2021 threw the rule book out the window, the design trends are a fusion of retro, ultra modern and old fashioned styles. We’re in ‘anything goes’ territory and we’re loving it.

While past trends have all been driven by the promise of ‘newness’ and ‘modernity’, 2021’s design trends are focused on making people happy.

Whether it evokes nostalgia, soothes the eyes and mind, or just provides some much needed light hearted fun. Design trends this year appear to be creating a much needed safe haven from all the drama that 2020 had to bring.

We’re so excited to see what else might come into the spotlight soon, but for now, here are

Gradients

Gradients first came into prominence in the 90’s, with the sky blue ombre that screams Saved by the Bell being the height of graphic design at the time.

I say this with a mocking tone because it’s true, as a designer I looked at gradients and other style trends of the 90’s and thought those things would never make a comeback. Yet here I am now, loving it!

This trend reemerged in 2018 with the infamous rebranding of Instagram’s logo. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say I was shocked by this design choice at the time, but I’m a total convert!

The audacious bold colours create contrast and the illusion of depth that adds vibrancy and movement to the design. Gradients bring a wonderful sense of energy to things that is just so refreshing.

It’s such a versatile thing that can be used across backgrounds, text fill ins, call to action buttons and much more. If you look for it, you’ll see it everywhere, and I for one am happy about that.

The thing I love most about this trend is that it provides a sense of playfulness and optimism. People are looking to the creative industries to uplift them, and I think gradients are doing just that.

Serif Fonts

I previously mentioned that 2021 has revealed some trends that don’t quite fit the 30 year cycle, and this is one of them- Serif Fonts.

I have always been a fan of the classic, traditional charm of a Serif and I couldn’t be happier to see them get the appreciation they deserve.

There was a move to Sans Serif fonts in the 20’s and 30’s that has never really been reversed. Their popularity stemmed massively from their ultra modern feel and screen legibility. However, now technology has caught up with ultra HD screens on almost every new device, isn’t it time that Serif makes it’s return?

2021 says Hell Yes!

This isn’t a diss on Sans Serif by any means, it’s just simply that some brands have never suited the clean style of Helvetica and Monotype Grotesque. It was often seen as the default but now people seem to be exploring what’s more appropriate and representative of their identity and what works best for their company.

The reintroduction of Serif feels like a huge step towards a more authentic design space, one that I’m extremely excited to be a part of.

Dark Mode

Dark mode has become somewhat of a controversial topic. With a lot of people calling it life changing, and others saying it ruins good design.

Me personally? I have completely converted to the dark side.

Dark mode’s popularity lies in the long list of its supposed benefits, users claim that it reduces the amount of light emittance and therefore makes sites easier to read and safer on the eyes, whilst also reducing energy usage and saving on battery life.

The average user will spend the equivalent of 34 years of their life looking at screens, there needs to be some changes made to make screens more user friendly and I believe that dark mode is the first step towards that change.

Science and benefits aside, Dark mode is an extremely attractive alternative to the vibrant white we’re all used to. There’s something about it that speaks to a certain level of richness and luxury, like black coffee and dark chocolate, it oozes elegance and sophistication.

It doesn’t work for everyone and it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I get that. But I have to say, I love it!

Illustrations

2020 brought about a movement to support small businesses, support your local and support individual artists, and this is carrying on well into 2021 and beyond. This is possibly why we are seeing illustration and hand drawn elements everywhere! We want to see the humans behind the company name.

It’s that element of personal touch that I think everyone has missed. Following a year of lockdowns where we all had to remain apart, it’s comforting to see that human touch in things. You want to look at something and feel the person behind the work, not the machine.

Using illustrations gives a company so much more personality and makes them that much more relatable to their customers. We see it as a way of re personalising and re humanising brands.

Matchstic’s blog section is the perfect example of this, their use of illustration not only speaks to the brands identity, but also so boldly shows that someone made this, someone is in charge of this article page and cares a lot about its appearance. It just makes their site that much more enticing and makes you truly want to read their blogs.

I hope we see more companies doing this, because I think they’re killing it.

Custom Cursors

I understand your initial thought might be that I’ve gone mad, But here me out.

Custom cursors are bringing back that nostalgic feeling of your first computer, changing the background and the theme and downloading sparkling and flaming cursors that eventually plagued your computer with viruses. Great memories right?

I get it, you’re not sold yet, but these are different.

Custom cursors are being used as a way of cutting through the seriousness of the internet, to bring a little bit of fun back, and, to tell you the truth, they’re extremely clever in the way they lead users to your calls to action.

Burocratik.com have this technique nailed! The combination of a custom cursor and micro animations make for an extremely intriguing website that users will want to spend more time on and engage with, leading to more conversions. Sneaky.

Custom cursors don’t have to be animated, Matchstic, who I mentioned earlier, are a perfect example of this. They’re making great use of this trend as a way to further implement their logo into the user experience whilst also showing a bit of the brand personality.

It’s about creating something that sticks in the users head, and I haven’t been able to get either of these out of my mind.

Scroll Animation

Have you ever browsed a website and been absolutely fascinated by the various motions and effects that show up on your every scroll? This is called scroll animation and this trend is making big waves in 2021.

Scroll animations bring the user to a new and more enjoyable level of information perception. They’re not only entertaining to look at, but they also greatly increase user engagement and make a website and brand more memorable.

Heco and Weglot are 2 examples of companies that have this down to a t!

Their websites are extremely different in intention and appearance, however they both get their point across extremely well. The balance between information and animation is perfect, and there is something about it that just speaks to the child in you. It’s pure fun.

The takeaway from all of this is simple: 2021’s design trends have come about for a much needed break from all the seriousness, and have created a move to a more authentic design space.

Job Description:

We have an excellent opportunity for a Front End Designer/Developer to join our growing team in the heart of Lancashire. You will be working alongside our creative team to produce work for a wide variety of clients.

The ideal candidate must be adaptable and have good interpersonal and communication skills. You will need a great eye for design to deliver what the client wants. The design industry is forever changing, so we want to ensure that our team members are open to learning new skills.

It is extremely important that whoever joins our team is someone who can manage their time and their projects efficiently. At times, deadlines can be tight, so you must be able to work proactively as part of a team as well as using your initiative when working on your own.

So, if you have a creative passion for design and are looking for your next challenge, this may be the job for you…See below to check whether you fit the bill!

Key Requirements:

• Experience of WordPress, WooCommerce & Elementor would put you in a strong position
• Excellent HTML, CSS knowledge
• Ability to communicate with clients and adjust designs to fit their needs
• Excellent organisational and time keeping skills
• Proactive with an enthusiastic approach
• Excellent written and communication skills

Bonus skills:

• Knowledge of Shopify is beneficial, however not essential as training can be provided
• Experience or good knowledge of SEO best practices
• Knowledge of Social media, PPC, Google shopping
• Knowledge of Adobe XD

The ideal candidate will be based in our studio in Lancashire, close to motorway links. Flexible hours available, Monday to Friday. On-site parking available.

If you think you have what it takes to join our team, please email your CV to careers@watersidecreative.com, alternatively, if you wish to discuss anything, please email your query in.

No recruitment agencies please.

I have read and heard about the struggles others are facing and I feel it is good practice to do this on a regular basis, so that we can appreciate what we have been blessed with. In a week, where the government decided not to extend free school meals for children in England into the half-term holiday, I thought about all the people who will struggle to feed their children for various reasons, like having lost their income due to the pandemic, something no one could’ve planned for. I am grateful that I am not in the same predicament. However, we have to be grateful for humans like Marcus Rashford and his campaign and all the people and companies who have gone above and beyond and shown what happens when we are let down, in true spirit, we battle on. Big clap to everyone chipping in, in whatever way they can!

So, back to the article, why you should have a website in the current world of COVID-19? A lot of businesses have struggled to keep their shops open in the “current climate” (I hate these words, but nothing else fits) so being online is more important than ever.

More and more people are choosing to shop online, even our parents have started shopping online for their clothes, food, DIY tools (never thought that would happen but it’s nice to see they have moved with the times) and so with that, comes the pressure to be online with an effective eCommerce website which attracts customers and retains them to ensure they become long-term customers.

I always say, your website has to look good but just as important is the usability of it, it has to be user friendly, it has to flow. It just ensures that visitors can find what they’re looking for, without too much trouble. In my opinion, your visitors have to have a smooth visit, a smooth transaction, information should be easy to find and your photos should be of high resolution. And, of course, like you would secure your retail store, it is absolutely crucial, you secure your website. You don’t want to be a victim of a cyber attack, you don’t want to lose your customer’s trust.

Track, track and track, I couldn’t emphasise this more. You need to track where customers are going, where are they dropping off, etc. If you track behaviour, you can make improvements to make your site to make it work for you.

If you are looking to develop your brand, website or eCommerce store this year, get in touch with the team at Waterside Creative today, to discuss your requirements.

Let’s Work Together

Fill out our quick and easy Project Planner by clicking the link below. We’ll then check your brief submission and arrange a quick informal meeting over a cup of coffee to discuss how we can help you.

Project Planner

• Redesigning a website for a high achieving school
  • Paradise Primary School based in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire were looking for a change on their online presence. With the previous site, it was not representing the values and high quality teaching they specialise in.
    • Let’s Work Together
  • Fill out our quick and easy Project Planner by clicking the link below. We’ll then check your brief submission and arrange a quick informal meeting over a cup of coffee to discuss how we can help you.

Redesigning a website for a high achieving school

Paradise Primary School based in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire were looking for a change on their online presence. With the previous site, it was not representing the values and high quality teaching they specialise in.

The new website redesign now shows the school in a better spotlight and focuses on the many successes and daily achievements of their children. By highlighting these key features, parents considering a school for their child will now be able to make a much much informed decision. Visit site: https://buff.ly/2JRyS4f

Let’s Work Together

Fill out our quick and easy Project Planner by clicking the link below. We’ll then check your brief submission and arrange a quick informal meeting over a cup of coffee to discuss how we can help you.

Project Planner

Sometimes it’s not always a flashy website with tons of animated features and plugins. Here we have a completed site for a wonderful team at MSK Leasing. They approached us with the aim of creating a site to provide information and collect data to be able to source leasing deals for their customers. It needed to have the design element and focus on ease of use to ensure the customers see the best deals of the week and also be able to submit an application in the fastest, most reliable way possible.

Our client was very pleased with the final outcome and we went through a quick guide on how to add, edit and remove content from the site using the WordPress platform so they can update the site themselves.

If you are looking for something similar for your business, feel free to visit the Project Planner and also see our range of work. Follow us on Instagram & Facebook where we share regular updates, office life and design news.

Checkout the site here: www.mskleasing.co.uk

Keep reading as we share our thoughts.

Instagram is a great tool to start gaining exposure of your new startup business. However, it can become quite demanding. Constantly having to be on the app to reply to customers queries and orders. Let me tell you why this is the perfect time for you to get yourself on to Shopify.

What is Shopify and how does it work?

Shopify is a complete commerce platform that lets you start, grow, and manage a business.

• Create and customise an online store
• Sell in multiple places, including web, mobile, social media, online marketplaces
• Manage products, inventory, payments and shipping

Shopify is completely cloud-based and hosted. This means you don’t have to worry about upgrading or maintaining software or web servers. You can edit and add products to your Shopify from your mobile app!

What makes Shopify so great?

Ease of checkout

Getting your customers from your homepage to the checkout is so much smoother and reliable. You will notice you will have better conversion rates when moving to the Shopify Platform.

Free SSL

For the sake of the security of your data and your customers, you will need to have SSL (The green HTTPS in the URL bar) on your site. With someone like Woo Commerce, you’ll have to pay extra for it, but with Shopify it’ll be free. What’s not to like?

Better mobile experience

For an online business, it is necessary that your ecommerce store is fast, efficient and easy to use.  Shopify has a great, clean mobile interface. With it, your customers can easily navigate your site and find just what they want.

Built-in support to sell on social media

You can tag your images on Instagram with your products on your Shopify platform. Users browsing your Instagram feed can easily tap on a product in your picture and instantly see the product preview and click the link to take them to your Shopify website.

Simple backend interface

When you do make changes to your store, the last thing you want to deal with is a labyrinth of dropdown menus and annoying auto-formatting. Shopify is super user-friendly, which means you don’t have to be a tech wizard.

Future-ready

Shopify is constantly updated and improved, often with cutting edge technology that no one else is using yet. It seems like the best way to be sure you’re still in the game when whatever new way of shopping in the future rolls around.

How can we at Waterside help?

We have been creating and designing Shopify stores for our clients for a long time. Every client is doing fantastic in terms of growth and sales. NUHR Home was built on Woo Commerce initially and now are using the Shopify platform. They have seen great results. Majority of our clients are looking for a reskin. We help with creating a new web visual layout for you before developing your Shopify store.

If you are looking to move over to Shopify or build a new ecommerce store for your business, these are some of the things we can do to help you:

• Develop a visual style with your existing brand identity.
• We can help migrate you to Shopify.
• SEO to help you site rank higher in Google search.
• Content creation for your new website.

However, you might not be convinced that Shopify is right for you. That’s completely fine. If you require more guidance and advice, feel free to arrange a 30 minute meeting by visiting the contact page and filling out the short form.

However, if you are ready to take the leap, the next step is for us to discuss all the little bits and bats over a coffee in our studio office. Let’s talk about how much you will need to invest in our services. The estimated project completion, and most importantly, when you can launch your brand spanking new sales platform.