5 UI Animation Trends To Look Out For In 2021

30 March 2021

With UI becoming more and more innovative, it’s inevitable that animation eventually became an integral element of user interface design. And even now, trends in UI animation are constantly evolving with developers experimenting more and more. Hence, here are the five UI animation trends to look out for in 2021.

1. 3D Animation:
   

   3D has a long history in the entertainment industry. In fact, it is older than many people think it is! 3D has been particularly influential nowadays with many companies using it to enhance their design and focus specifically on the benefits 3D graphics have for user experience and interface. Moreover, companies from different industries all around the world are using 3D graphics so it is evident that it doesn’t really matter which niche you are working in – 3D animation can always be a powerful tool when used correctly.

   That being said, 3D animation has its own drawbacks. For starters, not everyone knows how to create 3D animations: professionals need to have a certain skillset to be able to create high-quality 3D animations. In addition to that, 3D animations require way more time to be done properly with entire teams working on the project rather than a single person being involved. Nevertheless, 3D animation is worth it in the end: it looks way more realistic than 2D animation and gives your website a completely new look that is unachievable otherwise.

2. Morphing:
   

   Much like 3D graphics, morphing is a technique that can help you with branding and can create a completely unique look for your website. To put it simply, morphing is an animation technique based on transitions that takes separate images and shapes and blends them together seamlessly. More often than not, morphing is used for background animation, but it can still be brought into the forefront. And besides, having a poorly animated background is not the best thing easier, so morphing is pretty much essential.

   As Jonathan Hill from the custom writing reviews site Best Writers Online states, “Morphing is a relatively simple technique. And yet, it is able to achieve outstanding results if used correctly – both in an artistic and in a commercial sense. Morphing can help you keep site visitors longer on the page they are on increasing your average session time statistics. Users are sometimes even caught off-guard by how beautiful morphing can look and stay on the page just for the sake of seeing what happens next.”

3. Anthropomorphism:
   

   Anthropomorphism is a concept that has its origins in ancient mythology when our ancestors attributed human-like features to animals, plants, and inanimate objects. Anthropomorphism is a commonly used element in fiction, but it has also been used by various companies as a part of their advertising campaigns or their brand image. And even though at first glance some people may think anthropomorphism is just for kids cartoons, there is actually more to it than you may think.

   People are known to be naturally drawn to things and beings that remind us of other humans which is why anthropomorphism is such a powerful tool if you want to connect with your audience. Having a mascot, for example, can create a symbol for your brand that people will recognize, but this mascot can also act as an anthropomorphic connector between your brand and your audience. Obviously, animation can help you bring this mascot to life on your website attracting the attention of the users.

4. Kinetic Typography:
   

   Though the term “kinetic typography” may sound scary or confusing at first, the reality is actually quite simple and easy to understand. At its most basic definition, kinetic typography is moving or animated text. Animation has been used for breathing more life into text numerous times before, but doing it right is the trick. Kinetic typography can catch the attention of your site visitors and keep it there for a long time, it can set the mood for the entire user experience, and it can simply bring an aesthetically pleasing element to the UI.

   As Georgia Right from the writing services reviews site Online Writers Rating puts it, “Kinetic typography has almost endless opportunities. There are so many things you can do with it! You can squeeze or stretch words, make the sentences playful and dynamic, repeat the same word or phrase over and over again hypnotizing the audience… And besides, you can use it both on your website and in other places such as ads or app interfaces.”

5. Hover Effects:
   

   To an extent, hover effects are already considered to be an overused technique in UI animation. And yet, they are still being consistently used by numerous high- and low-profile companies because of their effectiveness and simplicity. In fact, hover effects have actually become an essential element of UI animation. In essence, hover effects are the animated effects applied to different elements of UI that show up when someone hovers the mouse over the said element.

   Just like kinetic typography, hover effects have many possibilities for you as a website owner. You can make buttons change color or bounce, make the menu open without even having to click on it, and so on. The only thing to remember is not to overuse the effects but still be playful and experimenting with them.

Final Thoughts

All in all, it’s definitely worth knowing about the latest trends in UI animation to be able to create the kind of user experience that you want your audience to have. Keep in mind the trends listed here and use them to your advantage in the future.

About the Author

Melissa Mauro is a self-improvement author who is always interested in new projects. She wants to create her own writer brand, that’s why Melissa is looking for fresh platforms for the implementation of her ideas. Creativity and unique style make it possible to deliver valuable and engaging content to her ideal reader.