Trends are cyclical, especially in design. Design trends are like fashion: fashion is never finished.
Design trends are recycled, and are eventually applied in different or more meaningful ways. There are rarely times where a “retro” sites comes off very well, but the reemergence of a given trend represents a healthy evolution in the communication we use across the internet. So far, 2018 has presented us with some really strong examples of this. At times, it may seem like real estate brokerage websites lag behind other industries when it comes to design, but that just means there’s more opportunity to be an industry leader. It’s sometimes almost preferable that you take from outside the industry to separate yourself from the pack. Here are some of the more notable design trends we’re seeing all over the place right now, and how they fit in to the real estate world.
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Illustration
Illustrated designs are effective tools that have been around forever, and ones you’ll continue to see more and more of, because there are many ways to traditionally draw cartoon-like in design that photographs can’t mimic. Unless you are using original photography with people from your company, it’s real easy to look like everyone else.
For simple illustrated iconography, the icon company Streamline Icons has a more playful tone to it, and it’s not impossible to find a fit for real estate — but, most likely, those cases will be very rare.
Portion.io is a luxury art house that does mimic a higher-end appeal, which could make it a great fit for showcasing your luxury listings. But it’s still a difficult foundation to build upon in a photo-centric real estate web experience.
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So, while there might be some great uses here in small doses, overall you might want to leave this trend behind. What fits for many industries may not for real estate all the time.
Animation
Animation can go hand-in-hand with illustration, but in isolation, it does become much more useful when applied with a more subtle touch. For instance, animation can be used simply to indicate that you can interact, or have interacted already, with an object (which I talked about in an earlier post). Little details like this can definitely enhance the user’s experience on your site, and can divert users to ask for more info while they’re cycling through the massive amount of photos that real estate brokerage websites can have. Animation should definitely be part of your design strategy — I would even go so far as saying it should be an industry standard. Dutch construction firm Akson does it very well without being over the top:
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Bolder typography choices
Typography is already having its day, and besides comic sans and a few other fonts, there are so many excellent choices to implement on your site; I think it is a necessary tool in modern real estate web design. Forget about it just being trendy: Using typography in interesting ways is almost certain to have a permanent place in both the web design and real estate industry. At the moment, real estate sites tend to be a bit conservative, but having contrasting sizes and colors can add a sense of luxury. It’s a more minimalist approach to design, without having to take greater risks that you might not be comfortable with in animation and illustration. French creative agency Fllow exemplifies this, with great use of negative space. Words do all the talking, from the headlines to the moving text closer to the bottom. It has an elegant feel that doesn’t feel like it is trying so hard.
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Flat 2.0
Flat design is all the rave now. Building off the sparse minimalism of 1.0, this newer trend aims to add more geometric shapes, angles, shadows and textures in the most subtle way possible. And all the huge tech giants have adopted it to a certain degree. It’s more proof of trends being cyclical, and in this case, adding the old to the new. Cryptocurrency trading site Loopring employs a great example of a simple color scheme, combining these aforementioned elements and using them to create depth and immersion in a more flat-ish way.
This is another trend that I believe will be a staple as it moves into real estate. This approach gives you a foundation of interesting options that are not outlandish and very practical towards a potentially beautiful, cohesive layout.
2018 has been a great year for design so far and there has never been a better time to create something bold and new. Check out TRIBUS’ latest projects here.
