# The 5 Web Design Trends for 2026 Documentation3 minPublished on Jan 14, 2025Updated on Oct 06, 2026![Visual representation of websites and web design trends](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/67053868fc01e494462e71c9/6785f843c39e22b1d7798f59_webdesign-trends%20(1).jpg)Table of contents [ Copied](#)[ ](#)[ ](#)[ ](#) - [H2 Example](#) Use AI to summarize this article[ ChatGPT](#)[ Claude](#)[ Grok](#)[ Perplexity](#)[ Google AI](#)Key points - Motion becomes the norm: GSAP has been free since April 2025, Webflow Interactions run on GSAP, and Figma launched Figma Motion in June 2026 - Immersive 3D holds its ground: Awwwards' Site of the Year 2025 (Lando Norris) is built with Webflow, GSAP and WebGL - The glow look of 2025 is turning into shaders, which landed in Figma at Config 2026 - Design and code are converging: Code Layers in Figma, Source by Webflow, with AI agents in the loop - B2B websites bet on clarity and accessibility, which the European Accessibility Act has made mandatory for some services since June 2025 What are the web design trends for 2026? To answer, we skipped the usual "styles of the year" lists and looked at what can be checked: what Webflow and Figma shipped this year, and which sites Awwwards awarded. The selection and the advice are our view as an agency. The result is five trends. Three carry straight on from 2025, a fourth is an evolution of one (glow turns into shaders), and only one is truly new: it's about how a website gets built more than how it looks. *Originally published in 2025, fully updated on October 6, 2026.* ## 2026 web design trends at a glance TrendNew in 2026?What backs itBest forMotion as standardContinues from 2025GSAP made free, Webflow Interactions on GSAP, Figma MotionEvery site, in moderationImmersive 3DContinues from 2025Awwwards Sites of the Year 2025Brands, products, launchesLight, materials and shadersEvolution of 2025's glowShaders in Figma (Config 2026), Apple's Liquid GlassTech, SaaS, premium brandsDesign and code merging, with AI agentsNewFigma Code Layers, Source by WebflowMarketing teams that publish oftenClear, accessible B2B websitesContinues from 2025, with a new constraintEuropean Accessibility ActB2B, finance, e-commerce ## 1. Motion becomes the norm In 2025, we wrote that animations and micro-interactions were becoming essential, and that Webflow's acquisition of GSAP would speed things up. That's what happened, faster than expected. - On **April 30, 2025**, Webflow made GSAP [100% free](https://webflow.com/blog/gsap-becomes-free), including the formerly paid plugins, for everyone, Webflow customer or not. - On **July 10, 2025**, Webflow released a [new version of Interactions, rebuilt on GSAP](https://webflow.com/blog/webflow-interactions-with-gsap), with a horizontal timeline and text splitting by letter or word, no code required. - In **June 2026**, Figma introduced [Figma Motion](https://www.figma.com/blog/config-2026-recap/) at Config: a keyframe timeline right inside the design file, with exports to CSS, React, JSON or animated SVG. - In **September 2026**, at Webflow Conf, the [Webflow MCP](https://webflow.com/blog/webflow-conf-2026-announcements) learned to build GSAP interactions from a plain request to an AI agent. Animation is no longer reserved for sites with a creative developer on the team. The designer sketches it in Figma, the builder assembles it visually in Webflow, and the engine is the same one behind award-winning sites. ![Animated modal opened on the 13G website](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/67053868fc01e494462e71c9/6785fccda8039f2244ade3e9_6785fb1cdaf3e4c069e8ddb8_www.13g.fr_.webp)13g.fr (2025 screenshot) The catch hasn't changed since 2025: an animation that slows the page down or gets in the way of reading costs more than it brings. Animate what guides the eye: a section entering, a button state, a step change. The rest can stay still. And respect the visitor's "reduce motion" setting. Examples: [13G](https://www.13g.fr/), [Made with GSAP](https://madewithgsap.com/), and the official [GSAP showcase](https://gsap.com/showcase/). ## 2. Immersive 3D, in service of a story 3D and scrollytelling (telling a story as the user scrolls) were already on our 2025 list. The end-of-year awards show they are holding their ground. [Awwwards' Site of the Year 2025](https://www.awwwards.com/annual-awards/winners) is the website of F1 driver [Lando Norris](https://landonorris.com/), designed by the agency OFF+BRAND. Its [Awwwards page](https://www.awwwards.com/sites/lando-norris) lists the stack: **Webflow, GSAP, WebGL** and 3D. The Developer Site of the Year went to [Messenger](https://messenger.abeto.co/) by abeto studio, a tiny 3D planet built with WebGL and Three.js. The first example matters for marketing teams: the most awarded site of the year runs on Webflow. An immersive website no longer means leaving a tool your team can update on its own. ![Overview of the scroll animation showcasing the product on The Tiny Pod website.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/67053868fc01e494462e71c9/6785fccda8039f2244ade3d8_6785f9f890071cb9faede0ce_thetinypod.com_.webp)thetinypod.com (2025 screenshot) Where it works: presenting a product, launching a brand, telling a story that text would tell badly. Where it hurts: loading time on mobile, and SEO when the content only lives inside the 3D scene. Keep the useful text in the page, readable by Google and by AI engines. Examples: [Lando Norris](https://landonorris.com/), [The Tiny Pod](https://thetinypod.com/), [Monolith Studio](https://monolithstudio.com/). ## 3. Light, materials and shaders: 2025's glow evolves In 2025, we talked about glow design: light halos and gradients on dark backgrounds, popularized by sites like [Huly](https://huly.io/). The effect hasn't gone away, but it is changing tools and materials. ![Header of the Huly.io website featuring a glow effect, showcasing the application through an interface with a ‘laser’ effect.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/67053868fc01e494462e71c9/6785fccda8039f2244ade3fb_6785fc2e1b0e3b36bfa425a4_huly.io_.webp)huly.io (2025 screenshot) At Config 2026, Figma added [shader fills and effects](https://www.figma.com/blog/config-2026-recap/): visual effects that Figma's agent builds from a description or a reference image, with adjustable controls, stackable with other effects and convertible to code. Interactive shaders are announced as "coming soon". Until now, this kind of effect required a WebGL developer. It is now part of the designer's toolkit. Another signal, on the interface side: on **June 9, 2025**, Apple introduced [Liquid Glass](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/06/apple-introduces-a-delightful-and-elegant-new-software-design/), a translucent material that reflects and refracts what sits behind it, across all its platforms. Liquid Glass is about Apple's apps and operating systems; the web isn't its target. Our bet: as with every Apple style shift, part of the tech and SaaS web will pick up transparency and frosted glass. Our advice: one light or material effect per page, on the element you want people to look at. More than that tires the eye and weighs the page down. Examples: [Huly](https://huly.io/), [AuthKit](https://www.authkit.com/), [Frame.io](https://frame.io/). ## 4. Design and code converge, with AI agents This is the real novelty of 2026, and it affects how a site is built more than how it looks. In 2025, AI in web design mostly meant generated visuals: backgrounds and hero videos, often pretty but rarely tied to what the site was saying. In 2026, AI moves into the production tools: - **Figma Code Layers**, announced at [Config 2026](https://www.figma.com/blog/config-2026-recap/), turns a design layer into an interactive, code-backed component right in the file. It is rolling out from July 2026, via a waitlist. - **Source by Webflow**, unveiled at [Webflow Conf in September 2026](https://webflow.com/blog/introducing-source-by-webflow), is a new platform where marketing, design, development and AI agents work on the same code, each in a view tailored to their job. It is in a limited research preview, opening gradually to selected agencies and customers. - The same day, Webflow announced **Campaigns**, which generates a landing page and its variants from a brief, and **Assets**, for adapting on-brand visuals. What this changes for you: prototypes and live sites look more and more alike, and a marketing team can ship more pages, faster. The risk shifts too. When producing a page costs almost nothing, what sets a site apart is its art direction and the consistency of its design system. An AI drawing from a fuzzy design system produces fuzzy pages. We covered these announcements in our [Webflow Conf 2026](/blog/webflow-conf-2026) article and in [Webflow launches Source](/blog/webflow-launches-source). ## 5. Clear B2B websites that convert and that everyone can use The "UX-first" trend of 2025 still holds: for a B2B or SaaS website, a clean design, copy that says what the product does, and visuals that each have a reason to be there. The site has to sell before it has to look good. ![Hero header UX first of humblytics](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/67053868fc01e494462e71c9/6785fccda8039f2244ade3ec_6785fb928ed4c6db176e5fe6_www.humblytics.com_.webp)humblytics.com (2025 screenshot) Two things come on top of that in 2026. The first is accessibility. Since **June 28, 2025**, the [European Accessibility Act](https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/disability/union-equality-strategy-rights-persons-disabilities-2021-2030/european-accessibility-act_en) requires certain products and services sold in the European Union to be accessible to people with disabilities, including their websites and apps: e-commerce, banking, passenger transport, electronic communications, e-books. Not every website is covered, but the topic is making its way into briefs, and it starts at the design stage: contrast, text size, keyboard focus, animations that can be turned off. Our [web accessibility best practices](/blog/web-accessibility-best-practices-site) give you a starting checklist. The second is trust, especially in finance: real faces, numbers shown plainly, proof placed along the journey instead of hidden in the footer. We went into detail in our [2026 design trends for finance websites](/blog/2026-design-trends-for-finance-websites). Examples: [Humblytics](https://humblytics.com/), [AlignUI](https://www.alignui.com/), [Intercom](https://www.intercom.com/). ## The most awarded websites of 2025 For inspiration, the [Awwwards](https://www.awwwards.com/annual-awards/winners) annual awards are a good reference. Here are the 2025 winners: Awwwards 2025 awardWinnerSite of the Year[Lando Norris](https://landonorris.com/), by OFF+BRAND (Webflow, GSAP, WebGL)Developer Site of the Year[Messenger](https://messenger.abeto.co/), by abeto (WebGL, Three.js)E-commerce of the Year[Scout Motors](https://www.scoutmotors.com/)Agency of the YearImmersive GardenStudio of the YearMalvah ## What's fading in 2026 This section is Digidop's view, updated from the 2025 version of this article. No measurement backs it. ![Bento section on website](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/67053868fc01e494462e71c9/67862d7bf99b4157136fca46_67862cdab382c89e3db73c5a_webdesign-bento-website.webp) - **Bento** layouts (the block grid popularized by Apple) have been everywhere for two years. They still work for showing several features at once, but a page built entirely in bento looks like every other one. - **Animating every block** is giving way to fewer, better-placed animations. It's the flip side of trend #1. - **Large background gradients** are making room for more localized effects: a halo, a texture, a shader on a single element. - **Brutalism** remains a niche look, for artistic brands or very bold identities. - **Decorative AI visuals** unrelated to the site's message (the generated clouds of 2025) are aging badly. ## Our take A trend is not a reason to redesign your website. Ask instead which one serves what your site needs to do. A product launch site gains from telling a story in 3D. A B2B site that needs to generate leads gains first from readability and speed, with a few well-placed animations. At Digidop, we design and build in Webflow, and we animate with Webflow Interactions, GSAP or custom code depending on the project. Two of our projects received an Awwwards Honorable Mention: [Artisans de Genève](https://www.awwwards.com/sites/artisans-de-geneve) in December 2025 and [ELEF](https://www.awwwards.com/sites/elef) in June 2025. Our takeaway: juries look at attention to detail and overall consistency far more than at the number of effects. If you're planning a redesign and want to know which trends make sense for your brand, take a look at our [web design services](/services/webdesign). ## FAQ ### What are the current web design trends? In 2026: motion as standard (GSAP, Webflow Interactions, Figma Motion), immersive 3D that serves a story, light and material effects (shaders), design and code converging with AI agents, and clearer, more accessible B2B websites. ### What are the UX/UI trends for 2026? On the UX side: a clear message, proof visible along the journey, accessibility built into the mockup, and animations that guide rather than decorate. On the UI side: localized light or glass effects, less bento and fewer big gradients. ### Is bento design outdated? Not for presenting several features in one section, where it still works well. It's overused when it structures the whole page: the site then looks like many others. ### Should you follow trends for a redesign? Only the ones that serve the site's goal. An aesthetic trend always ends up dated; a well-structured, fast website lasts longer. Pick one or two trends that strengthen your brand, not all five. ### Can you do all of this with Webflow? Mostly, yes: visual GSAP animations with Interactions, 3D via Spline or WebGL, design systems and components. Awwwards' Site of the Year 2025 is built on Webflow. Source by Webflow, in limited preview, isn't open to everyone yet. ## Sources - [Webflow: GSAP becomes 100% free](https://webflow.com/blog/gsap-becomes-free) (April 30, 2025) · [Webflow Interactions with GSAP](https://webflow.com/blog/webflow-interactions-with-gsap) (July 10, 2025) - [Webflow: the biggest announcements from Webflow Conf 2026](https://webflow.com/blog/webflow-conf-2026-announcements) · [Introducing Source by Webflow](https://webflow.com/blog/introducing-source-by-webflow) (September 2, 2026) - [Figma: Config 2026 recap](https://www.figma.com/blog/config-2026-recap/) (June 24, 2026) - [Awwwards: 2025 Annual Awards winners](https://www.awwwards.com/annual-awards/winners) · [Lando Norris page](https://www.awwwards.com/sites/lando-norris) · [Messenger page](https://www.awwwards.com/sites/messenger) - [Apple: Liquid Glass](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/06/apple-introduces-a-delightful-and-elegant-new-software-design/) (June 9, 2025) - [European Commission: European Accessibility Act](https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/disability/union-equality-strategy-rights-persons-disabilities-2021-2030/european-accessibility-act_en) · [entry into application](https://commission.europa.eu/news-and-media/news/eu-becomes-more-accessible-all-2025-07-31_en) [ ](#)![Quentin Ballereau](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/67053868fc01e494462e71c9/678a47f8a16df632fc272b7a_quentin-website%20(1).webp)Quentin BallereauInteractive Designer & UI Specialist[ ](/team/quentin)[ ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/quentin-ballereau/)[ ](https://x.com/quentblr)+1200 readers ## Stay ahead of the curve! 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