5th Element Designs

3 Essential Design Trends, May 2023
All three of the website design trends here mimic something bigger going on in the tech space, from a desire to have more real connections (handwriting) to nods to social media (stickers) to models that are rooted in artificial intelligence. Every one of these design themes is more than a technique; it carries a tie to the greater world around us.

Here’s what’s trending in design this month.

1. Handwritten Text Emphasis

Sometimes it’s the little things that help set a design apart. One of those little things is an element of personalization that looks like someone added something special to the design just for you to ensure that you know what it’s about.

Right now, that go-to element is something in a handwritten style – circled text or words, an underline, or a font with a handwriting style. The commonality is that the element is perfectly imperfect and looks like it was added at the last minute to help you understand the design or content.

Each of these examples does it somewhat differently but with equal impact.

Envisioning Justice uses a pen stroke around the brand’s name in the copy. This could have been done with a logo, but the double circle line feels more important with added impact. That line continues below the scroll as well with a drawn arrow to help you follow the copy. (It’s used a few times.)

Joris does something similar with a yellow circle around “brands” in the main display copy. There’s a nice touch of animation here where the hand-drawn yellow line extends with a mouseover. This little unicorn is highly engaging and grabs your attention.

Zoey uses a couple of hand elements to create a combined effect here. There’s the marker style for “empathy” in the headline with a yellow underline. The brand mark also uses a yellow drawn “o” and a bit of a rough descender on the “y.” All of it comes together with a nice overall effect that isn’t too much but has just enough to keep you looking at the design.

2. Stickers

You can thank social media for this one. Sticker-style icons almost randomly placed on the screen are popping up almost everywhere.

This is a carryover from both digital stickers that are popular on social media posts and stories and real-life stickers that are on everything from laptops to water bottles. This digital element has a tactile feel because you can imagine it in reality, kind of crossing the digital life-real life divide.

It’s also a light and fun way to play with color, typography, and text elements that might not go together otherwise.

Letter Set Lab uses a big sticker-style element for its branding and in the center of the screen to introduce the website.

Readymag uses sticker elements of well-known brands to draw you into their tool. This is a prime example of how stickers pull together a lot of things that could otherwise be a bit of a mess with so many colors and fonts.

Frank Reichard uses animated stickers for his portfolio to create visual interest. Each sticker bounces onto the screen and then finds a static landing spot. The only miss here is that each one isn’t interactive. (Wouldn’t you like to know more about that cute dog?)

3. AI Models

Much of the conversation about everything in the tech and marketing spaces centers around artificial intelligence. Are robots about to take our jobs?

These projects use AI-inspired models to highlight that they are forward-thinking. What’s interesting is that so many of these models look incredibly similar. There are other commonalities with this website design trend as well:

Minimal aesthetics with plenty of open space

Not much typography and with a futuristic flair

Dark color for AI models so they aren’t fully identifiable

Connection to brand or business with AI

Used for smaller websites without a lot of pages

The challenge with this trend is that many of the AI models seem to look similar. (Why are so many female figures?) And what does AI look like? There’s an odd humanization happening in these designs to make the computer models into people, but not so much so that they are real. This may be a design element that we continue to struggle to figure out for some time in the future as these projects grow in popularity.

Here’s a look at the three examples.

AVA-X uses the least human-looking model to highlight their business, which is AI-based. She spins and moves with scrolling like a mannequin.

Mugler has a more glass or liquid-like AI model for the company that does NFTs. Again the model is in the background and not super clear; she’s human but also very robotic.

Locomotive uses actual people but with digitization that makes the video reel feel like a scene from a sci-fi movie. The mix of reality between AI and reality is interesting and feels like the right vibe for this company, what they do, and how they are trying to position themselves as forward-thinking.

Conclusion

How often do you look at website designs and think about what may have influenced them? Often website design trends are visual representations of the world around the designer at the time. Design and art as far back as you can go have these ties.

The beauty is that this connection is what makes something super trendy. The challenge is that it can also date the aesthetic if the element or idea fades quickly.
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10 Best AI Tools for Creatives
It’s time to stop worrying if AI is going to take your job and instead start using AI to expand the services you can offer to clients and the skills you can add to your résumé.

There are thousands of AI-powered apps out there that can take over your grunt work, and fill in the gaps where your own experience is weak. Take a glance through this list, you’re sure to find something that will make your workday easier, more enjoyable, and more profitable.

GitHub Copilot

Remember that argument that designers should know how to code, or at least understand how code works? Not anymore. You don’t need to fall back on templates or frameworks, GitHub Copilot will write bespoke code for you.

Copilot is frighteningly powerful. Simply type the code you want into your favorite code editor as comments, and Copilot will write the code you need. It works best when deployed on short snippets like functions. And it works with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and practically anything else.

Khroma

Cranking out branding day in and day out can kill anyone’s creativity. There are only so many times you can try and sell a client on pink, only to have them choose the blue again.

If your portfolio is starting to look a little samey thanks to its color choices then you should look into Khroma, an awesome little tool that applied machine learning directly to you, to discover the colors you like best. You’ll still have to sell them to your clients, but at least you’ll have plenty of options.

Writesonic

If you’re one of those designers who creates an advert, only for the client to ask you to “throw in some copy”, then you need a tool like Writesonic.

Writesonic is a GPT-4 powered writing app that is powerful, and flexible. It works great for short passages of marketing text. It even takes a pretty good stab at website copy, so you can stop nagging your client for content, generate something for them, and get on with the design work.

Debuild

Sometimes what you really need is a proof-of-concept or a functioning prototype to take to testers. Building one can be challenging, and hiring a dev team too early can be ruinously expensive.

Debuild is an amazing AI tool that can build web apps in minutes by using AI to generate SQL and React components. It’s a superb way to get going with a functional app that just needs its UI designed.

Fontjoy

At this point, we’re all sick of designing with Open Sans and Lato. But finding a good font pairing that works just as well can be tough unless you’re a typography expert.

Fontjoy is a handy tool that generates font pairings using AI. All you need to do is tell it whether you want more or less contrast, then hit the “generate” button.

Vance

Ever ask a client for a product shot, only to receive a quick snap they took on their cellphone? Clients rarely have professional-grade images available and assume designers can just fix up images in Photoshop.

You don’t need to bother booting up PS thanks to Vance, an excellent AI-powered app that polishes photos for you. It can sharpen, denoise, upscale, enhance, and retouch images in any way you need. It’s especially handy for upscaling images.

VisualEyes

One of the most time-consuming parts of the design process is testing. It’s not enough to ask your friends, and full-on UX studies are beyond the budget of most projects.

VisualEyes is a game-changer for UI designers. Using AI it analyses eye-tracking to study your designs and lets you know what’s good enough, and what needs more work.

Jasper

Designers that need to generate longer text, for blogs, or social media posts, should check out Jasper. It’s an advanced AI writing tool that does a good job of generating content.

Jasper delivers one of the most human-like writing services, which is to say it’s less robotic than most of its rivals. You’re still going to need to spend time editing the text to make it sound less cold and less formal. But if you have the time to polish, Jasper will give you a head start on content.

Postcards

Designing emails must be one of the most tedious jobs a designer is tasked with. Not only do you have to engage readers quickly, but you have to do it in a medium that is 15 years behind technology on the web.

Postcards is an excellent solution that uses AI to turbocharge your email-building process. There are mobile-friendly templates, drag-and-drop editing, plus integration with most major marketing platforms, all backed with AI intelligence.

Midjourney

Illustration is one of the most time-consuming side jobs designers are asked to do. Happily, there are lots of AI-powered apps that will tackle this most onerous of jobs for you.

Perhaps the most promising illustration tool is Midjourney, which is still in beta but still manages to deliver exceptional results — especially if you need a realistic portrait of an elfin woman in a floaty dress. (Don’t blame the tool, blame the prompts!)

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10 Best Marketing Agency Websites (Examples, Inspo, and Templates!)

Marketers are skilled in developing strategies, producing visual assets, writing text with high impact, and optimizing everything for engagement and conversion on websites, social media, and everywhere else in between. However, a marketing plan is only as successful as the website you use to get leads from.

Because of this, your marketing agency requires a website that completely impresses visitors.

Continue reading for a list of 10 best marketing agency websites, which you can use as inspiration for your own site’s design or as a quick and simple guide to creating a new one.

We'll also show you how BeTheme might be useful if you're seeking suggestions on a WordPress theme or page builder to speed up the process.

10 top websites for marketing agencies in 2023

Having an excellent portfolio is not enough for your marketing agency website.

It must have a similar aesthetic to the websites you will create for customers. The copy should be attractive so customers should regret not discovering you sooner. Additionally, it must include built-in conversion-boosting features.

Do you want to see how that comes along?

Find motivation here:

1. Porter Novelli

Porter Novelli has developed marketing campaigns for many of the world’s top brands. With as impressive a portfolio as this agency has, their website design and copy are clean, simple, and to the point. Rather than bog down prospective clients with too many details, they give their visuals ample room to speak on behalf of the agency. If you want to create a similarly simple, yet powerful visual effect, start with the BeMedia 2 pre-built site.

2. BeMarketing 2

While it's typical to see websites for marketing agencies chock full of images and videos showcasing their work, BeMarketing 2 adopts a different strategy.

Most of the websites your leads will visit don't appear like the 3D/flat illustration design does. Additionally, it's designed to showcase both your work and the digital goods you offer in a way that is incredibly engaging.

3. Lilo Social

The website for Lilo Social is a great example of how to successfully ditch the predictable symmetry and grid layouts that so many marketing agency websites use. With a lightweight design, hand-drawn and illustrated geometric elements, and a well-balanced (albeit asymmetric) layout, Lilo Social's site carves a unique path and does it well. If you're looking to create a similar effect, consider using the BeAgency 6 site.

4. BeBusiness 6

Having your marketing agency's human aspect visible to potential clients is one of the finest methods to establish trust. The prebuilt BeBusiness 6 website does this.

You may give your agency an accessible, sympathetic vibe while also highlighting your successes by presenting the individuals who work for it as well as the clients you've served throughout time.

5. BeCreative 4

There are additional techniques to look more personable to the clientele you wish to work with for your firm. Everything hinges on who they are. An excellent alternative for focusing on medium-sized corporations and organizations would be the prior agency site. On the other side, BeCreative 4’s young style, which has spinning emblems, funky fonts, and emoji, is quite successful in luring customers from smaller businesses, particularly those led by members of Generation Z.

6. BeAgency 8

Want to persuade people that your company is the best at understanding engagement? Design the hero section of your website using a different strategy from BeAgency 8’s prebuilt website. You may get visitors to interact with your website right away by using the fold to provide a sneak peek of your content.

7. BeAgency 5

A wonderful example of how basic design will always be fashionable is seen in BeAgency 5. In this age of distraction, it's important to incorporate unexpected shocks into your basic design to keep people interested. To entice visitors into the agency's content, this site, for instance, combines hand-drawn features, eye-catching trust marks, and hover-triggered action alternatives.

8. BeAgency 7

More than just attracting and generating leads is possible with a marketing agency website. Consider BeAgency 7 as an example. The purpose of this prebuilt website is to sell marketing services. Visitors are immediately made aware of this via the Pricing page and the ecommerce components incorporated into the header. Put your website to work for you like this one does if you're searching for a solution to streamline your sales process.

9. BeBusiness 4

If you're starting a new marketing firm, visitors to your website need to be greatly impressed. A striking design will be beneficial. The same is true for trust indicators like number counters, FAQs, and well-known partnerships. All of these features and more are available on the BeBusiness 4 website.

10. BeLanding 4

Websites for various kinds of businesses and purposes can also be a terrific source of inspiration, in addition to those for marketing agencies. For example, BeLanding 4 is a fantastic illustration of how to pack a ton of details about your portfolio, client endorsements, pricing, and more onto a single web page. To help users navigate the page's extensive information, mascots have been put to prominent places of the page.

Generate better results with a strong marketing agency website

You'll be able to generate leads and get new clients thanks to your substantial body of online work. But in order to showcase your very finest and most successful work, you need a website where you can put it all together. Additionally, it must turn interested leads into paying customers.

The 10 best marketing agency websites that you saw provide several methods for accomplishing this.

You want a WordPress theme and page builder that makes it simple for you to establish a website for your agency without limiting what you can design. It's also a good idea to seek a solution that can be used to create websites for your own clientele.

Your theme should include white labeling features that allow you to customize the WordPress backend in addition to being a WordPress design powerhouse. Make the login screen your own. Replace the theme's branding with your own (or the logo of your client). Even block access to the visibility of dashboard sections that your customer doesn't require.

You've been searching for an all-inclusive solution, and BeTheme is it.

Everything you need to develop your website as well as the websites of your clients is included, including 650+ pre-built sites (some of which are represented in the list above), a strong and user-friendly website builder, and white labeling.

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