2019 Design Trends: Web Gradients

Gradients are nothing new to traditional, experienced designers, but over the past few years, they’ve come into vogue among website designers specifically. The web gradient trend we’re seeing today is an alternative to the flat design trend we recently discussed on the Diace Designs blog. In this post, we’ll look at how gradients are being used online and cover some of the best practices for using web gradients in your own digital designs.

How Web Gradients Are Used Today

Web designers today are using gradients in a variety of creative and innovative ways. Some, like the designers at Spotify, are using gradient overlays to add pops of color to images. Others, like those at Coachella, are using gradients as a dynamic background element. Even developers have jumped on the bandwagon; they’re now generating gradients using only CSS code! If you start to look for it, you’ll see gradients on many of the websites you regularly visit. Instagram’s new logo, revealed in 2016, replaced the old skeuomorphic image of an instant camera with a gradient icon. In 2017, Facebook added colorful gradient backgrounds to status updates as an attempt to get more users to post original content.

Best exemplified by the iPhone XR branding, the gradients we see today are significantly different from the standard linear and radial gradients of the past. Remember the presets in the legacy versions of Microsoft Office? Although “preset” gradients still exist, today it’s all about creating something that is truly unique—or at least unique to the web. If you look closely at the iPhone XR branding referenced earlier, you’ll notice that many of those color manipulations resemble the gradations you might find in NASA photos. (This shouldn’t be surprising since the best design inspiration comes from nature!)

Tips for Using Web Gradients

If you’d like to start using gradients in your own digital designs, then there are a few best practices you should follow. First and foremost, you should have an understanding of color theory and the psychology of colors. Our Color Basics for Designers post is a great place to start. Then, consider your brand. The colors you choose for your gradients should reflect your brand identity. Also remember that gradients are already eye-catching, so don’t go overboard! Leave plenty of white space and incorporate flat elements to balance out your design.

Web gradients are trending for a reason: they’re a great way to add visual interest and movement to digital designs. And thanks to advances in technology, there are now so many ways to use gradients that we’ve never seen before. An experienced creative agency like Diace Designs can help you take advantage of the web gradients trend while staying true to your brand. If you’d like to explore this new trend and other ways of elevating your brand’s visual identity, contact us!

About Kara Franco
Kara writes copy that speaks. She has a knack for creating clear, compelling messages without wasting words. She is passionate about digital marketing and believes that copy is the cornerstone of user experience.

Copywriter + Content Strategist
Kara@diacedesigns.com