WordPress Tips

5 Web Design Trends for November 2022

What are you doing differently with your WordPress web design this month? One of the biggest trends for November (pretty much every year) is the addition of holiday-themed design elements. (That’s the trend that will kick off our roundup.) Here are five great trends to consider this month: 1.

Carrie Cousins

What are you doing differently with your WordPress web design this month? One of the biggest trends for November (pretty much every year) is the addition of holiday-themed design elements. (That’s the trend that will kick off our roundup.)

Here are five great trends to consider this month:

1. Holiday-Themed Elements

With the holidays quickly approaching, one of the biggest design trends this month is adding elements to encourage holly and jolly feelings. You can do this with color, language, or other design elements that evoke the holiday spirit.

Here, Loft uses holiday language in the top banner and the hero image and cute snowflakes to feel seasonal without too much of a Christmas look. This is a great option in the early holiday season so that the aesthetic doesn’t get too “gifty” too early.

  • Why it works: Just like a retail store would use decorations and holiday music to get shoppers in a seasonal mood, website design elements can encourage shopping and gift-giving.
  • How to use it: Work within your existing design and color palette for a holiday vibe that matches your brand and is fairly easy to swap now and again as the season winds down.

2. Bold Color Blocks

Big, bold color is a design trend that we can’t get enough of. These colors demand attention and are so engaging that you can’t help but dive into the design.

The latest iteration of this color trend focuses on color as a background element. And the brighter, the better.

MIT Museum uses multiple large color blocks to separate different content elements. This use of color is ideal for a creative space and helps highlight the art in various ways. The color blocks also are great for keeping everything contained in an organized manner and provide a highly readable background for text elements.

  • Why it works: Bold color blocks, especially for the background, demand attention and create an organized way to digest a lot of content.
  • How to use it: Other elements should be more subtle with using color this bold. Take care with other images so that the design doesn’t get too busy or overwhelming.

3. Holiday/Gifting Quizzes

This design trend combines holiday elements and content to create a cool user journey that helps you find a gift and keeps you shopping for an extended period of time. Quizzes are a great way to showcase various products or services and keep users on your website longer.

Audible has created a nifty – and short – quiz with simple animations and design elements that aren’t too complex while encouraging users to move forward. Plus, the design feels on-brand with other Audible website designs.

  • Why it works: User engagement is a big deal. Especially during the holidays and for e-commerce sites, the longer you can keep someone interacting with your website design, the more likely you will convert them into making a purchase.
  • How to use it: Keep it simple. A short quiz and minimal design make this activity manageable and fun without being stressful.

4. Avatar Portfolios

For a while, it seemed like every portfolio website featured a portrait. This can be an intimidating design trend for those who don’t want their image to be the focus of their website design. For that reason, it’s refreshing to see that there’s a shift from images to avatars.

Designing an avatar for a portfolio website is a fun way to show your personality and likeness without a true photo. It also gives you one more opportunity to highlight your creative side with a custom-designed element. Just take a look at the example from Simona Nikola.

  • Why it works: An avatar feels friendly and personal without bordering on giving away too much personal information (such as a full photo). This is especially nice when the images are large.
  • How to use it: Use an oversized avatar as the lead image on a portfolio website to grab quick attention.

5. Designed Hiring Pages

It seems like everyone is hiring these days, so it is no surprise that more websites are designing custom hiring pages that better showcase why you might want to work for a certain company.

Many of these pages feature the best aspects of work and plenty of fun images of the team.

Grill’d has those images below the scroll but leads with words that make you want to know more about jobs with them: Love Work. Those two words – especially with the fun design – make you want to know more about what to love.

This is also quite a shift from the career pages on many websites, which feature a list of positions and links to apply. This much more inviting option is likely to convert more applicants.

  • Why it works: With a more visual presence, employers can show the benefits of working with their company.
  • How to use it: Highlight real features of working with your company on a career page. Show real people and the real work that you do. It should not be inauthentic. Finally, don’t forget to make it easy to find out how to apply and what positions are available. Include multiple links, if necessary.

Putting it All Together

WordPress web design trends are a fun element but don’t feel like you have to try every new trend that comes along. Pick the ones that are right for your website and brand to keep it feeling fresh and modern.