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Are 2021’s Design Trends Accessible?

Design Trends in Accessibility 2021

Read time: 3 minutes


Design trends are hitting websites in 2021. 

But, like most things we ask, the important question is: 

Are they accessible?

At the end of 2020, the Webflow blog shares unique web design trends expected to see in 2021. 

Webflow imagines a world where everyone can create websites as easily as creating a simple text document. There are several resources to highlight, and it felt appropriate to use Webflow since its core behaviors are similar to ours. 

Webflow says we may see:

  • The use of vintage and retro-futurism typography staging a comeback
  • Dynamic content in forms of horizontal scrolling, animation, 3D visuals, multimedia audio, and AR experiences
  • The use of muted color schemes, no colors, dynamic gradients, gaussian blurs
  • Print design inspiring web design, geometric grids, design systems used for consistency, and a no-coding movement.  

With June now upon us, we can begin reviewing these trends and see how they are influencing the internet. 

But are these trends making or breaking websites to be accessible for everyone? 

At Unity, we embrace new ways to deliver the best experience and promise to build websites with everyone in mind. 

One of the trends that we've seen is adding a utility to enable users to customize the content to meet their individual needs. 

This utility offers site visitors the ability to change the page to display content in a "dark or light" mode. 

This utility can also make the text bigger or smaller — both in real-time! 

Users can modify the content on the page to fit their individual needs: 

Empowering people and enabling equity.

Imagine this:  

During a visit to the eye doctor, the doctor dilates your eyes. 

Bright lights are intense. 

Seeing is a problem. 

After the appointment, you get a request to review and approve changes to your organization’s website. 

So you open your laptop and visit the beta site to review, and what comes next is surprisingly unpleasant: 

Eye-piercing bright screen text. 

It’s hard to read and your eyes struggle. You try blinking to alleviate some of the discomfort, but the words are still difficult to read. 

And when you try adjusting the contrast, it doesn't work. Your eyes are still uncomfortable. 

An accessible page utility can help review the changes. Using the page utility changes the website from a light to a dark mode and changes the content to a bigger legible size. 

This simple utility helps the user read successfully. 

A Greater Perspective

The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) says approximately 12 million U.S. citizens over 40 years old have vision impairment, including: 

  • One million blind 
  • Three million who have vision impairment after correction 
  • Eight million who have vision impairment due to uncorrected refractive error

We all experience some visual impairment at some time in our life. 

At Unity, we target to meet current WCAG 2.1 standards, and we help our clients rise to the same standards. 

We've recently integrated an accessibility tool empowering users to make changes and to meet their unique needs, and we are excited to launch these sites soon. 

Stay up-to-date on what's cookin' in Unity's creative kitchen and check out our portfolio page or follow us on Instagram or Twitter