App and web design are of paramount importance in today’s digital landscape. They serve as the user’s gateway to a digital experience of what your business has to offer them. And as such they help shape the way your business is perceived.
Effective design enhances user engagement, navigation, and overall satisfaction. A well-designed app or website conveys credibility and professionalism, fostering trust among users. It also plays a pivotal role in user retention and conversion rates, influencing business success.
Furthermore, a user-friendly design ensures accessibility for diverse audiences, accommodating different devices and needs.
That’s why we’re going to bring to you today, 7 app & web design examples and ideas from Penji.
So if you’re looking to design your app or website, sit back as we unravel amazing examples and ideas for you to use.
This web design by Penji has been done in the style of a flat design.
Flat Design is a minimalist approach to app and website design characterized by simplicity, clarity, and a focus on essential elements. It emphasizes clean lines, vibrant colors, and a lack of complex textures or gradients. Elements appear two-dimensional, with no simulated depth or shadows.
This design philosophy utilized by Penji here, prioritizes user-friendly interfaces, quick loading times, and ease of navigation.
Flat Design often relies on intuitive icons and straightforward typography to communicate information effectively. Its aesthetic appeals to modern sensibilities and has become popular due to its ability to create visually pleasing, uncluttered, and user-centric digital experiences.
As you can see from the above example, the colors, the shapes, and the fonts are all 2 dimensional and flat. This allows for an unhindered experience while navigating the website.
So if you’re looking for web design examples in this arena, then this particular type is the way to go.
If you’re looking for sleek minimalist app and web design examples then this idea from Penji can be beneficial for you. Let us first break down what minimalist design in app and web designs are.
Minimalistic design in app and website design revolves around the principle of simplicity and elegance. It’s characterized by a clean, uncluttered interface, typically employing a limited color palette, ample white space, and straightforward typography. This approach reduces distractions and places essential content at the forefront, enhancing user focus and usability.
While minimalism stretches out to all different design categories as an important design principle it’s highly useful in app and web designs. The above example from Penji is a perfect example that showcases minimalism, particularly in app design. Because the use of a limited color palette along with proper use of white space helps prioritize and make navigation intuitive and efficient. It aims to convey information and functionality with utmost clarity and without unnecessary embellishments.
Pro Tip: One way to keep the overall layout minimal is to use the lightest color in your brand’s color palette as the background and use darker shades for buttons and icons.
Moving on to the next idea from Penji, we can see that it has to do with the use of gradients. Gradients in app and website design employ color transitions to create visually dynamic interfaces. It involves a gradual shift from one color to another, adding depth and dimension to elements like backgrounds, buttons, icons, and text.
Gradients offer versatility, allowing for subtle monochromatic options for sophistication or bold, multicolored choices for striking effects. This design approach captures users’ attention, enhancing visual appeal. It is also a top UI trend for the year 2023 according to UXStudio.
We can derive from the above idea from Penji too that using gradients helps draw attention to different parts of the interface in a methodical way (as it is with most app and web design examples using gradients). Let’s take a look at why.
We tend to perceive the lighter shade in a gradient first because our visual system is sensitive to differences in luminance, making the contrast more noticeable. And our brains naturally prioritize lighter areas as they are often associated with stability and weight perception. In other words, our eye is naturally used to the real-world gradient from nature where it’s mostly top light and bottom dark according to this study on gradients.
And here in this app design example, the lighter shade is appropriately used at the top to guide the eye from top to bottom aiding visual hierarchy.
If you’re looking for app and web design examples that focus heavily on sections of information then this idea is a great option for you.
The above is a card-based web app designed by Penji. Card-based design is a popular approach in app and website design that organizes content into individual cards or modules. Each card represents a distinct piece of information or functionality, making it visually appealing and easily digestible. This design technique improves user engagement and navigation by presenting information in a structured and intuitive manner. Cards can include images, text, and interactive elements, providing a consistent and organized layout.
As you can see from the above example, everything from the top menu to the image to the list of services, everything is displayed within cards. It helps isolate information and focus only on what you need to read.
Moreover, they adapt well to various screen sizes, making them ideal for responsive design.
So conclusively, card-based design enhances user experience by simplifying content consumption, promoting user interaction, and facilitating quick access to relevant information.
Dark mode-only design is a design choice that offers users a visually striking alternative to traditional light-themed interfaces. It features dark backgrounds with light text and elements, reducing eye strain and enhancing readability, especially in low-light environments. That’s probably why a lot of the app and web design examples in dark mode we come across draw us in, more than lighter ones.
And when given the choice, more than 80% of individuals switch to dark mode according to MarketSplash.
The above design by Penji captures well the essence of this UI design practice. The dark background makes the brown cigars on display pop and helps bring together the rest of the brand colors. And better yet, it suits the overall aesthetic that they’re going for. And not only is this design trend aesthetically appealing but it is also energy-efficient for devices with OLED screens.
Dark mode designs in general create a modern, sleek appearance. It caters to both style-conscious users and those looking for enhanced usability during nighttime browsing. So it’s best to let users browse in dark mode for a better user experience. But do be cautious about your brand colors and your products, as some brands will not benefit from dark mode. It has to ultimately suit your brand.
To encourage you to use this in your app and web designs, it will be helpful to know that dark mode-only is another top UI design trend for 2023.
This strikingly attractive web design idea by Penji is an example of an illustration-centric design. Illustration-centric design places custom illustrations or graphics at the forefront of the user interface in apps and websites. It leverages visual storytelling to engage and communicate with users effectively.
Bespoke illustrations of this nature help convey complex concepts and brand personality, and aid in user guidance. This design approach also allows for creative expression and can set a unique tone for the platform.
It’s especially suitable for businesses looking to infuse personality into their digital presence and explain intricate ideas or processes in a user-friendly manner. Illustration-centric design adds a distinctive and inviting visual layer to the user interface. That’s exactly the scenario here in this web design.
The illustration is for a web page raising awareness for protecting a river and the unique illustration helps people respond even more. Even though this is an illustrated webpage, you can see that the colors and the drawings are done in a style that doesn’t complicate the view. The soft palette paired with the illustrated figures and the attractive typography all contribute to a well-thought-out design. It’s important to note that your illustrations and the fonts that you employ both need to go well together.
Pro Tip: Illustration-centric web designs can be highly beneficial for industries targeting children, teenagers, and comic enthusiasts.
Glassmorphism is a modern design trend that creates a visually appealing interface by simulating frosted glass-like elements. In glassmorphism design, components have a translucent or blurred appearance, resembling the look of frosted glass.
This design approach adds depth, realism, and a futuristic feel to apps and websites. Elements like buttons, cards, and input fields often have a soft, blurred background with semi-transparent surfaces, making the content behind them partially visible.
Glassmorphism combines aesthetics with functionality, creating a visually engaging UI that maintains readability and user interaction. It’s a striking and contemporary design choice, popular for its sleek and immersive user experience.
This is exactly the design principle used in the above web design. The use of glass boxes and other elements on top of the background elements makes the design look futuristic and sleek. And since this is a page with astrology-related content, it helps set the tone of the website.
If you previously didn’t know how to search app and web design examples with this effect, now you know the term to look for – glassmorphism.
In an era where digital presence is integral to businesses and communication, app and web design are critical elements that directly impact user experiences and organizational outcomes. That’s why we know that these app and web design examples are going to come in handy for you to come up with ideas for your own websites. So look into each of them with intent and see what best fits your business model and brand tone.
