Innovation at your fingertips
Do you dream of designing stunning websites with Webflow? Then you ve come to the right place! Discover the innovations revealed at the Webflow 2023 conference. Whether you re a novice or an expert, prepare to be amazed by the platform s advances.
During the conference, theWebflow agency lifted the veil on cutting-edge tools that will enable you to design beautiful, functional websites. From design-friendly AI to revamped e-commerce tools, find out how to maximize your use of Webflow.
Don t miss this opportunity to stay at the cutting edge of web design and get inspired by the latest trends. Discover the nuggets from Webflow Conf 2023.
Presentation of the latest Webflow 2023 features
The Webflow 2023 conference was a veritable firework display of innovations and technological advances. For all those who aspire to create exceptional websites with Webflow, or for the curious, this event was a gold mine of information. In this article you ll find a summary of the highlights and tips for optimizing your experience on this dynamic platform.
Spline integration: the 3D era
Explore 3D in innovative ways with Spline on Webflow
3D has the power to transform a flat design into an immersive experience. Thanks to its alliance with Spline, Webflow enables designers to merge the worlds of the web and 3D, offering unprecedented interactive design possibilities. Users can then discover a complete visual experience thanks to 3D.
Webflow has grasped the importance of 3D and now offers a dynamic, interactive dimension. Spline, renowned for its power, is a 3D design platform that simplifies the creation of animations and immersive experiences.
3D was complex to manipulate within Webflow without knowing a development language like three.Js (a 3D JavaScript library). Now you can simply add your 3D Spline assets and control animations natively directly from the Webflow Designer!
With this new alliance, get ready to create breathtaking 3D designs and immerse your visitors in breathtaking worlds right away.
Extend your global presence with localization on Webflow
Does your website speak global?
In our connected world, reaching an international audience is essential. To do so, it s essential to adapt your website to the specificities of each market. However, existing solutions often require significant technical intervention or impose restrictions on design and search engine optimization, and can entail additional costs.
After listening to feedback from their community and identifying the need, Webflow has been working diligently over the last year to bring a complete solution to this challenge in 2023. This is where Webflow s localization comes in. Designed to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes, this feature provides a tailor-made web experience for users all over the world.
Thanks to the localization tool, you can :
- Adapt every element of your site to a given region, from design to content, without the need for coding.
- Benefit from automatic translations thanks to Webflow partners such as Lokalise, or opt for the translation management system (TMS) of your choice.
- Boost yourinternational visibility with advanced SEO tools, customizable subfolders and language-specific sitemaps.
For the moment, the localization function is only available to Webflow partners(we re one of them, so we re going to test it right now!). But don t worry, localization will be rolled out to all users next month.
Variables: Optimize your design
Masterful styling
Consistency in design is essential. With the introduction of variables, Webflow offers designers a way to ensure consistency across the site, whether in colors, fonts or other design elements.
It s widely recognized that Design Systems speed up the creative process. By developing a reusable element, you can deploy it in a variety of contexts without having to rebuild it each time. This not only facilitates and accelerates design, but also guarantees consistency for users.
The integration of variables in Webflow allows you to retain information such as tints, typography or dimensions, all without having to manually insert these details each time. The advantage? When you adjust a variable, the change is automatically applied wherever it s used. This incredible flexibility simplifies your design process and offers greater consistency throughout your project.
Integration of custom CSS properties
In a few months time, Webflow will be integrating a solution for incorporating custom CSS properties and value associations into your stylistic elements via Webflow Designer. This will come in handy when you re looking for advanced stylistic control for your projects. These stylistic configurations will be nested directly within your classes and labels, optimizing your design flexibility on a broader level.
Significant component enhancements in Webflow
Whether you re manipulating a main component or working with a component instance directly on the canvas, configuring and managing editable properties has never been so intuitive. Webflow has optimized the components for even greater performance and ease of use
A new side panel has been added to facilitate the work of content editors, presenting only those component properties they are authorized to modify. Webflow now offers simplified use of properties, from their creation to their deletion, as well as their link with elements.
Teams using the power of components have not been forgotten. These are editable areas within a component that offer designers flexibility right from the start of the design process. These slots also enable component users to customize the structure of a component by inserting any element or other component. This new feature brings Webflow components even closer to the dynamics of genuine React components.
Webflow ecosystem: bigger and stronger
Ever simpler connections
In case you missed it, Webflow s ecosystem has recently been enriched by the addition of new applications and integrations. You can already easily boost your workflows with connections to applications such as Unsplash, HubSpot, Memberstack, Finsweet and Jasper.
Fortunately, Webflow isn t stopping there. They are now adding new applications: Wized from Finsweet, Better Shadows, and an innovative localization application, Lokalise.
Optimizing your development environment
In addition to the benefits the applications bring to Webflow s site managers and creators, their renewed development environment offers even more powerful tools for a growing community of agencies, freelancers and marketing teams.
Last August, Webflow unveiled the integration of Designers Extensions, a new set of application creation tools powered by the Webflow Designer APIs. These tools enable developers to design applications that interact directly with a site s canvas. The REST APIs have not been neglected; their updates enable developers to integrate their solutions with more Webflow functionalities, such as form elements, pages and custom code.
Today sees the launch of three new APIs, designed to enable developers to take advantage of some of the latest innovations.
- The first is a set ofComponent Designer APIs, offering developers the ability to add, connect and manage components within a Webflow site.
- The second is a new Variables Designer API, allowing developers to define and manage variables such as colors, fonts or dimensions.
- The third is due to arrive next month, when Webflow will launch a dedicated Localization API, enabling third-party translation management systems to be integrated with Webflow. If you can t wait and would like an early access, don t hesitate to sign up.
Integrate your Figma creations directly into Webflow
A few months ago, the Figma to Webflow extension was launched, enabling you to easily transfer your wireframes and mock-ups from Figma to Webflow.
Now, if I tell you that you can synchronize your Figma components with Webflow at the click of a button, will you believe me? Yes, thanks to an innovative update, you can now automatically import your Figma components and their associated variables directly into Webflow.
In a few months time, get ready to see this improved version of the Figma extension for Webflow, along with the corresponding Webflow application.
Integrate React elements with DevLink
DevLink offers developers a platform for transferring Webflow components to their React projects. Now, Webflow enhances DevLink with a new feature: the integration of React components. This enables users to enrich their Webflow sites with elements designed via React. This will soon enable users to design components directly linked to real-time data, such as store locators or complete applications.
Collaboration: teamwork is essential
Optimizing team cooperation
Collaboration is the key to any successful project. Webflow s new collaboration features enable perfect synergy between designers, developers and customers, making the design process smoother and more optimized.
The recently updated feedback functionality makes it easy to receive feedback directly within your project, propelling it forward. What s more, with the free commentator role, certain team members can focus exclusively on providing feedback in Webflow.
In addition, there is now a dedicated area within Webflow for content editing. This space offers marketing professionals, authors, customers and other team members a streamlined, secure platform for editing and publishing content with ease.
And finally, publish with peace of mind with the arrival of new publishing workflows.
Webflow Conf 2023: In brief
The Webflow conference was a must-attend event for all web design enthusiasts. It brought together industry experts, developers, designers and entrepreneurs, all driven by the same passion for creating exceptional websites.
In short, all the latest Webflow features - from 3D and collaboration to localization and advanced optimization - will make your day-to-day use of Webflow a whole lot easier. With its innovative features and committed community, Webflow offers you everything you need to create websites that are both aesthetically pleasing and functional.
Explore new features, use available templates and resources, and join the dynamic Webflow community.
Watch our video summary of the keynote :
