2026 Web Design Trends
We’re deep in the era of artificial intelligence. With nonstop innovation and increasing adoption, “AI” has become the buzzword of the moment. If your work touches the internet in any way (hello, web design), it’s almost impossible to ignore.
Even as we navigate this seemingly futuristic AI chokehold, 2025 marked a bold swing away from strict minimalism. Design leaned back into personality. Websites embraced character. Color, texture, and a little bit of chaos made their way back onto the page. That shift isn’t slowing down in 2026—it’s ushering in another year where human creativity comes out on top.
This year’s trends feel even more intertwined with the cultural zeitgeist, drawing inspiration from playful online spaces and the once-dismissed world of print marketing. To unpack it all, Squarespace Circle teamed up with longtime Squarespace pro and Circle partner, Puno of ilovecreatives, to reveal the latest and greatest in web design.
Watch our interview with Puno about the trends.
Few creatives are as tapped into the now, or as fearless in pushing design forward. In Puno’s case, she’s not just identifying trends; she’s setting them.
Here are 2026’s most prevalent design trends:
Archival Index
Archival Index is the minimalist designer’s comfort zone in 2026. Archival Index transforms structured data into visual storytelling, taking a nostalgic approach to collecting and archiving information with grids, labels, and annotations. The aesthetic represents a refined take on digital collection and categorization with layouts that feel equal parts library and gallery.
The design framework relies on neutral color palettes, carefully organized layouts, and detailed labeling. It’s direct, structured, and clean, offering comfort in the structure. For copy-forward websites, Archival Index is great for turning documentation into part of the brand’s aesthetic.
Glassmorphism
Glassmorphism is the visual framework for an AI-driven future. For designers looking to embrace a cool, delightful aesthetic in 2026, it's the essence of calm futurism. An evolved, refined, and hyper-modern interpretation of digital space, Glassmorphism uses transparent, layered depth with a sheen-like quality to create compositions that feel sleek and commanding.
The aesthetic is both futuristic and fun and can offer a new perspective to existing brands or help define new businesses. With an effervescent cool factor, Glassmorphism has the makings of a visual identity that iterates and evolves over time.
Creative Process
A celebration of process and imperfection, Creative Process rejects digital polish, favoring hand-drawn marks, scanned textures, and collage-style layering. It’s human, intimate, and expressive—the beauty of the unfinished. Like 2025’s Sketchbook, this trend offers an intimate look into the creative journey, fostering an immediate connection to emotion and authenticity.
Creative Process features hand-drawn type and logos, organic scribbles, collaged work-in-progress photos, and intentionally imperfect patterns. In a world where final products are increasingly polished, people crave visibility into how things are made. Creative Process celebrates the nuanced decisions only a human hand can make, building trust and telling the full story in a visual, honest way.
Motion Narrative
Motion Narrative is a kinetic approach to digital storytelling, where intentional, thoughtful movement transforms static pages into living experiences. When done well, Motion Narrative becomes the design itself, feeling like a novel, digital playground that builds rapport with your audience and draws them into your brand.
Motion Narrative is one of the more advanced trends, requiring a solid understanding of user experience (UX) and accessibility to execute successfully. The aesthetic invites you to create tactile brand experiences before a customer ever interacts with the product or service firsthand, adding an element of entertainment that naturally captures and holds the visitor’s attention.
Card Play
Card Play is an evolution of the grid system that leans into interactive storytelling. For the designer who craves structure, each card becomes a tactical module—pressable, hoverable, or flippable—striking a balance between order and play. Its clean, modular nature also makes Card Play highly palatable and adaptable, fitting seamlessly into a wide range of site types and industries.
Rounded corners and soft edges pair with micro-animations and flips effects reminiscent of cards on a table. Card Play is a fun, intuitive way to organize information and highlight key details like calls-to-action or important notes. Like puzzle pieces clicking into place, the aesthetic demonstrates its value through beautifully partitioned, easy-to-digest content.
Check out more details about these trends and how to apply them on Squarespace:
Which design trend fits your personality best?
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