- Ana Cvetković
- Nov 20, 2023
- 11 min read
Updated: Apr 27
With trends entering and exiting our culture faster than ever before, it can be challenging to keep track of what’s hot and what’s not. (Is it too late to buy myself a pair of cargo pants?) Web design is no different—what’s cutting-edge today might be passé tomorrow. Recognizing this, Wix established an internal Trend Library. This invaluable resource keeps our designers in the loop with regular updates on emerging trends, ensuring that our templates and overall design strategy consistently stay ahead of the curve.
To give you a leg up in this ever-changing landscape, we’re sharing insights from one of the Trend Library’s content strategists, Michelle Klein. With each modern website design trend we explore, we'll spotlight one of our Wix users who has masterfully incorporated it. These examples aren't just showcases of great design; they're sources of inspiration for your own website projects. So, stick with us to discover how to make a website that’s in keeping with today’s trends.
Ready to venture into modern website design? Wix’s website builder has just about all the tools you need.
13 modern website design examples
Below you’ll find 13 modern website design examples with aspects that you should consider incorporating into your digital design language. Each example is a live site created on Wix.
01. Mango Marketing: dopamine-boosting colors
With burnout reaching epidemic levels, many people are spending countless hours scrolling through TikTok or watching cat videos to boost their moods. Give your website visitors a dopamine fix with an explosive website color scheme.
While dopamine-boosting color palettes consisting of bold colors have made their way from the runways to our closets, they’re also making a splash on the web.
Take inspiration from Mango Marketing, a digital marketing agency with a website that’s drenched in a vibrant orange. From the firm’s logo to the image in the hero fold, just about every element on the site features this cheerful color, which is reminiscent of the agency’s namesake fruit.
Give your site visitors a boost with this colorful canned drink store website template.
02. Tiff Cruz: expressive typography
While a picture is worth a thousand words, sometimes you want website visitors to focus on just a few words. Bold, expressive typography is popping up all over the web, according to Michelle.
“Designers are going bigger than ever before, with over-the-top, XXL titles that often take over a third of the screen,” says Michelle. “In a world where attention is fleeting, these titles make it impossible for us to look away.”
Incorporate this trend by welcoming visitors with a large, showy website header that leaves an impression. This trick is particularly useful on business websites that are more informational and lack visual elements.
When you land on Tiff Cruz’s website, you can’t help but notice her name, which stands out in a large, funky, cream-colored serif font against a stark black background. This design makes her name unforgettable, reinforcing her personal brand.
Eager to try this big trend? Give this home goods website template a spin.
03. ZHOOSH: dynamic animation
Also known as web animation, dynamic animation is a modern website design element that makes your site more interactive when visitors click, scroll or hover.
Since our eyes tend to seek movement and focus on things in action, dynamic animation makes for an attention-grabbing website. All in all, animation and motion are sophisticated features that generate playfulness and lead to people spending more time on your website.
Here are some ideas for how to incorporate animation into your modern website design:
Hover animations: Apply interactive hover effects to buttons, images or text. These can include changes in color, size or other subtle movements when the cursor hovers over them.
Parallax scrolling effects: Create a sense of depth and dynamism with parallax scrolling, where background images move slower than foreground content as you scroll through the page.
Reveal animations on scroll: Set elements to animate into view as the user scrolls down the page, adding a dynamic layer to the browsing experience.
Entrance animations for elements: Use entrance animations for different website elements, making them slide, fade, flip or zoom in when the page loads.
These features, available in the Wix Editor, can help make your website more interactive and engaging, encouraging visitors to stay longer and explore more. Remember, while adding animations can greatly enhance the look and feel of your site, it's important to use them thoughtfully and not overload your pages, as this can impact loading times and overall user experience.
Website and branding design agency ZHOOSH’s homepage is full of dynamic animations. From buttons that wiggle and change colors to headers that italicize and make a description appear on hover, this site masters this modern website design element.
Take advantage of this marketing webinar website template’s dynamic animation.
04. DA Creative: tomorrow-world aesthetics
Smart homes, self-driving cars and AI all make us feel like we’re living in the future. So it’s no surprise that futuristic design elements, like digital avatars, space-themed motifs and AI-generated content, are playing a strong role in modern website design these days.
The colorful, chromatic spinning elements in design agency DA Creative’s header and footer evoke futuristic, sci-fi shapes that hint at the agency’s forward-thinking approach to their work. Thin ellipses on the page look like Saturn’s rings and add to the space-age feel of the website.
Use this marketing webinar modern website design template to give your site a tomorrow-world twist.
05. Daniel Aristizabal: organized chaos
To truly craft a modern website, it's time to let go of conventional design principles and embrace a more expressive approach. Michelle advocates for a bold departure from the neatly organized layouts of the past, suggesting we lean into the inherent messiness of human nature and its imperfections.
“We’ve made a true departure from neat organization, embracing real human nature and its many flaws,” she says. “This mess has a positive effect, liberating designers from old norms of art direction and allowing for freer expression.”
Art director Daniel Aristizabal’s website is a joyful homage to rule-breaking. It features three animations that simultaneously vie for your attention, playfully disregarding the standard rule of visual hierarchy. Elements seemingly overlap and compete, creating a dynamic, lively experience.
The static image positioned above the fold in the top right corner accentuates this approach, floating independently—almost as if it's an afterthought, challenging the norm of deliberate placement and balance. This design not only captures attention but also celebrates the freedom and creativity now flourishing in modern web design.
With this fashion designer website template, you can make your online home a site to see.
06. Dopple Press: retro vibes
Sometimes modern website design is all about what’s new. Other times, it borrows from the past. “Design has followed current events in its reverse direction,” says Michelle. “The 70s, 90s and 2000s will continue to provide uplifting inspiration, while the rebellious 80s and a darker medieval period will grow in popularity.”
Michelle recommends experimenting with VHS video styles, medieval fonts, grunge motifs and pixelation. These low-resolution elements and effects remind us of simpler times. “Until now a visual element to be avoided, pixelation is gaining popularity in images, fonts and even clothing,” says Michelle. “Fueled by internet nostalgia and inspired by AI tools and the metaverse, it reflects a deliberately low-tech aesthetic amid a rapidly progressing digital world.”
Retro vibes are front-and-center on printing studio Dopple Press’s website. A playful, anthropomorphic theme carries from the man-in-the-moon-like menu icon to the pink mascot to the animated printer below the fold. This website also features funky 60s and 70s design elements, like peace signs, chunky fonts and amorphous blobs. “1930s-inspired cartoon elements are back in style, adding a nostalgic, playful and human-like quality to inanimate objects,” notes Michelle.
The site is even home to a throwback from the days of Clippy, the Word assistant. On Microsoft Word, you could click on Clippy to get help. Dopple’s website pays homage to Clippy by instructing visitors to click the paper clip icon to request assistance. Clicking on the icon launches the visitor’s email service.
This fintech webinar modern website design template offers the nostalgic vibe you’re itching for.
07. AST & Partners: dark mode
We’re increasingly seeing modern website design embrace dark mode, a setting found on smartphones, web browsers, search engines and other user interfaces.
Dark mode pairs dark backgrounds with light-colored text and elements. Not only does this trend give websites a sleek, stylish appearance, but it also offers several benefits:
Reduced eye strain: Dark mode reduces the amount of bright light emitted by screens, making it easier on the eyes, especially in low-light environments. In other words: people can browse for longer periods without experiencing as much eye fatigue.
Energy efficiency: This setting often uses less energy (particularly on devices with OLED or AMOLED screens), so it stands to reason that the design choice will do the same. Dark pixels require less power than bright ones, potentially extending battery life on mobile devices.
Focus on content: Dark mode can help draw attention to the content itself, as the dark background allows images, text and multimedia elements to stand out more vividly.
Accessibility: This modern website design trend can improve readability for users with visual impairments or sensitivity to bright light.
AST & Partners’s website is easy on the eyes, literally and figuratively. The design agency built its online home on a black background with white text. Dark mode helps colorful visual elements come alive in the foreground and keeps the focus on the portfolio text.
Step over to the dark side with this product landing page website template.
08. Sharon Radisch: modular grids
While many web design trends come and go, grids are a staple of modern website design. Their longevity is a testament to the enduring power of structured layouts in the digital age.
That being said, Michelle has noticed a slight variation on grids that has emerged on the scene: modular grids. Modular grids divide a page into uniformly sized boxes, which creates an organized structure for arranging content.
“Breaking up sites into Bento Box-like sections impacts everything in the design, from the grid and layout to the visual language and colors,” she says. “This method is neatly organized with minimal spacing in between, but also incorporates playful elements like slightly rounded corners and refreshing color combinations.”
Depending on the effect that you want to create, grids can either create unity or hierarchy among website elements. Artist Sharon Radisch achieves both by using a uniform grid on her portfolio site; the grid highlights her specialities as an artist (spanning industries like fashion and still life, jewelry and more) without overemphasizing one industry over another. However, Sharon uses pops of color to draw visitors’ eyes to particular blocks.
Get your business on the grid with this wedding planner modern website design template.
09. Foodie Marketing: 3D graphics
Let’s say you’re making a website for a marketing agency. Instead of illustrating your services with photographs or two-dimensional icons like every other marketing firm, use three-dimensional-appearing icons to make your website stand out. You could find an icon of a 3D camera to represent your photography services or a 3D pencil for your copywriting services.
If you’re interested in adding a 3D moving element, use Wix’s transparent video tool to add this type of motion to your site. If you don’t have the time or skills to design 3D graphics, find some in Wix’s Media Manager or commission them from a graphic designer.
Foodie Marketing makes its website pop with fun 3D icons of aesthetically pleasing foods. The icons add a playful flair and futuristic twist to this professional website. Foodie Marketing gets bonus points for making these icons tilt when a visitor hovers over them.
Give your online business some dimensionality with this gaming company website template.
10. Kode With Klossy: edgy navigation
Your website’s navigation menus need to be intuitive so visitors can easily get from one page to the next. But just because navigation is practical doesn’t mean it can’t also be beautiful.
Modern websites call for edgy, interesting navigation. Think beyond utility when designing a website—without sacrificing it—and make your menus and website footers captivating design features.
Check out supermodel-founded coding program Kode With Klossy’s inventive menu for modern website design inspiration. Clicking the pink and green bars on the top left of the website triggers a chartreuse-colored menu to roll in and take up the whole screen. The two bars twist until they turn into an “X,” which you can use to close the menu.
This full-screen menu focuses your attention on where to go next. Each option is labeled and accompanied by a unique icon. When you hover over an icon, the icon turns a dark green that matches the background of the homepage. This interactivity supports the navigational experience by highlighting where visitors are about to go next.
Try out Wix’s mega menu feature or use the lightbox element to create a full screen pop-up menu.
11. Ivy Chen: interactive scrollytelling
Say goodbye to static sections and hello to scrollytelling: a modern website design element that uses dynamic scrolling to tell a story.
Unique scroll effects can create an interactive browsing experience that complements your content. By incorporating movement, dynamic scrolling effects add a fun quality to any website, while encouraging visitors to explore more.
Consider applying these scrolling effects to your website with the Wix Editor:
Parallax scrolling: The background changes as you scroll down the page.
Scroll-triggered animations: Scroll and animations pop up but the rest stays the same.
Horizontal scrolling: The page moves to the right or left instead of down.
Long scrolling: You scroll down one page for a longer period.
Infinite scrolling: The page will go in a loop and you will scroll down and eventually start again at the top.
The foreground elements on fashion and graphic designer Ivy Chen’s website change as you scroll down the page, while the background stays the same. This long scrolling effect makes you want to keep scrolling to see what else the homepage will reveal.
Get moving with this creative director modern website design template, which is chock full of scroll effects.
12. New Wave Magazine: homepage video
Did you know that people remember 95% of a message when they consume it in video form, compared to only 10% when reading it? Introducing visitors to your website with a homepage video will make it more memorable and engaging.
Homepage videos aren't just functional; they add an aesthetic appeal that has become a hallmark of contemporary website design. They provide a dynamic way to communicate your message and set the tone for your site, making it more impactful and visually striking.
Be inspired by New Wave Magazine, whose homepage video plays automatically and takes up the whole above-fold-section. The video shows off the magazine’s passion for fashion and captivates visitors’ attention more effectively than a photograph would.
Ready to flex your directing chops? Wix Video Maker makes video production accessible.
13. The New Denim Project: austerity
Functionality and minimalistic aesthetics are the name of the game when it comes to this element of modern website design. With fewer distractions, the most relevant elements stand out on a clean, simplistic website, making them easier for visitors to find.
This style embraces negative space (more commonly known as white space) to put the content front and center, making sure the main message doesn’t get lost. Austerity can also be a nice reprieve for viewers who are so often bombarded by visuals.
Another way to implement austerity on your website is to embrace classic symmetrical website layouts. Symmetry ensures that your content is broken up in a clean and organized structure. Experiment with the following layouts for a modern website design:
Card-based layouts: This layout displays images and other content in bite-sized rectangles, making it ideal for portfolio websites. Slightly resembling a collage, this layout is simple to navigate and stays consistent across screens.
Split-screen layouts: This interface layout divides the homepage into two or more vertical parts, creating a quick navigation experience when one half of the page is dedicated to the menu and the other half to primary content.
Textile company The New Denim Project’s website is a masterpiece of minimalist web design. The site embraces the white in white space by placing ample room between each section and using white to provide a visual respite for visitors and make denim-colored elements stand out.
Make this austere branding portfolio website template your own.
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