As a designer, I think we all have experienced the hard time of finding new ideas and inspirations. That's why I've chosen to talk about this topic in my presentation at the FOWD conference. In this post, I want to do a recap of my slides – Finding Inspiration From Your Environment. Read on to find out how my work habits and environment influence my design.
Since Web Designer Wall launched, I've been featuring a lot of graphic intense websites such as the artistic, large background, vintage, and illustrative styles. Now it is time to feature the minimalist design. Here is a massive list of 50 minimal sites. See how designers use minimal elements to create high visual impact — less is more.
Last December, I posted a list of the best designs in 2007. Now, it is time for — Best of CSS Design 2008 (a new list of 50 websites hand-picked from Best Web Gallery). This year, more designers are using the large background technique and utilizing Javascript frameworks (such as jQuery and MooTools) to enchance the user experience. I also came across a few designs that mixed Flash with CSS; perhaps a new trend we should look for in 2009?
As the monitor resolution and internet speed is advancing, it seems like more and more designers use over-sized photo or illustrated image as the website's background. Large background image can create the stunning visual effect, especially for high resolution monitors. It can also add more life to your site design compared to the traditional tiled background graphic. Here is a collection of 80 websites that used large image as the site background (must-see, you won't be disappointed).
In today's web design, Javascript is a must-have component. Aside from its functionality, Javascript can enhance user experience by creating transitional effects such as fading and sliding animation. Thanks to the open source Javascript frameworks, we don't need to write custom Javascript from scratch anymore. Here are 47 Javascript plugins that you can use to enhance the user experience and functionality of your website. Don't forget to check out the sample sites, which show how the plugins can be used.
Are you looking for ideas to design a portfolio site? Maybe all you need is a single-page site? Single-page design works if you don't have much content, but just want to showcase your work. It can save time and cost because you don't need to build the CMS and templates. In other words, it's perfect for the non-coders. Here are 30+ single-page portfolio sites with exceptional design and implementation. Hopefully, they can give you some inspiration.
About a year ago, I compiled a huge list of artistic sites. It seems like the trend has carried on in 2008 and is growing stronger (thank God the glossy style is gone). So what's hot now? Pencil sketches, handwritten notes, card stocks, watercolor effects, collage art, script fonts, grungy and splatter ink backgrounds (glossy gradients are not "in" this year). Another trend to be on the lookout for are the vintage and retro styles which I've posted earlier this year. Here is a list of 82 sites picked from Best Web Gallery that show the current design trends.