The design portfolio of Patrick Monkel. This is a very minimalist display of artwork that is anything but. The simple design of the portfolio page really showcases the complexity of the artwork shown.
Posted in Web Design → Portfolio
This site makes it easy to copy and paste the script tag for your favorite JavaScript libraries. The design is super simple and very effective. The black boxes contrast nicely with the white background and the corner element makes sharing just a click away.
Posted in Web Design → Software
Anderbose is the personal portfolio of Brad Haynes. I love the dark theme, lighting effects, and clean grid layout displayed here. The node-based content works really well in this context.
Posted in Web Design → Portfolio
The high contrast background and big beautiful truck icon make for some excellent eye candy. There are also a lot of subtleties in this design that really finish it off well.
Posted in Web Design → Software
The portfolio site of Tobias Ahlin, a web, print and icon designer. Aside from the beautiful work on display, I love the gray and black color palette and the dynamically reshuffling gallery.
Posted in Web Design → Design
A new book from the author of "Five Simple Steps." This site features a nice spotlight effect on a dark wood background. The color choices on the large text are particularly nice.
Posted in Web Design → Design
The online portfolio of a UX designer from London. This design is super minimal featuring little more than an Apple display and some text. However, the layout was handled very well and the reduced content really draws your eyes to the scrolling portfolio.
Posted in Web Design → Design
A lovingly crafted site with a huge background image, and some really interesting navigation. The typography used in headings and the navigation bar works really well, and adds flair to the design. My only complaint would be that the text used in the main body areas is a little difficult to read. Other than that, a great example of creative background usage.
Posted in Web Design → Music
This page features a noisy textured background with a dramatic vignette that is ideally suited to draw your attention toward the big photographs in the center. The typography on the page is quite nice and worth noting as well.
Posted in Web Design → Misc
This beautiful site uses a grunge textured background and excellently attractive typography. The navigation takes you to a new section of the same page, divided visually by vivid color changes.
Posted in Web Design → Music
This is the "coming soon" page for a new site for reading Bible stories. The black site really emphasizes the drama of the background image and makes for great contrast on the white to gray text.
Posted in Web Design → Misc
Sticker Mule sells custom printed stickers, laptop and iPhone skins. It is an inviting, friendly design packed with vivid colour. The beautiful cloud of stickers on the right really grabs your attention. Also, the icons on the bottom of the page are quite detailed and attractive.
Posted in Web Design → Misc
Another gorgeous iPhone application site, Snow Reports is a little heavy on the reflections, but executes type well and follows a solid colours scheme. A good example of simple design that serves its purpose well, with graphics that are completely suitable for the use of the application.
Posted in Web Design → Software
jQuery for Designers helps offer a great understanding of JavaScript for designers, and bridges a little of the barrier to the "funky interaction stuff". The site combines clean lines with rough texture, and manages to pull both off with plenty of spacing and a clear sense of structure. The formatting in blog posts is clearly thought through in-depth, and executed well.
Posted in Web Design → Design
Alexander's portfolio takes on a steel and purple hue, featuring a scrolling portfolio slideshow that appears to "hover" over the rest of the page. I also particularly like the contact page, which includes a postcard mockup, a rate card designed in the style of a till receipt, and a timeline showing how most design projects are worked through.
Posted in Web Design → Design
A novel concept, the idea behind Design Swap is that pairs of designers team up to "swap" the design of an aspect of their site. It's an exercise in trust, and - in my opinion - a thoroughly fantastic idea. The design of the site is wonderful, full of attention to detail and well chosen typography. I particularly like the stylised signatures in the footer, and the consistent use of the bold logo. Definitely worth subscribing to, and keeping track of over the coming months.
Posted in Web Design → Design
Typetester is a useful service for comparing different typefaces for reproduction on screen. You can select a whole range of different options for the display formatting, and compare three typefaces side-by-side. The design of the site itself is fairly basic, but produced to execute one task very well. Everything seems very busy at first, but the reason for this becomes apparent as you start using the application. A great tool for any web designer.
Posted in Web Design → Design
TweetShare aims to let you have a discussion (including the sharing of files and documents), using Twitter as a platform. An interesting idea! The design of the site takes a slightly more professional tone than many other Twitter services, with a subtle use of gradients and bold buttons. Logical, clear, and simple.
Posted in Web Design → Software
Providing information all the places that serve alcohol in Austin, Drink Up Austin is a colourful, playful design that matches it's purpose well. Certain aspects of the colour scheme feel a little garish at first, but the design feels natural as you navigate around. Contrast is used well to draw your attention to certain elements of the design.
Posted in Web Design → Food
Cobblestone is designed to move people deeper into real relationships. The design of the site is slick, professional, and subtle. The use of subtle gradients and drop shadows gives the site depth, and the purpose is made clear straight away. I particularly like the top navigation, which manages to pull off a slight transparency, a simple texture, and some well balanced typography.
Posted in Web Design → Community