies and social media trends. Gone are the days when users would get in touch with their friends via regular texting.

    With voice messaging being a faster and more exciting mode of communication, allowing people to express themselves authentically, it makes perfect sense that it’s super trendy right now and is boosting user engagement on social networks.

    Voice messages are great because they don’t require any typing or writing skills. They’re easy to send and receive, and they allow users to communicate quickly without having to wait for someone else to respond.

    They help form a deeper connection with an audience, especially mobile users whose social platforms and source of social media content are usually on their smartphones.

    Education

    Who says learning at school has to be boring?

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    Voice-enabled features make learning more efficient, interactive, and fun for everyone.

    Many teachers now allow students to use voice-powered devices for routine learning exercises - from learning the definition and pronunciation of new words to memorizing spellings and even translating foreign languages.

    Playgroup toddlers can also benefit from voice tech. Through a smart speaker, they can learn how to recognize the most basic sounds.

    Traveling

    Thanks to voice recognition and generation features, folks who travel a lot won’t have to find themselves frustratingly dealing with language barriers anymore.

    Translation apps that can be downloaded for smartphone users will assist them whenever they’re on a trip abroad to help create an immersive experience. The mobile interface for these apps is usually easy to navigate.

    Healthcare

    People with physical impairments, especially those with a limited ability to use their hands, will greatly benefit from voice control.

    Undoubtedly, mobile devices with such features and simple designs can help resolve many of their day-to-day drawbacks with helpful mobile interfaces.

    Emotional Storytelling 📖

    Everyone loves a good story, particularly one that resonates with them. It evokes strong, positive emotions and gets them hooked. It keeps them coming back for more.

    Realizing this, web designers have come up with a brilliant idea: Use emotional storytelling and more creative design elements and types of illustrations to gain a better insight into their audience, build empathy, and reach them on a more personal level.

    By crafting stories, they’ll have a better grasp of what their prospects and customers want from a solution.

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    Ideally, a powerful story should be simple, clear, authentic, easy to follow, and of course, emotional.

    While there’s no magic tool, using design assets and elements like the plot, character, theme, dialogue, melody, decor, and spectacle will make a memorable narrative experience.

    All of these storytelling elements stemmed from Aristotle’s brain. It was through analyzing numerous Greek tragedies that he was able to identify a framework that constitutes a good story structure. He went on to propose these elements in his work “Poetics.”

    By combining these seven elements, designers can build a positive user experience and learn how to align the business story with an online presence throughout each step.

    For instance, personas are fictional characters you create so you’ll know to whom you’re crafting an experience.

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    Their story will help you and your team understand your end users' personalities and how they’ll respond and navigate to a particular site or app.

    You’ll use dialogue as a way to figure out what and how the information is transmitted to your audience. It will help you decide on the design voice and tone you’ll be using for your interface.

    The decorative elements will be set as your inspiration for the graphics and layout. Would your visitors prefer a minimalistic design? Or would they be more attracted to a monochromatic website?

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    The thing about emotional storytelling is that it presents an opportunity for UI designers to engage with users on a deeper emotional level rather than using it merely to disseminate information.

    At the end of the day, it’s always about people, specifically those you’re catering to. Every step of the design process is centered on them, their wants, and their needs.

    Below are three examples of apps demonstrating excellent storytelling with a visual design that captures the attention of users:

    Every Last Drop

    Image Source: Every Last Drop 

    Jess & Russ

    Image Source: Jess & Russ
    Image Source: Jess & Russ

    Cover Story

    Image Source: Pitchfork

    You might also want to consider incorporating animations and emojis into your design strategy. Sure, they may be unnecessary, but they can make the user experience much more exciting.

    For example, Asana’s web developers and designers have decided to add a bit of flair to create a motion design in their interface. Web and mobile phone users will see unicorns and little monsters flying across the page after completing a task.

    Micro-Interactivity 🔎

    Micro-interactivity is another UI design trend to look out for in 2021 and beyond.

    Micro-interactivity can make or break a user interface. Well-designed micro-interactions enhance the user’s experience, whereas poorly designed ones will damage it.

    👉🏼 Micro-interactions are there to delight users and create engaging moments.

    They come in four parts:

    • Triggers to initiate a micro-interaction
    • Rules to determine what happens once a micro-interaction is triggered
    • Feedback to let users know what’s taking place
    • Loops and modes to determine the meta-rules (which tend to define knowledge about how systems work) of the micro-interaction.

    Although they’re just tiny elements, micro-interactions can significantly impact the user’s experience. Here’s how:

    • They make it easier for users to interact with your site
    • They improve web navigation and load time
    • They direct the user’s attention
    • They encourage liking, commenting, and sharing your content
    • They offer tips to your visitors
    • They provide users with instant and relevant feedback about a completed action
    • They add an emotional tone to your website
    • They can save time for users by instantly communicating information in a way that doesn’t distract or bore them

    Micro-interactivity can be in the form of clicking buttons, hovering over objects, or changing focus. Facebook’s “like” button is a good example, and the typing indicator in chat windows is another.

    When’s the right time to use micro-interactivity then? Below are the top five instances:

    Data input: Creating an account or setting up passwords can be such a hassle - not with an effective micro-interaction, though.

    Proactive suggestions on password strength and usage make the process more convenient for the user to move on and keep them engaged with the process.

    Provide more interesting tutorials: Humans are hardwired to seek information. Hence, we have tutorials to quench our thirst for it.

    With the aid of micro-interaction, tutorials can guide users by simplifying and highlighting the basic features and controls for better understanding.

    Swiping: Say goodbye to tapping, and say hello to swiping! With the swipe action, users can switch between tabs quickly (no long loading time!). This saves them a lot of time on their phones.

    Current system status: It’s vital to keep your visitors posted about the current status of an app, software product features, or website. Those who aren’t informed usually get frustrated, leading them to make an exit.

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    This is where you can leverage micro-interactions to let them know what exactly is going on in real-time.

    Call to action: With the role of micro-interactions nudging users to interact with an app or website, it’s only fitting that you use them for your CTAs.

    3D 🎲

    While the use of 3D elements and 3D animation may require more processing power for users, it has the ability to generate more engagement.

    As visual creatures, humans are easily attracted to realistic, authentic images within visual content.

    Plus, the fact that 3D can show a 360° view of just about any object or place instead of a flat design or static image gives people all the more reason to become mesmerized.

    Image Source: Angry Birds 

    A rapidly growing 3D trend in design is the idea of re-imagining reality. With the rise of the metaverse and other virtual reality worlds, designers are creating futuristic patterns, abstract illustrations, and designs that lead to a hyperreal experience, where reality is displayed in high detail or even warped.

    To show you how it’s done, here is a website making the most of the 3D user interface, futuristic designs, and abstract patterns (check it out, it's really cool!)

    Image Source: Fave

    Asymmetry 🎭

    In a nutshell, asymmetrical design refers to an intentionally uneven arrangement of visual elements and abstract images.

    You can tell an asymmetrical design by checking for differing shapes, contrasting colors, irregular sizing, and changes in line weight.

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    While symmetry intends to give your design a more classical, structured feel, asymmetry provides your designs with a more playful, dynamic feel.

    In interface design, asymmetry is used to create less formal and more creative concepts, and text blocks are typically included.

    The hierarchy is sometimes marked by prominent images, illustrations, bold colors, or large text.

    Based on the example below, both blocks are identical in width and height. But, due to the difference in image size and the presence of white space or white backgrounds, you can see the left block appearing smaller than the right one.

    As a result, we find our eyes leaning more towards the latter.

    Image Source: Fru.it

    Another way to create asymmetry is by pairing different elements such as text and images. The trick lies in how you put them together. The mood of both elements should be complementary.

    Here’s their Instagram to give you inspiration:

    Color schemes also play an essential role in asymmetry. Sharp contrasts and color transitions in hue (such as black and white) or opposites in the color wheel can feel lopsided or even chaotic.

    As natural as they look, asymmetrical color patterns give off an odd sense of balance to them.

    Take a look at how Wix experimented with colors and images to form asymmetry.

    Using a variety of dark, brighter colors and neutral color palettes and lines is a time-proven way of effectively introducing asymmetry in layouts.

    Image Source: Wix

    Dark Mode 🌑

    The dark mode is becoming an increasingly popular interface development trend amongst smartphone users in particular, as well as on apps and websites, from social media accounts like Facebook Messenger and Twitter to WhatsApp, Apple, and more. Should you follow suit?

    Absolutely.

    Setting your phone, laptop, or other digital devices to dark mode brings a couple of perks.

    It protects your eyes by preventing blue light from emitting from the screen; it’s great for night use and helps save battery life. This is why most people would switch to the dark side 👀.

    Perhaps those who benefit the most from dark mode are those with visual impairments or sensitive eyes. Individuals who are working at night, especially if their screen size is quite large, will appreciate apps or websites with the option of switching to a dark background.

    With lower brightness showing from the screen, they won’t have trouble locating certain elements anymore.

    Now you know why many UI designers today are so keen to go dark.

    Cartoon Illustrations 🐧

    Cartoon illustrations in design bring in a new way of looking at a brand and its components.

    Including custom cartoon illustrations showcases your brand's playfulness and imagination and will likely bring a smile to your audiences' faces (bonus!).

    With custom graphics, colorful icons, and illustrations, the opportunities for marketing your brand are endless.

    You can add your cartoon illustrations to business cards, websites, social media visuals, and content, acting as your brand's own mascot (think Duo, the owl from Duolingo, or Salesforces' Astro, Codey, and Friends).

    This helps form a connection with your audience as well and makes your brand stand out, especially if your illustrations contain bold colors.

    Many brands enjoy incorporating hand-drawn illustrations and handwritten fonts or custom fonts, and custom graphics with bright colors to get the most out of promoting their brand as unique.

    That 90s Nostalgia And 70s Retro 📼

    Ah, the 70s and 90s, the decades that made some of the largest impacts on the design industry within the 20th century.

    Brands are utilizing the nostalgic 90s feel through older web frame designs, with bolder background colors, simple emojis, flat doodles, bright colors, bold colors, bold fonts, color filters, and more.

    Image Source: Halfday

    The 90s design elements bring a feeling of comfort to UI design; people recognize the design style, and combining that nostalgia with minimalist design or abstract illustrations works really well.

    70s Retro is also back in style, and it looks like it is here to stay.

    More and more brands are utilizing psychedelic design elements, abstract illustrations, brighter colors, color filters, colorful icons, and unique color transitions in their website, social media marketing campaigns, and social media accounts.

    Image Source: Caava

    Audiences enjoy the funky and messy vibe that comes with the retro style, it comes across as joyful and relatable. The 70s UI, like the 90s, brings a feeling of familiarity with audiences.

    Minimalism 🪴

    Minimalist design has been a constant design development trend over the years, and for a variety of good reasons.

    For one, it helps to emphasize a design element, featured image, or subject matter, whether that's bold text, an icon, or an illustration, it leads a viewer's eye to the main focus of the design.

    Image Source: Cuyana

    Abstract shapes, flat icons, and geometric shapes are popular with minimalist designs. They tend to create a feeling of uniformity and work well with white space, white color schemes, and neutral color palettes.

    Minimalist design is also seen quite often on a brand's social media platforms, whose social media graphics utilize white space and muted color palettes.

    Keep in mind it is still possible to have a minimalist design that contains brighter colors and bold fonts, it's just that neutral colors are usually more prominent.

    The minimalist design also benefits audiences with difficulty looking at busy layouts and who struggle to navigate a website or social media platforms efficiently because of the design and screen size. In terms of inclusive design, minimalism is the way to go.

    Final Thoughts 💁‍♀️

    2023 will be the year where bold text, voice commands, emotional storytelling, micro-interactivity, 3D design, an asymmetrical design, dark mode, cartoon design, retro styles, and minimalism dominate the world of the user interface.

    Keep in mind that you don’t have to mix all these design practices in your website, social media content (social media visuals, social media ads), or app. Feel free to experiment first to see which trends work best for you.

    Oh, and one last thing, track your results every now and then and keep up with popular design trends!

    Let audiences provide you with valuable feedback, the world of UI design is a competitive space, and you need to make use of all the tools at your disposal if you want to stand out and adapt to the future of design.

    Let your imagination run wild!