Website design trends are radically different each year. They capture the pulse of what the Internet audience is looking for and distill it down to the most happening best practices. For web design 2021, experts have identified several trends that are rising to the top of the must-have web design list. However, what’s really important is that designers use the right platforms that will allow them to leverage these trends in their own work. Before we look at some of the best web design tools for 2021, let’s look at what’s trending in the world of web design:
Neumorphism – When 3D went flat, it took away a key interactive element in the user experience equation. Skeuomorphism, the predecessor of Neumorphism, brought some life back into web designs, but the new ‘in thing’ is called minimalist realism – creating life-like 3D elements from flat design.
Parallax Animation – Using layers to create a parallax effect between screen elements is now all the rage. Parallax is the phenomenon where background objects are perceived to move slower than foreground objects when the observer is in motion – like when you’re in a car and trees nearby a whizzing past while the mountain way in the background seems almost motionless.
Some other trends for 2021 include abstract art, colors that reduce eye strain, scrolling transformations (think Apple’s website), and 3D colors, to name just a few.
Now, let’s look at the tools that can help you achieve these effects for your own web design projects.
Wondershare Mockitt is a cloud-based browser utility that provides users with a full range of UI/UX design and prototyping tools that are accessible from any location on any Internet-connected device. It runs on all modern browsers and any OS that supports such a browser. As such, it offers extensive collaboration features for co-editing projects, real-time review and commenting tools, secure sharing, and code-ready developer handoffs.
- A comprehensive set of components and widgets that are customizable and sharable
- Extensive interactions, animations, effects, and gestures to create realistic high-fidelity prototypes
- Multi-layer composite design capabilities
- Easy and rapid prototyping that’s perfect for an iterative approach to web design
- Robust collaboration and communication tools to speed up workflows
- Automatic code-gen with HTML downloads for offline review and smooth developer handoff
Mockitt makes it possible to implement modern web design and rapidly prototype it to gain quick approval for your web design projects.
It is more affordable than most other design platforms and easily scalable to any sized team, no matter how small or large or how geographically spread out.
The core focus of Mockitt is to put superior web design capabilities into the hands of beginners and professionals alike, and that’s obvious from the moment you sign in to the Wondershare Mockitt portal.
Webflow
Webflow is a relatively new product on the market but is growing at a rapid rate, with more than a million users worldwide. The interface is often likened to that of WordPress but Webflow has a lot of key advantages over the open-source platform, such as better usability and greater security.
Key Features of Webflow
- CSS layout grids for easier web design
- Ready-to-use CSS filters
- Code export and custom code options
- Automatic scaling for responsive web design
- Templates and CSS styling options
- Design and develop simultaneously – skip the prototyping part
Webflow is great for website design if you know exactly what you want but need a semi-technical platform to translate that into a functional website.
It’s a little expensive if you’re going with the Pro plan but worth the price in terms of the flexibility and features.
Figma
Figma is a well-known web-based design platform with millions of users and very supportive third-party contributors. You can find a ton of plugins to get practically any feature add-on, plus a host of design systems and UI kits for specific platforms. The only downside is that you may have to face a bit of a steep learning curve if you’re new to the platform. It’s not as intuitive as Wondershare Mockitt or Webflow, but it will get the job done.
Key Features of Figma
- Multiplayer (multiuser) collaboration
- Sketch-like UI
- Create clickable prototypes
- Integrated commenting feature
- Versioning and control
- Liveshare option for real-time reviews
- Ready-to-use asset library and extensive third-party add-on options
Figma is no doubt one of the best collaborative platforms for web design, but usability factor combined with prohibitive pricing may put it out of reach for smaller design teams.
Moreover, with all the plugins added, the application can get quite resource-hungry, especially if you’re also working with very large files that are very close to your browser’s usage limits.
UXPin
UXPin offers a browser-based version but the power of the utility is best seen in the Mac or Windows versions. The platform takes a different approach to UI/UX design because you can use production code for various elements. It also has deeply interactive design capabilities based on logic and conditions.
Key Features of UXPin
- Ready-to-use libraries for Bootstrap, Material Design, and iOS
- Interactive elements for forms
- Vector tools for drawing
- Import HTML directly from a web page or another design
- Co-editing features across web, Mac, and Windows
- States, transitions, conditional interactions
- Import from Sketch
UXPin is a professional tool for prototyping web design projects.
It also introduces new features on a regular basis, such as the upcoming Merge that allows you to sync your React.js code components with design elements inside the UXPin Editor.
The only drawback might be the pricing, which is tiered in a way that most features like conditional logic, access to design systems, permission-based viewing and access, etc. are bundled into the higher, more expensive price tiers.
Adobe XD
When it comes to visual design, there’s really no tool that compares with Adobe XD, primarily due to its integration with other Adobe products like Illustrator and Photoshop.
However, it might not be the ideal prototyping tool for you. The design tools are certainly pro-grade but there are bottlenecks in other areas like real-time collaboration, prototyping and exporting that make it purely a tool for stunning visual design rather than wholesome web designing and prototyping.
Key Features of Adobe XD
- Reusable components
- 3D assets for life-like realism
- Intuitive resizing and swapping of content
- Component variations – states
- Import from Sketch, Photoshop, and Illustrator
Adobe XD is an excellent tool if visual web design is your primary focus. However, most designers will need to purchase the bundle license option to make use of all the Creative Cloud apps available from Adobe. The app-only license for Adobe XD is reasonably priced but you might end up paying for separate licenses for other products.
Conclusion
All these tools are great for various purposes, but if your intent is to be able to leverage the power of web design trends for 2021, we recommend an online platform that’s easy to use, affordable, and comes with all the features required to create highly interactive prototypes that are realistic and life-like.
The one platform that stands head and shoulders above the rest in all these respects is Wondershare Mockitt.
Not only can you access the tool from anywhere, but you also have the privilege of getting pro-level features for a fraction of the cost of a professional design tool.
