5 WordPress Web Design Trends for August 2023

ByCarrie Cousins

The anticipation of a change in season is also a good time to start thinking about change in other areas as well. It is something you can already see in design projects, where designers are trying some new things with projects (and we are digging some of these options).

Here are five great trends to consider this month:

1. Video Buttons, Not Auto-Play

If you aren’t a fan of auto-play video, this is the design trend for you: Video buttons without auto-play. Hero videos have been a dominant design element for quite some time, but come with some challenges – size, sound, user aggravation, or accessibility. This design trend this solves many of those concerns.

Bonanza Studios uses an oversized button to play their video rather than use it for the hero background. It pops open in a large size that’s easy to see, and you can control the player’s controls.

  • Why it works: Users like to know when sound or animation is going to be part of the design. This trend gives users that control in an easy-to-manage way.
  • How to use it: Rethink video backgrounds and their purpose. Particularly if you have an information video that has sounds or needs intentional attention, this can be a better option.

2. Art Gallery Inspiration

A magazine-style website design with tactile motion, from page turns to subtle design elements, can feel like holding a book or art prospectus.

In the example above from Brooklyn Editions, which is for artwork, you can see how this concept comes to life. It’s beautiful and interactive. The trick is that the entire design needs to be viewed and interacted with to get the full effect and really understand how everything comes together.

The other challenge here is color contrast, but a design like this has a quite distinct audience that the design team probably researched before publication.

  • Why it works: There aren’t many opportunities to provide a tactile experience in the digital space with something that feels like paper, but this does. It can help create a polished and expensive feel that fits specific project types.
  • How to use it: This isn’t just a play for art galleries. The book-style experience can work for a number of projects – think of things that may have traditionally been done in print but are online now.

3. Outlined Type Elements

Alternating fills and outlines for type elements creates an immediate impact and a focal point. That’s why designers use this option. See a perfect example of this from Babs.

An outline element can also take some of the weight out of a design or text if things don’t have the right balance or if you want specific words or phrases to have more presence than others.

Here, you may find yourself looking at the outline text first because it is different. And that’s ok. The design allows you to think about the words and comprehend them quickly because there aren’t too many things to read (that’s part of the reason this style works here).

  • Why it works: Different type styles garner different kinds of attention and help generate visual flow for readability.
  • How to use it: The trick to this design technique is using simple typefaces in combination with only a few words. You’re not going to want to string a whole sentence out there in an outline font treatment; it will be nearly impossible to read. Background elements and contrast are also quite important here.

4. “Cluttered Heroes”

Why are there so many things to look at? That might be the question you ask when looking at some designs that feature more cluttered hero header areas. 

This is a style that can showcase a lot of things at once or works when you don’t have a distinct point of action. The message you send here is quantity – you have a lot of whatever you are featuring. Just take a look at the example above from Vicio.

  • Why it works: This style can highlight the depth of brand or variety and can be great for newer projects that are trying to gain footing. It’s also a popular choice for projects that focus on user-submitted content and want to show a lot of different items at once.
  • How to use it: You really have to think about how all the pieces play together and fit. If it looks like you just dumped all your design pieces on the screen without organization, it won’t work. The end result should look like there was a method to the madness.

5. More Accessible Experiences

Google’s Project Relate is one of the cooler things we’ve seen in a while, especially when you are thinking about online accessibility and human communication. The tool learns non-standard speech patterns to assist in communication. Pretty cool, right?

But there’s a lesson here for every designer: How can you create something that’s easier for everyone to use? All types of people and all ability levels?

There are a lot of different answers to this question, but it should be something you ask when working on projects. How can you best connect with your target audience and beyond? What design elements are necessary to create better, more understandable communication? For helpful tips on making your website accessible, check out this talk given by Bet Hannon at our first Kadence Amplify event.

  • Why it works: Accessibility works because it creates a more level playing field for all users to understand and interact with design projects.
  • How to use it: Familiarize yourself with web accessibility best practices and figure out the best ways to incorporate them into your projects.

Putting it All Together

Can you see yourself using some of these concepts in design projects? If nothing else, there are some great overall ideas to help you think about everything from artistic composition to better, more accessible design.

A Kadence Full Bundle gives you everything you need to keep up with all the design trends and take your website to the next level. From the Lottie Block in Kadence Blocks to the ability to create fully customizable designs and pages, the Kadence Full Bundle gives you everything you need to make beautiful, effective, and engaging websites.

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