Design Trends to Avoid: Lessons from Experienced Web Designing Companies

Website design trends come and go. Some are helpful innovations, while others can damage user experience and hurt a brand’s image. While it might be tempting to follow every new trend, not all design fads support your business goals.

Experienced professionals from a web designing company in Dubai understand which trends work and which should be avoided. They focus on functionality, clarity, and long-term value rather than flashy visuals that may fade quickly. Working alongside a skilled web development company in Dubai, they ensure that what looks good also performs well across all platforms.

In this blog, we’ll explain which web design trends to avoid in 2025 and beyond—and why skipping them often leads to better results.

Why Some Design Trends Fail

Trendy design elements might seem appealing at first glance. However, they often:

• Reduce website usability
• Confuse visitors
• Hurt mobile responsiveness
• Decrease conversion rates
• Cause accessibility issues

A professional web designing company in Dubai avoids such risks by prioritizing the user’s needs over temporary style.

Trend #1: Auto-Playing Video with Sound

What It Is:

Videos that begin playing with sound the moment a user lands on a website.

Why to Avoid:

• It interrupts the user experience.
• It can startle visitors, especially in professional or quiet settings.
• Many users immediately leave the site.

Best Practice:

Use muted videos with optional play controls. Let users choose when and how they want to engage.

Trend #2: Complex and Overlapping Typography

What It Is:

Fonts layered over images or overlapping design elements that look artistic but reduce readability.

Why to Avoid:

• Difficult to read on mobile devices.
• Causes eye strain and frustration.
• Fails accessibility guidelines.

A web designing company in Dubai ensures typography is clean, legible, and consistent across screen sizes.

Trend #3: Excessive Animation

What It Is:

Too many moving parts—scroll effects, animated buttons, sliding banners, and more.

Why to Avoid:

• Slows down page load speed.
• Distracts users from key messages.
• Can overwhelm users with cognitive load.

Animations should serve a purpose. A web development company in Dubai can create lightweight, purposeful motion that supports interaction—not distracts from it.

Trend #4: Hidden Navigation Menus

What It Is:

Menus hidden behind a hamburger icon even on desktop or overly minimalist navigation structures.

Why to Avoid:

• Increases clicks needed to find content.
• Creates confusion and makes important links harder to locate.
• Reduces time spent on the site.

Visible, clear, and structured menus lead to better engagement. Navigation should be designed for ease, not mystery.

Trend #5: Infinite Scrolling on Business Sites

What It Is:

Pages that continue to load content as the user scrolls, with no clear end.

Why to Avoid:

• Makes it harder to find specific information.
• Doesn’t support structured content like pricing, contact, or FAQs.
• Interferes with footer access.

While infinite scroll works well for news or social feeds, it is not ideal for service websites. A web designing company in Dubai ensures each page has a clear structure and endpoint.

Trend #6: Using Trendy Fonts Without Usability Checks

What It Is:

Fancy or decorative fonts that look stylish but are hard to read, especially on smaller screens.

Why to Avoid:

• Breaks consistency.
• Hurts accessibility.
• Slows reading speed.

Good font choices prioritize user comfort. A web designing company in Dubai selects web-safe fonts that balance style with function.

Trend #7: Flat Design with No Visual Cues

What It Is:

Over-simplified design with no shadows, outlines, or indications of where to click.

Why to Avoid:

• Users struggle to identify interactive elements.
• Hurts conversion as users overlook buttons or links.
• Reduces engagement.

Flat design can be elegant—but it needs to be supported with proper visual cues. Using subtle shadows, outlines, or hover states improves usability.

Trend #8: Heavy Use of Stock Images

What It Is:

Generic, overused images that don’t represent the brand or target audience.

Why to Avoid:

• Creates a lack of trust.
• Looks unauthentic and outdated.
• Doesn’t differentiate your business.

Authenticity is key to credibility. A web development company in Dubai can also help optimize real images and videos for performance.

Trend #9: Pop-Ups Appearing Too Soon

What It Is:

Pop-up forms or offers that show up before the user has had a chance to read the content.

Why to Avoid:

• Interrupts reading flow.
• Creates frustration and higher bounce rates.
• May be penalized by search engines on mobile.

Timing matters. Use delayed or exit-intent pop-ups only when appropriate and ensure they are easy to dismiss.

Trend #10: Lack of Contrast in Design

What It Is:

Text and background colors that are too similar, such as light grey text on a white background.

Why to Avoid:

• Reduces readability.
• Fails accessibility standards.
• Makes it hard to skim content.

A web designing company in Dubai always ensures color combinations offer enough contrast to meet web accessibility guidelines.

Trend #11: Full-Screen Background Sliders

What It Is:

Slideshows that take up the entire first screen of a homepage, rotating images automatically.

Why to Avoid:

• Most users don’t stay to watch more than the first slide.
• Slows page load.
• Pushes content below the fold.

Instead of sliders, use a static, focused message with a strong call-to-action that immediately explains your value.

Trend #12: Overuse of Parallax Scrolling

What It Is:

Background images move at a different speed than the foreground as the user scrolls.

Why to Avoid:

• Can cause motion sickness in some users.
• Slows down performance.
• Doesn’t work well on all devices.

Used sparingly, it can enhance storytelling. Used excessively, it hurts usability and accessibility.

Trend #13: Unclear CTAs or Multiple CTAs in One Area

What It Is:

Several competing buttons in the same section or vague calls-to-action like “Click Here.”

Why to Avoid:

• Confuses users.
• Reduces conversions.
• Lacks urgency and clarity.

A web development company in Dubai ensures CTAs are visually distinct, easy to understand, and strategically placed across the site.

How to Identify Harmful Trends on Your Site

You may already be using some of these trends without realizing they are affecting performance. Here are signs it’s time to evaluate:

• High bounce rates on homepage or landing pages
• Low click-through rates on CTAs
• Visitors spending little time on site
• Complaints about slow performance or poor mobile usability

A web designing company in Dubai can run a full design audit and user behavior analysis to help you identify areas to improve.

Working with Professionals to Stay Timeless, Not Trendy

An experienced design team knows which modern techniques are effective and which are better left behind. When paired with a web development company in Dubai, your website remains both innovative and dependable.

A successful website isn’t built on trends—it’s built on strategy, experience, and a deep understanding of your users.

Design Trends Should Support, Not Harm

Trends in web design can be exciting, but not all are good for your website. Following every new idea without checking its impact can lead to poor usability, slower performance, and lower trust.

The goal of great design is to make users feel comfortable, informed, and ready to take action. That’s why leading experts at a web designing company in Dubai focus on clarity, speed, accessibility, and brand alignment—rather than visual gimmicks. A strong web development company in Dubai ensures that every design choice functions perfectly on every screen and browser.

If your website feels too flashy but not functional, it may be time to re-evaluate your design choices. The right updates can reduce bounce rates, increase conversions, and create a lasting impression—without depending on short-lived trends.