Slick animations, ultra-thin fonts, and snazzy scroll effects — they’re easy to be “wow-ed” by and want on your own site.
I mean, who doesn’t love it? It looks cool!
While these shiny trends can absolutely spark inspiration, they can also create confusion, hurt usability, and damage your brand.
Today, I want to dive into the difference between good design (the kind that holds up over time) and trendy design (the kind that might need a redesign next year).
What Makes a Design Good?
Good design is functional, intentional, and focused on overall clarity. It works across all devices, communicates your message well, and feels cohesive and consistent. The best design choices are often invisible — because they support the content, not distract from it.
Some key points of good design are:
- Clear visual hierarchy: you can scan a page easily and understand what it’s trying to say.
- Strong contrast and readability: no issues with accessibility!
- Consistent use of color and typography: headings, copy and elements are all cohesive in size and color.
- Easy-to-follow structure and navigation: no road-blocks finding what you need, and fast.
What Makes a Design Trendy?
Now, trendy design leans into what’s popular right now — and that’s not always a bad thing. But if your site becomes a testing ground for every new “thing”, you risk sacrificing clarity and performance, on top of brand confusion (and a lot of other harmful things, too).
Trends in design to look out for:
- Effects like glassmorphism, parallax scroll, or brutalist layouts
- Overuse of micro-interactions or hover animations
- Fonts that look cool but are hard to read
- Layouts that prioritize the “wow” factor over usability and responsiveness
When Trends Can Help
Now, don’t get me wrong — there’s absolutely a time and place for trends. It’s important to recognize when they make sense — like If you’re in a creative or fast-moving industry like fashion or tech.
Or, if the trend supports your brand, not overrides it. A trend can so easily give your brand an identity you never wanted, so don’t let that happen.
You may also look into utilizing a design trend if you have self-discipline in not getting carried away. With flashy trends, the key is always “less is more”. When used properly, it should enhance your design in a positive way.
A Quick Gut Check
So next time you see that really cool “thing” you want to try on your own site, ask yourself first:
- Will this help users get what they need faster?
- Will it still feel right a year from now?
- Is this just a visual trend — or a usability improvement?
If your trend isn’t checking those boxes, it may be one to pass up for now.
Remember, design trends come and go — but clarity, consistency, and usability never go out of style. Good design isn’t always trendy design — it’s the one that works.
See you next time,
