Neumorphism has been gaining incredible traction this past year, and in 2021 it promises to usher us into the paradoxical age of minimalist realism. The style is a successor to skeuomorphism—a design approach that incorporates renderings of familiar, outdated materials into current designs, and it had its heyday on app icons everywhere in the early 2010s. This trend was substituted by flat design, which simplified icons and colours in a way that was less realistic but more uniform and easily identifiable.

Neumorphism represents a merging of both trends, with designs that mimic physicality through selective drop shadows while being overlaid with semi-flat colours. Most commonly, the effect resembles digital embossing or debossing.

Given the increasingly digital nature of the job market these days, most people spend the majority of their time on computers. Because of this, it is not uncommon for users to experience eye strain after staring at screens for long periods of time. Web designers have been taking this into account with colour schemes that are focused on being easier on the eyes.

In 2021, web designers will be thinking outside the two extremes of dark and light. They are finding middle ground in soft colour palettes, like wholesome greens, pastel blues, warm browns or light pinks. These not only make website colours less jarring than pure black or pure white, they naturally induce calm and relaxation.