Last month I wrote an article on why design trends don’t have to completely disappear, explaining why design trends should live on beyond their acceptance. However, we are now starting to see designs that don’t follow any popular recent trends. What makes the following examples great is that they stand out from the crowd and are instantly memorable for being unique.
As you can immediately see, Carsonified uses uses the simple concept of two colours. This really allows the content to stand out and become the centrepiece of the design.
The dual colour is continued throughout the site with the background colour changing depending on what page you are view.
This is a very bold approach to design but one that works extremely because of the simplicity. There could have been much more content on there but it seems that they have done a good job of cutting that down to only what is necessary. This simplicity improves the usability because there is a much smaller chance of a user becoming frustrated at having too many options or too much content to wade through.
Elliot Jay Stocks
The biggest thing that Elliot’s site does that certainly isn’t a trend is alignment, or in this case, misalignment. Alignment still exists, keeping the pages flowing nicely and making them easily scannable too.
The addition of misalignment adds an extra depth to the design, making it more interesting, without looking too messy and unorganised. Consistency is achieved across the whole site so elements don’t look out of place.
Also, notice how the blog page is laid out with content spanning two columns much like a design of a newspaper of magazine.
Fudge
To almost all designers, it is clear where fudge has gained their inspiration from. The whole interface is a replication of a photoshop document window complete with working guides!
This is just their holding page while they get their new site up and running so should be one to look forward to.
Be
When I received an email from my ISP informing they had redesigned their site I was happy because their old site wasn’t anything special. Upon seeing the new design, I didn’t like it but for me it is definitely a ‘grower’ as I like it more and more every time I visit. I can understand that it might not be to everyone’s taste though.
The bright colours do a good job of drawing the visitors’ attention even though it may be a bit garish for some.
I wondered why they had gone from a design that appeals more to a mainstream audience to this. They seem to be going for the geek crowd as it somewhat resembles a BBS.
Max Voltar
A very simple but pleasing to the eye design using black and white with different shades of grey to add a touch of detail.
Scrolling down while viewing a blog post reveals the logo hidden underneath the header. Very clever technique of using the z-index property in CSS while fixing the sidebar in place. Certainly something you don’t see very often at all, if ever.
Simplicity is the Key
The main thing to take away from this is simplicity. There is a certain beauty about simplicity as well as making websites easier to read, use and navigate. Consider simplifying aspects of your next design as a means of improvement rather than adding more.
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I thought Be going that bold with their retro look was fab. Loved that they’re daring to go back in time when the web enthusiasts are all about the new trends like transparencies and smart gradients.
Great article!
Carsonified has always been cool for me, nice to see that it has made to your list as well.
Just too cool man.
A nice collection. However, Be wasn’t all that popular when the re-design was launched. You have a valid point though, it’s definitely one that seems to look better with time – either that, or you just get used to seeing it.
I think that the initial problem with the Be redesign was why on earth have they done that? Once you realise what they probably wanted to achieve from it, it starts to make more sense every time you see it.
Great collection of dual colored website designs.
my favorite is fudge’s page, even though it’s a replication inspired from photo shop interface.
As a student I love keeping an eye on the latest trends if only to improve/deviate from them. I love the fact that standing out can be achieved through simplicity, seeing as it’s my favorite way to design, focusing on the WHY rather then the How Fancy can you go?
Well, I vote that Comic Sans stays dead.
And I agree with Chris!