The graphic design world barely came up for air in 2024. Here at Weidenhammer (and in all leading design studios), there were AI tools to test and learn on top of our standard high-octave workflow. The dynamic environment birthed a lot of new design norms and possibilities – some of which seem poised to stick around.

And so, with no further ado, here’s our forecast for the tools and trends we think will gain market share next year. They run the gamut: aesthetic to AI-driven, fun to federally mandated. Yet all with one thing in common: They’re not going anywhere.

Dynamic cursors. Dynamic cursors don’t look like traditional cursors at all, but like movement indicating where to navigate or click – a way to guide users where you want them to go. They’re often playful and smart, giving design a chance to really shine. Imagine a beach ball landing next to popular nav bar options in a seaside borough’s website, or a roving spotlight illuminating navigation options for a lighting company.

The team here at Weidenhammer has been watching this trend rise for awhile, and expects to see it front and center among client requests in 2025. With that said, dynamic cursors are a delicate dance. Overdesign them, and they can distract from intent. Executed well, though, they go a long way toward high-concept design, an A-plus user experience, and smart, even sexy, branding.

Micro-interactions. A button that subtly changes color when you hover. Confetti raining down to mark your 100-day language learning streak. The progress bar showing how much longer you’ll wait. These are all examples of micro-interactions, miniscule animations or functions that make UX feel alive, intuitive, sometimes even magical. Micro-interactions are visual feedback, confirming and affirming user choices, pointing you where you should go or igniting whatever designers want you to feel (“DuoLingo is proud of me!’ and “Thank goodness my wait is almost over!”). As users grow more accustomed to these UX touches, they are increasingly expected in new UX design. Like dynamic cursors, they’re also fun to bring to life. Check out the button effects Weidenhammer dreamed up and pulled off for the Da Vinci Science Center and WoofTrax.

Accessible design. Designing for a wide variety of abilities hit a fever pitch in April, when the Department of Justice updated federal requirements and guidelines for ensuring that web content and mobile apps are accessible to a wide range of ability demographics. While not yet legally mandated for all private and public companies (right now, organizations that serve the public must comply) , there’s a plethora of ethical and practical reasons to abide by these Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines, no matter your industry. Beyond the fact that it’s the right thing to do, Google offers SEO benefits for sites with high usability ratings! Weidenhammer has incorporated accessibility best practices into design for clients for the past three years or so. In many cases, our design projects also undergo an accessibility audit to confirm that they’re compliant and accessible to the greatest possible number of users.

Dark mode UI. Dark mode describes a subdued interface that reduces the contrast between text and background. Beyond theoretically reducing eye strain and creating a calmer user experience, it has the added benefit of extending device battery life. However, designers need to tread carefully: Too little contrast and readability and ocular comfort can suffer.Dark mode is poised to gain equity on screens everywhere in 2025. Our team is excited to soon offer clients the choice between a bright color scheme or a darker one when users want, as a matter of situational preference.

Sustainable practices and design. It surprises some to hear that the internet is a huge polluter, producing an estimated 3 to 4% of greenhouse gasses. Luckily, there are ways to offset the web’s carbon footprint. One is sustainable web design. Coined by author Tom Greenwood in 2021, sustainable web design equates to end-to-end choices that offset the environmental impact of designing and deploying websites and apps. As more companies, including Weidenhammer, elect to abide by Corporate Digital Responsibility (our sustainability goals include reducing driving miles and electricity use by five percent each), we’re also looking to make our digital presence greener. A byproduct of this shift? An uptick in environmentally-inspired design, from nature imagery to natural hues like the ones on the website we designed for Chester County Food Bank.

Abstract and geometric patterns. Like all things 1990s, abstracts, shapes, and asymmetry are back in full force, deviating from grid-based layouts that have dominated web design for years. Take a look once again at the website Weidenhammer designed for Da Vinci Science Center. The uneven letters in the word “science” in its logo and its angled shapes and geometric dot pattern accents illustrate the growing appetite for elements that are lively and even a little bit zany – ideal for an organization like this one that promises the unexpected.

3D element integration. A growing number of consumers are using augmented reality (AR)-enabled apps and devices, driving demand for hyper-realistic content. At the same time, businesses are beginning to embrace the possible benefits of 3D. A few examples: 3D can let homebuyers “walk through” a house 3000 miles away, or let museum visitors engage with artifacts from any corner of the globe. 3D – as opposed to static design – is consequently becoming a new design norm. As of today, our team is most often tasked with incorporating 3D elements into the physical world – much more cost effective than creating a complete 3D reality, and therefore more in-reach of the mid-market businesses we primarily serve. While 3D is almost expected in the tech sector’s branding at this point, expect to also spot it in additional industries in 2025 – healthcare, professional services, and more.

Eager to see what tomorrow-facing design can do for your business in 2025? Our design team here at Weidenhammer has leveraged the free time afforded us by AI to climb to the the forefront of it all, discerning which trends and tools will endure, then learning them inside and out – all in the quest to drive efficiency and results across all of our client projects. Let’s chat and find the best solution for you.