Trends We Actually Use (And 3 We Quietly Ignore)

Every week, my feed shows me some beautiful concept that would be a nightmare to build and maintain. Here's where we've landed after years of client work:

What's actually working:

Bento grids. I was skeptical at first—felt like a fad. But users genuinely get them. Great for dashboards, feature pages, anywhere you need to show multiple things without overwhelming.

Subtle glass effects. Key word: subtle. A hint of blur, a touch of transparency. Not the iOS 7 explosion. Used sparingly, it creates depth without the dated "frosted" look.

Micro-interactions on forms. Tiny animations when you focus an input, toggle a switch, submit a button. Makes interfaces feel alive. Users don't notice them consciously—they just feel like the site is "quality."

Dark mode as default (for certain brands). Tech, creative, luxury—dark works. But we always build the light mode too. Some people have migraines.

Variable fonts. One file, infinite weights. Better performance, better typography, no more "we don't have medium italic" compromises.

What we skip:

AI-generated hero images. They're everywhere now, and they all look the same. That uncanny smoothness, the generic corporate diversity. Custom photography costs more but converts better.

Horizontal scroll sections. Every designer loves them, every user hates them. The "surprise" of unexpected scroll direction isn't delightful—it's disorienting.

Extreme minimalism. "Just the logo and one button" sounds elegant in presentations. In reality, users need context. A little visual hierarchy goes a long way.

The pattern I see: trends that serve the user stick around. Trends that serve the designer's portfolio don't.