Chasing after the trend of the season may keep your website or business looks trendy, but it will also go out of style much faster than if you stick with classical choices. There are some types of design so beloved and so intuitive that they never truly go out.

There are approximately 174,300 web developers and digital designers in the United States according to the last Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report. BLS estimates the career path grows faster than average, bringing new designers into the fold each year. New designers want to try new techniques. Some stay and some don’t.

What are the types of design likely to stick around for the foreseeable future? Let’s take a look at what web designers use that stays popular and why it might work for your designs. We will also discuss print and decor options for brick-and-mortar stores.

1. Minimalism

A minimalist design never goes out of style. Simple lines, uncluttered spaces and classic styles will look as current today as they will in a few years. Cut out anything not absolutely necessary and focus only on the goal of the page or layout of the store.

One of the biggest advantages of minimalism for online is that you can add in a trendy feature or two without overwhelming the user. The simplicity of the design lends itself to accent colors, animations and other elements.

2. Foils

Studies show 25% of consumers say adding foil, glitter or other textures to print promotions influences them to make a purchase. Although the study looked at gift cards specifically, it stands to reason the same technique would work well for postcards and flyers.

Foils show that you are offering something special and the user should sit up and take notice. You can even use them in your window display designs. Gold foil has a regal look to it and silver highlights something special occurring.

3. Interactive Elements

As screen resolutions get better and connection speeds improve, you’ll see more and more animated features on websites. Expect design elements such as videos, animated logos and moving parts to increase and remain popular in the coming years.

User experience (UX) design becomes more important than ever before as people expect a personalized approach each time they visit your site or interact with your brand. Look for ways to pull them in and keep them engaged.

4. High Contrast Colors

One thing that will never go out of style in design is using contrasting colors. A light background with dark lettering, or vice versa, helps users spot a sign, read a website without letters going blurry and see things from a distance.

Some of the colors that work particularly well together include black on white, dark red on ivory, navy blue on yellow and white on charcoal gray.

Play around with your choices and step back from the computer screen or the sign to see how easy it is to read. You may have to adjust color hues a bit to get the exact contrast you seek, but the results are well worth the effort.

5. Mobile Responsiveness

The Pew Research Center recently reported 97% of Americans now own a cellphone and 85% own a smartphone. More people access the internet via their phones than ever before, and some only get online via their mobile devices.

If your site doesn’t translate well on mobile devices, it’s time to make adjustments. Otherwise, you risk losing a big portion of your website traffic.

In addition to a website that is mobile-friendly, you should also consider how you might interact with people via their mobile devices. For example, if you run a restaurant, can they scan a QR code with their smartphone and pull up the menu? Do you ping them when they’re near your store and you have a new arrival or special offer?

Look for ways to tap into current technology and interact with your customers. The more personalized the experience the better.

6. Beautiful Images

Whether you’re designing a website or putting up posters in your office space, you’ll want to use images relevant to your business. Your photographs should be bold, beautiful and high quality. You may want to hire a photographer to capture just the right light and composition.

Make sure you use a consistent style for your images. You’re developing a voice for your brand, so you don’t want to use animations on one page and photographs on the other unless it makes sense to make the transition between the two.

7. Sticky Elements

You’ve probably noticed the sticky navigation bars on most websites. As the user scrolls down, the nav bar follows them down the page, always at the ready. However, you can use sticky for more than just the nav bar. You might want to make your call to action button stay in place, for example.

Parallax scrolling has been trending for a few years and is part of the reason for the rise in sticky elements. You can make some items move more slowly than others as the user travels down your page.

What’s Your Style?

Your design style may lean more toward modern, hip vibes. That’s fine. You can go with some classic design styles and add in the elements you love. You can change things around as much as you’d like. The key is knowing what has staying power and then weaving in extras as you’d like. Over time, you’ll develop a personal style that stands out as a design that’s here to stay.

Eleanor Hecks is the editor of Designerly Magazine. Eleanor was the creative director and occasional blog writer at a prominent digital marketing agency before becoming her own boss in 2018. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and dog, Bear.