Web design got too perfect, and that’s the problem.

Web design got too safe

Your website doesn’t look broken. It looks fine. And “fine” is exactly why people forget you 10 seconds after they close the tab. For years, “good web design” meant clean, minimal, conversion-oriented. You removed friction, followed the rules, and ended up with something no one could really argue with.​

Now scroll your category. Every site has:

• The same hero layout.

• The same three-column features.

• The same “trusted by” logos lined up in a neat little row.

The problem is not that these patterns are wrong. It is that they’re everywhere. When everything looks optimized, nothing feels alive.​

You removed the reasons to remember you

Minimalism was supposed to make your story clearer. Over time, it just stripped out anything with personality. Somewhere between “keep it simple” and “don’t confuse anyone,” you lost:

• Odd details that hinted at how you actually think.

• Visual risks that signaled taste, not just templates.

• Copy that sounded like a human instead of a slide deck.

Result? Users land, recognize the pattern, skim for a second, and leave with a vague impression.

“Fun” doesn’t mean unusable

The solution is not to throw out grids and best practices and build something chaotic.​

“Fun” web design in 2026 looks like:

• One unexpected visual moment in an otherwise calm layout.

• A headline that’s slightly more honest than people expect.

• A microinteraction, a hover, scroll, or 404 that makes someone smirk.

Usability still matters. Accessibility still matters. But between all those guardrails, there’s plenty of room for one or two decisions that make your brand feel human again.​

What to change this month

Start with:

• Rewrite a single hero line so it sounds like something you’d actually say out loud.

• Add one “good weird” section, oversized type, a playful visual, or an unexpected layout shift.

• Fix one tiny moment (form helper text, empty state, 404), so it reflects your real voice.

Your 2026 website isn’t failing because it’s ugly. It’s failing because it’s forgettable. The good news? A little bit of fun is often all it takes to stand out in a world of perfect, polite beige.​