The 30 Best Web Design Gallery Picks of 2012

We’re well past the half way point of 2012, and it’s been an absolutely amazing year for web design. CSS3 and HTML5 are at the height of their game, responsive design is the poster child of modern web practices and we’re beginning to wrap our minds around new concepts such as serving up retina quality images to high resolution devices.

With all of this great stuff happening in the industry, the Design Shack Web Design Gallery is positively bursting with awesome new inspiration and I think it’s a great time to highlight the best sites that we’ve seen in 2012 so far. Read on to see our hand-picked selection of the thirty best sites submitted this year.

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Quarter Rest Studios

A great site for a collaborative music design studio based in Brooklyn, New York. I particularly like the minimal layout and the use of imagery.

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When was the last time?

A intriguing site that aims to challenge you and ask questions. I like the integration of the experience and the images and videos used.

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Riley Cran

A simply superb portfolio site for a designer and illustrator in Vancouver, BC. I love the total lack of descriptive text, it helps to intrigue you further and draw you in.

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Goosebumps Pickles

A simply gorgeous site for a Pickle company that uses stunning photography to grab your attention within a split second. I love the full use of the space and the joyously vibrant colors!

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Forside

Subtle colours and professional design, with wonderfully chosen photography to match the layout.

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Made by Vadim

A lengthy one page website, packed with well presented examples of Vadim’s work. A gorgeous selection of typography to boot!

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Go Beyond Pixels

For a conference focused on mobile design, Go Beyond Pixels really hits the spot! It combines various styles and colours into a long one-page design, with amazing detail invested into tiny elements.

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Google Ventures

This design for Google Ventures is a beautiful mix of photography and design, with a unique scrolling effect as you move further down the page.

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CSS Piffle

A beautifully designed website that aims to help you make the most of CSS. I like the linear layout and the use of iconography throughout.

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Art & Code

A simple, but effective, portfolio section of a site for a design agency. I like the way the designs come to life as you scroll over them, and the simple and intuitive layout.

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Mike Ingham Design

An incredibly beautiful portfolio that values space and clarity. I love the layout and the fantastic use of whitespace. The way this designers previous work is displayed really works to draw you into the portfolio.

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Fit for a Frame

A simple but perfectly designed site for a company that sells prints to fit in Ikea frames. I like the use of typography and the intuitive layout of the site.

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FancyRhino

An intriguing site for a design company that uses horizontal scrolling, a fascinating design decision. It’s a shame you can’t easily scroll sideways and have to grab the bar, but I like the style of the site and the use of typography.

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ShopLocket

A strong site that aims to introduce you to a new way to implement selling through your site. I like the strong vertical layout that takes you through the key things you need to know, and the consistent use of iconography.

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Flint Boutique

A gorgeous, and perfectly pitched, site for a company that creates one-of-a-kind, custom invitations and wedding stationery. I love the typography and restrained, yet bright, use of colour throughout.

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Rally Interactive

Here we have a particularly interesting design that uses triangles for displaying examples of previous work. I like the the clear layout and intuitive use of navigation.

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FiftyThree

A simply perfect site to advertise a new iPad app. FiftyThree have done a beautiful job with Paper, and this website is designed to show it off. I like the restrained use of text and the subtle but intuitive footer that includes the navigation.

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WWF Food Story

This is a superb site from the WWF that features a series of simple but effective infographics. I love the illustrative style and the responsiveness of the graphics, it really helps get the point across.

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Merchworld

A solid and immediately striking site for music merchandise. I’m drawn in by the stark use of a grid layout. I particularly like the way the design responds to resizing.

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Galpin

A design portfolio that makes a striking impact through its use of typography and concise use of text. I like the restrained use of colour and the way the site immediately plunges you into this designers portfolio.

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Austin Beerworks

A stunning site for a brewery that makes a bold impact through its use of impressive typography. I love the colours of the background and the restrained use of text, you’re intrigued to see what the next slide will be.

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Blind Barber

I really like the strong image focus that this site has, the huge background images giving a real sense of character and consistency to the site. The use of typography and simple iconography helps to unite the site and create a engaging experience.

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Myownbike

Here we have a simply gorgeous site that’s dedicated to fixed gear bicycles. I love the minimal layout and restrained use of text, but the thing that shines through is the phenomenal photography – it’s jaw-droppingly good!

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Nixon Creative

A simply gorgeous site for a web designer that makes a great statement about his design philosophy. I like the bold illustration and the restrained use of text, it all helps to draw you into the portfolio of his work.

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Ride For The Brand

A superb. and effortlessly engaging, site for a digital agency that makes a mark through its unique design and navigation. Simply move your cursor to the right to get the collage of typography and illustration moving!

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Andy Patrick

A superb portfolio site for a web and print designer that makes an immediate impression. I love the use of typography and the consistent design throughout the site. The gallery looks great, perfectly showcasing previous examples of his work.

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Beckin Design

This is a superb site for a group of interaction and industrial designers who create unique home and outdoor products. I love the colour palette and the uniquely minimal feel of the site.

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Dan Viveiros

A great portfolio for a designer that makes a distinct impact. I really like the colour scheme and the use of icons and imagery. The typography is also an effective tool to convey the stylistic ideas of the designer.

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FortySeven Media

A brilliant site for a design agency that looks to blow the competition away. I like the use of typography throughout and the open nature of the site – although I’m not convinced by the cheeky head shots.

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Adrian Baxter

An immediately engaging personal portfolio for a web developer that captures your imagination. I love the comic book style and the unique illustrative feel of the whole site. It really makes an impact.

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Submit Your Site!

Our web design gallery is not only a great source of inspiration, it’s also an awesome way to get your site noticed. Every site in our gallery is handpicked by our gallery guru Joel Bankhead (who also wrote all of the site descriptions above) and he can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with lately.

To submit your site to our gallery, check out our submission page. In the mean time, browse through the other designs and give your creative brain a boost.