Outdated Web Design Trends You’re Missing in 2025 (And What Pros Are Doing Instead)

[@merokacollins]

Interesting. But on trend #2 on "long hero section," it needs a little research. Instead of pushing people to "scroll" by hiding info, you may need to give them critical information without scrolling. Internet users don't have time to scroll looking for info, especially when AI can given them that in a milliseconds.

[@wedoebe]

I 💯agree!! 🤓

[@zanniefoledo7133]

Perhaps but more than 60% of web browsing is on mobile. The primary browsing method on mobile is scrolling so it is aligned with current user behavior

[@DaisyLaparra]

I agree. I still think that people need to know the main point before being made to scroll. No one is going to want to have to scroll to find what they're looking for, especially in today's world where everyone is fighting for a bit of attention.

[@ajb3ww]

Yeah, there needs to be enough info that people will have a reason to scroll. Don't make it long just to force people to scroll, do it in a way that makes them want to scroll.

[@Manu-und-die-Puschel]

Also agree: above the fold area needs to sell immediately

[@alextracy9076]

As someone who's neurodivergent, I'd argue that the "subtle movement" reduces the accessibility of the website.

[@DaisyLaparra]

Even subtle animations can trigger symptoms like dizziness, nausea, or disorientation in users with vestibular disorders (e.g., motion sensitivity or vertigo). Users with ADHD or cognitive disabilities may find movement distracting, making it harder to concentrate on static content. While subtle movement is less likely to induce seizures, repeated or unanticipated animations can still pose risks for individuals with photosensitive epilepsy. On another note: animations that slow down interactions, even slightly, can frustrate users who prefer efficiency. I'm definitely not saying I'm against any animation/movement, but just wanted to point out that it *could* still reduce accessibility for some people. However, that can be mitigated by having accessibility features built in to provide users the option to turn off animations, etc. It really comes down to just knowing the audience.

[@benswoodruff]

I have to agree that design trends, while they can be useful to tap into occasionally, can be misleading. But, sticking with a solid strategy will keep your use of trends on track, as long as you're willing to make regular updates. For instance, I've been building "boring" websites for audiologists, ENTs, and hearing aid specialists for the last seven years or so and while including occasional trends that are on-brand can be helpful, we try to avoid anything that would interfere with the visitors' journey (accessible interfaces are helpful for everyone, but are especially helpful for older folks and people with hearing difficulty, although they appreciate nice design too I'm sure 😊). Thanks for the video and opportunity to discuss!

[@Mr_Kenneth]

Doesn't matter how sexy your site is, if it sucks on mobile,

[@vapor4]

This

[@maryvalenzuela298]

Great video, just one trend I'm not sure about, number 2 short sections, I don't think we want to scroll

[@skipah2012]

Please see Dutch or Swiss made websites. It's simple but timeless and elegant and does not follow trends

[@sylviaangelova5279]

The so-called "subtle" movement does nothing for the user except make them nauseous

[@mkm1015]

These trends are worthless. The best website is the one that has good fundamentals-typography, color, buttons, alignment, contrast, white space etc-and achieves the main goal. The best websites right now are those “boring” and simple websites which don't follow the newest trendy gimmicks that will be irrelevant in 12 months until something new irrelevant trend pops up.

[@brandonlanois1734]

Chill, bro!

[@NettysPoolofDesignz]

Yeah there was no need to be rude

[@iajayi3388]

@@NettysPoolofDesignzwhat was rude about what they said? I found their comment to be very accurate & direct

[@MarianEriksonME]

@@iajayi3388 I wondered about that too, but noticed the OP's comment is edited, so perhaps it was rude initially?

[@ajb3ww]

@@NettysPoolofDesignz Not rude, accurate. Don't be so precious and fancy that you annoy people trying to use the site to learn or do something. I agree with @mkrn1015

[@tmv820]

Thank you for the ideas. I think the most important thing you said in this video is to use strategy over trends. Very important to know what your target audience is and base your design on that. The shorter the distance between entry of the site and making the sale, the more probability of actually making the sale. Several of these trends would really annoy me as a potential customer. I will leave a website if it really annoys me and wastes my time (like too much scrolling, confusing tabs, elements moving around too much...)

[@PaigeBrunton]

Bingo. Couldn't agree more!

[@dib3385]

that "subtle" moving would drive me nuts... it looks like theres a glitch on the websites and bothers your eyes as they automatically try to follow it and it shifts...not good!

[@DaisyLaparra]

Personally, I don't mind subtle movements, but fast-moving websites with multiple moving elements at once can really overwhelm me. However, any movement at all can negatively affect accessibility.

[@zafit02]

just found your channel i love it

[@shopwildvenus]

Subtle movement - it's like the Boomerang trend, but grown up.

[@ajb3ww]

Having it be obvious that there is more to scroll to is a choice I understand, because otherwise people don't always realize that there are any choices besides the CTA in the hero, BUT the example shown of a huge mostly empty area that scrolled a bit before anything useful seems like a bad way to do it. When people scroll they want it to for a reason other than you just wanna make them scroll. The subtle motion is as many others have commented - mostly atrocious. What is the value of distracting people with pointless peripheral motion? In many of these cases shown I would have thought it was a bug, not a deliberate choice. If you use it, only do it to draw attention to something that you have a reason to draw attention to. Or possibly as a non-blocking small side amusement like the falling rocks on the side. Slightly better than 90s animated gifs all over, but same idea. The sideways sliding things - only if attention is paid to accessibility. Both making it possible to navigate well with a keyboard (no mouse) with and without a screenreader, and cognitively accessible - is it obvious to user what actions are available and what they will do and why they'd want to. Texture is nice, like image shapes and color choices it comes and goes a bit, but can be classic. Big fonts and mixtures of fonts are fine when used well, with a better design sense than the desktop publishing of the 80s when people first had a chance to play with such things. I've been a web developer with strong care about UX (more than many designers) for 30 years so I've seen a lot of nonsense come and go. Some of these things are FUN to build as a developer, and I suppose fun to invent as a designer - but it needs to actually enhance the site and not interfere with the usability of it.

[@radientproductions9799]

Great tips , thank you ❤

[@evadon3737]

Arch shaped images are very much outdated

[@TheKateDash]

Yes but they still better than other examples of photo shapes in the video 😅

[@vapor4]

​@@TheKateDashI agree with both these comments 😅 ugh, please bring back rectangular images, all is forgiven!!

[@danisilva2008]

Hi Page! I love your website, could you please tell what was the template you used in there?

[@vapor4]

She's a web designer, I'm sure she designed it custom herself?? 😅

[@danisilva2008]

@@vapor4 I also thought about this possibility, but would she be selling a product (Squarespace) that she herself does not use as an example?

[@Manu-und-die-Puschel]

Re Trend 4: very nice w/ moving elements, but I learned from other recommendations, that moving /zooming images compromise the webpage loading speed and hence give a disadvantage on google ranking - can you comment on this? Thank you very much for this nice overview, I like the video 😊

[@catg5105]

How do these examples do in terms of web accessibility?

[@vapor4]

Would love to see how they work for mobile as that is actually more important as the literal majority of users are on mobile, Googlebot is on mobile and it's only going to get more and more

[@Melissa_Lawrence]

Paige, how did you get the parallax scrolling effect on the mobile for your website? I love it and looks great! Both on desktop and mobile ❤

[@PaigeBrunton]

@@Melissa_Lawrence squarekicker!

[@Melissa_Lawrence]

@PaigeBrunton ah ok! Thank u! This was a great video btw!

[@LynetteYoung]

With #2... is there an issue with what we learned way back about 'below the fold' so that viewers know to keep scrolling?

[@ohwhatworld5851]

If in 2024 a user does not know they need to scroll down on a website, then they are an absolute moron.

[@CrystalRicotta]

The accordion trend is back

[@annamarialocurtodesign]

So instead of vertical, horizontal?

[@meghan4884]

What trends do you see as in/out for mobile design?

[@MichalSada]

The cuts looks so cheap 😂❤

[@errific]

Most of the examples are not accessible for the users and breaks the website mental model bringing more pain points. Follow Jakobs law.

[@KarstenKagels]

Enoying backgound music is totally outdated...

[@uyt-z8m]

No Brasil esses exemplos de tendências eram usados há 10 anos atrás. De uma olhada nos sites br e vc vai ficar surpresa com a criatividade e luxo dos nossos designers.

[@welling1]

These sites look like something bored housewives would be designing for their little side hobbies.

[@vapor4]

Omg this is exactly spot on. This is exactly what the example sites look like! Not real websites that are there to make money at all

[@LyfStyled]

😂

[@SusanneGeert]

@PaigeBrunton Such a great and helpful video. Thanks for sharing this! I really enjoyed your video in September 2024 “12 OUTDATED WEB DESIGN TRENDS”. Here you also talked about photography on websites and as a photographer (branding // product // food) myself I was hoping to hear you newest take on photography on websites. Back then in September I asked a question that I think you probably missed so I hope it’s okay to bring it back here and hope you can help with your insights: 1) As a photographer I am a bit uncertain about the trend of no full page images (you mentioned in September) - but only smaller images. I find it working a a bit against selling my services since my photography is my unites selling point. Do you think this is different for us photographers than others businesses? 2) In the September trend video I was very curious about the different style og images and even branding portraits that you suggest a great future. They are very interesting and it would be amazing to make a video that goes more into detail about the trend you see more specifically in photography for websites now. You would be a bit of a first mover with news about this aimed at the website creating marked 🌱 BTW, I did also watch your video "Make Your Website Look Expensive With These 6 Design Rules" and found the part about trending imagery very helpful 🙏 Thanks in advance ;-) Best from Susanne

[@PaigeBrunton]

Hiii Susanne! Awe thank you kindly for taking a moment to leave such a thoughtful comment. K thoughts: All of these trends (large vs small images included) I honestly think you get to decide "does this trend make sense for my website & business?" "do I like this trend?" Just because something is a trend doesn't mean we need to fill our entire site with every trend out there. There's a zillion fashion trends out there, 95% of which I'm like "not for me, thanks!" I have my own style and it's not changing based on every seasons new trends. And that creates a brand that stands for something. Sounds like the small images trend isn't for you, and that's great!