50 Examples of Creative 404 – Page Not Found Pages
There are two ways you can go when designing a 404 page for your website – you could go the sensible route and make it usable and try to help the reader find exactly what they were looking for or, you could design a 404 page that not only defines the character of the web site or the designer, but also makes it a pleasure and surprise. Its amazing the effect a sprinkle of humor and some creativity can have on someone and it will certainly make your site that little bit more memorable.
Below, we have a collection of sites with original, creative and generally humorous 404 pages. You may notice that some do not meet even the most basic usability guidelines, but who cares, they make us smile! Hope you enjoy them.
This article has been written by Richie Thimmaiah.
Below, we have a collection of sites with original, creative and generally humorous 404 pages. You may notice that some do not meet even the most basic usability guidelines, but who cares, they make us smile! Hope you enjoy them.
This article has been written by Richie Thimmaiah.
50 Examples of Black in Web Design – Black is Beautiful!
A common misconception is that black is thought of as a color in the same way that red, blue, purple or even green are. In actual fact, black is the complete absence of all color and light, essentially making it the ultimate non-color. And as such, a certain element of caution needs to be taken when using black as the main color of your web design.
Black will absorb and dilute all colors that surround it, so your secondary color needs to be well chosen and though out. It works well with bright shades of reds, blues, and greens and can make luminous and vibrant colors really really stand out. As for the use of black with dark colors, that’s a no-no. It can work, but if the colors are similar they will merge together.
Black is not used as the main color very often in text content rich web sites. It can be used and is very popular by design related personal portfolios and photography sites, as you will see below. It allows the artwork to take center stage and be the primary focus of the viewer.
Of course, the use of black within web design is not only limited to personal portfolios or design agencies, it is used across the full spectrum of all web design styles, as you will see from the beautiful web designs below. Black really is beautiful!.
Black will absorb and dilute all colors that surround it, so your secondary color needs to be well chosen and though out. It works well with bright shades of reds, blues, and greens and can make luminous and vibrant colors really really stand out. As for the use of black with dark colors, that’s a no-no. It can work, but if the colors are similar they will merge together.
Black is not used as the main color very often in text content rich web sites. It can be used and is very popular by design related personal portfolios and photography sites, as you will see below. It allows the artwork to take center stage and be the primary focus of the viewer.
Of course, the use of black within web design is not only limited to personal portfolios or design agencies, it is used across the full spectrum of all web design styles, as you will see from the beautiful web designs below. Black really is beautiful!.
50 Bright and Vibrant Web Designs – Color Inspiration
The conservative web designer can design a dark web site or a light web site, and will design everything in between as gray. Are you this type of designer? Or, are you bold enough and brave enough to let your creativity rein free and allow bright and vibrant colors to shine through in your next design project? What does the level of color on your web site say about you? (I must be a conservative).
The 50 web designs below do not only show no fear of bright and dominant colors, they are also beautiful designed. They demonstrate that color, from skilled hands, can be successful achieved within web design and in mostsome cases can be very powerful and memorable.
The 50 web designs below do not only show no fear of bright and dominant colors, they are also beautiful designed. They demonstrate that color, from skilled hands, can be successful achieved within web design and in mostsome cases can be very powerful and memorable.
50 Examples of Large Photography Backgrounds within Web Design
The first thing that springs to mind when thinking about large photography backgrounds within web design are of simple photographers portfolio website or even that of a design company. Upon researching this article, the surprising thing was that this type of background does not seem to have any limitations, it is equally suited to ecommerce sites, restaurant sites, web design agencies.. basically all types of web sites, as you will see from the collection below.
There is only thing all of these sites have in common, and that is good, creative and professional photography. The photograph itself is the focus of the site, with each having an overlay of content to bring the site alive and make it functional. Sometimes it seems as though the designers want you to focus more on the image rather than the content, such is the power of each beautiful shot.
There is only thing all of these sites have in common, and that is good, creative and professional photography. The photograph itself is the focus of the site, with each having an overlay of content to bring the site alive and make it functional. Sometimes it seems as though the designers want you to focus more on the image rather than the content, such is the power of each beautiful shot.
50 Examples of Effective Uses of Typography Within Web Design
Currently, two of the most popular web design trends are: taking the minimal approach, which we will look at next week, and the use of clever and creative typography. Today we focus on typography.
Not only do we showcase typography in the classic sense, but also illustrate that the combination of web design and great typography can be used effectively, along with clever color selection, and create usable web sites thats base design is dominated by text, for either navigation, a good headline, a logo or even used for the entire content.
As the selection below illustrates there are no limitation to using typography within web design.
Below you will find 50 varied styles and examples of creative and effective typography within web design.
Not only do we showcase typography in the classic sense, but also illustrate that the combination of web design and great typography can be used effectively, along with clever color selection, and create usable web sites thats base design is dominated by text, for either navigation, a good headline, a logo or even used for the entire content.
As the selection below illustrates there are no limitation to using typography within web design.
Below you will find 50 varied styles and examples of creative and effective typography within web design.
50 Creative Examples of Illustrations in Web Design
Using illustration in web design gives the designer the opportunity to convey there own personal and unique style, and be able to say "this site is mine, and look what I can do". Very few web design styles give an artist this opportunity.
What makes the examples below stand out are not just the beautiful illustrative art work nor the carefully crafted web designs, it is the balance between the two that distinguishes them from the rest. They all manage to be unique in there own right, by highlighting the illustration with carefully positioned content. And when this is a achieved successfully, the effect is amazing and memorable.
What makes the examples below stand out are not just the beautiful illustrative art work nor the carefully crafted web designs, it is the balance between the two that distinguishes them from the rest. They all manage to be unique in there own right, by highlighting the illustration with carefully positioned content. And when this is a achieved successfully, the effect is amazing and memorable.
50 Creative Examples of Vintage and Retro in Web Design
Web design trends change with the wind – what is popular this year will undoubtedly not be popular next year. There is only one web design style that you can rely on and be deemed timeless – and that is the Vintage style. And alongside that, and similar in style, there is the permanently cool and always creative – retro(ism).
Vintage and retro should not be categorized as a style – they are much more than that. They are a movement in themselves and a bold and creative statement that is unparalleled with any other other web design style.
This article is a homage to these styles…
Vintage and retro should not be categorized as a style – they are much more than that. They are a movement in themselves and a bold and creative statement that is unparalleled with any other other web design style.
This article is a homage to these styles…
50 Inspirational and Fresh Minimally Designed Web Sites
Hot on the heels of last weeks web design inspiration post, 50 Examples of Effective Uses of Typography Within Web Design, we have 50 fresh minimally designed web sites. Quite often the two web design styles work well together, as you may notice from both posts.
The most important factor for minimal to work well, as it should be with all design styles (but, not always the case), is the content. Without good writing or a strong portfolio, the style has no impact and the web design looks cheap. And that is the key to minimal, in the hands of a skilled web designer, they know that the site design has to accentuate the content, and the content, in return, accentuates the web design.
Creating an effective minimal web design, at first thought, would seem to be the cheaper, easier and quicker option to merely throw up a site That is most definitely not the case. Knowing what elements to strip out of a page while still maintaining usability, is just one of the the many skills you will need to successfully build a minimal web design.
The collection of sites below, are great examples of recent successfully designed minimal websites.
The most important factor for minimal to work well, as it should be with all design styles (but, not always the case), is the content. Without good writing or a strong portfolio, the style has no impact and the web design looks cheap. And that is the key to minimal, in the hands of a skilled web designer, they know that the site design has to accentuate the content, and the content, in return, accentuates the web design.
Creating an effective minimal web design, at first thought, would seem to be the cheaper, easier and quicker option to merely throw up a site That is most definitely not the case. Knowing what elements to strip out of a page while still maintaining usability, is just one of the the many skills you will need to successfully build a minimal web design.
The collection of sites below, are great examples of recent successfully designed minimal websites.
50 Inspirational and Fresh Minimally Designed Web Sites
Spending months and months building an effective and useful web application or service is only half the battle that any developer must face. It might be potentially the most powerful and useful app ever created, but will users like it? Will they understand how to use it? And most importantly, will they come back and use it again? These are the three questions developers must ask themselves before they launch any app.
Apps and services are about having simplified features, finding the easiest possible method for users to interact, understand and eventually love the app. Not only do the features have to be simple they have to emphasize the sites purpose and allow users to quickly achieve basic tasks.
If we look at some of the biggest names in web apps and services and ask the question, what do they have in common? Have a look at Google Search, Twitter, Delicious ot to a lesser extent Flickr, and ask the questions, how did they become so popular? What distinguishes them from there competitors? The answer is simplicity. They are all memorable because they are easy to use, learn and understand and of course, they are backed up by a powerful tool as well. When you arrive at each site the function that they perform is clearly defined, they use basic navigation that everyone can understand and you can very quickly perform tasks.
There is no winning design formula to a popular web app or service, just guidelines. Nor is there a typical design style for you to follow, as this post unintentionally proves. What we have done is showcased 50 of the best designed web app and service web sites, broken down into the following categories: Clean, Simple and Nice Designs, Minimal and Effective, Vector and Large Background, Corporate and Professional, Modern and Typical (Web 2.0ish), Stylish and Classic, Graphically Improved and Flash, Flex and AIR Designs.
Apps and services are about having simplified features, finding the easiest possible method for users to interact, understand and eventually love the app. Not only do the features have to be simple they have to emphasize the sites purpose and allow users to quickly achieve basic tasks.
If we look at some of the biggest names in web apps and services and ask the question, what do they have in common? Have a look at Google Search, Twitter, Delicious ot to a lesser extent Flickr, and ask the questions, how did they become so popular? What distinguishes them from there competitors? The answer is simplicity. They are all memorable because they are easy to use, learn and understand and of course, they are backed up by a powerful tool as well. When you arrive at each site the function that they perform is clearly defined, they use basic navigation that everyone can understand and you can very quickly perform tasks.
There is no winning design formula to a popular web app or service, just guidelines. Nor is there a typical design style for you to follow, as this post unintentionally proves. What we have done is showcased 50 of the best designed web app and service web sites, broken down into the following categories: Clean, Simple and Nice Designs, Minimal and Effective, Vector and Large Background, Corporate and Professional, Modern and Typical (Web 2.0ish), Stylish and Classic, Graphically Improved and Flash, Flex and AIR Designs.
50 Impressive Magazine and Newspaper Styled Web Designs
It is wrong to define the magazine style in web design as magazine style (does that make sense?). It should have, perhaps, been called newspaper or tabloid styled, it does have that look and feel. To define it, the magazine style within web design are traditionally web sites that are content heavy, by content I mean text and not images, that display there content in blocks or columns of headings with a small excerpt that leads to the full article.
Unlike other web design styles that can use larger images to compliment the design, Magazine is limited to being designed within the parameters that the content (namely, the text and the occasional thumbnail) dictates, and that is were the problem lies. How do you design a web site that is purely text and make it visual eye candy?
Carrying on with our Web Design Styles Series, today we are looking at successfully designed and impressive Magazine style web sites.
Unlike other web design styles that can use larger images to compliment the design, Magazine is limited to being designed within the parameters that the content (namely, the text and the occasional thumbnail) dictates, and that is were the problem lies. How do you design a web site that is purely text and make it visual eye candy?
Carrying on with our Web Design Styles Series, today we are looking at successfully designed and impressive Magazine style web sites.
50 Creative and Inspirational Personal Portfolio Websites
Creating your own personal portfolio website will probably be the most difficult design project you will do. We are our own worst critics, and no matter what, we could have always done something better or changed something. Have a look at these portfolio designs for some inspiration, they range from web design and developers (these, as expected, are pixel perfect), graphic designers (always colorful and bright) and photographers.
50 Beautifully Crafted Corporate Ecommerce Web Designs
Imagine a representative from a huge corporate company walking into your office and he drops on your lap a proposal for there new website, you read through the huge document and then you ask: “What is your proposed budget for this project?” – He gives you the answer, and… WOW!!!
The scenario above would never happen in the real world – these types of contracts would never be handed to an individual designer they would always be awarded to a larger and well established design company. This size of project would usually involve a huge team of designers, developers, usability professionals and marketing experts. Most web design agencies could simply not handle this size of project.
Decisions and planning have to all be discussed by a committee to ensure the site is perfect. For that kind of money, it just has to be!
All of the ecommerce sites below have all been designed by highly respected and well established design companies, and you can clearly see from the majestic showcase below were and how the money has been spent. Beautiful web sites!
The scenario above would never happen in the real world – these types of contracts would never be handed to an individual designer they would always be awarded to a larger and well established design company. This size of project would usually involve a huge team of designers, developers, usability professionals and marketing experts. Most web design agencies could simply not handle this size of project.
Decisions and planning have to all be discussed by a committee to ensure the site is perfect. For that kind of money, it just has to be!
All of the ecommerce sites below have all been designed by highly respected and well established design companies, and you can clearly see from the majestic showcase below were and how the money has been spent. Beautiful web sites!
A Showcase of 50 Amazing Personal Blog Web Designs
The importance of a unique, memorable and well designed blog, especially within the design community, should not be underestimated – First impressions will always count and your blog gives you an opportunity to showcase your skills and highlight how professional and serious you are as a designer.
For most web designers, designing an original blog shouldn’t be a problem, the difficulty lies in trying encapsulate your blog writing style and character within the design – That is the tricky part.
In this article that is exactly what we have done, showcased 50 amazing personal blog designs that successfully capture the character of the designer.
For most web designers, designing an original blog shouldn’t be a problem, the difficulty lies in trying encapsulate your blog writing style and character within the design – That is the tricky part.
In this article that is exactly what we have done, showcased 50 amazing personal blog designs that successfully capture the character of the designer.
Recreate the Epic 80’s Metal Text Effect in Photoshop
It’s funny how trends reappear through the years. The bright and shiny chrome text effect could be found everywhere in the 80s, then it disappeared altogether when people realised how hideous and gaudy it was. Recently though, this text styling seems to be making a comeback in the world of digital art as the 80s generation are implementing inspirations from their childhood into their designs and artworks. Follow this tutorial to recreate the epic metal text effect for yourself, making use of modern day digital design techniques in Photoshop.
The Wild And Wonderfully Creative Animal Artworks
Artists all around the world are continuously exploring more ways of showing their creativity and digital art is the best way an artist can use to explore his creativity. Since there is lots of room for an artist in digital art to create something innovative and appealing, this form of art is getting much popular these days. You can go as weird as you want and bizarre as your imagination would allow you to go. In this post, we have compiled a list of some creative and interesting animal digital art for your inspiration. We hope that you like this collection and would share your opinion with us.
You are welcome if you want to share more Animal Artworks that our readers/viewers may like. Do you want to be the first one to know the latest happenings at smashingApps.com just subscribe to our rss feed and you can follow us on twitter. Click on the images to go from where the images has been taken and learn more about their creators and to appreciate them.
The Return of the Great Talon
You are welcome if you want to share more Animal Artworks that our readers/viewers may like. Do you want to be the first one to know the latest happenings at smashingApps.com just subscribe to our rss feed and you can follow us on twitter. Click on the images to go from where the images has been taken and learn more about their creators and to appreciate them.
The Return of the Great Talon
Wallpaper of the Week #105 - Rik Oostenbroek
The wallpaper of this week is an amazing image created by Rik Oostenbroek called Waiting for a better day, this design is part of the DephtCORE Eve Chapter. We have already feature Rik here on Abduzeedo several times and he also was the first contributor to our World Collabs series.
Enlarge Facebook Photos By Hover Mouse Pointer (Firefox+Chrome Plugin)
I find Facebook’s picture viewing interface inconvenient. When I am viewing a friend’s album, I can view the pictures as thumbnails in the main album page. To view a picture’s true size I have to click it. Then I have to go back to the album (photo thumbnails view) and select another image to enlarge. The process can become quite time consuming. But thanks to two browser extension, I no longer have to click back and forth while viewing pictures on Facebook.
The first is Facebook PhotoZoom (there is no space between the words Photo and Zoom).
The first is Facebook PhotoZoom (there is no space between the words Photo and Zoom).
Interview With Artist and Designer David Waters
David Waters a talented artist currently residing in Moscow, Idaho. He is a freelance designer with an extensive clientele and is in his final year attending the University of Idaho for graphic design; David is also part of the DepthCore collective. In our interview we break down a few of David’s best pieces, and the readers get some interesting and valuable advice from a seasoned designer. So lets get into another great interview.
Graffiti Art brings Patriotism to the Poor
The graffiti artist "Mundano" painted a big Brazilian flag on this building that for more than a decade, the old Santos Dumond Hotel, in downtown Sao Paulo, was empty. Today, it shelters more than 120 families that have illegally occupied the building. Check out the action video and some photos of the work and process.
Daily Inspiration #539
This post is part of our daily series of posts showing the most inspiring images selected by some of the Abduzeedo's writers and users.
Exclusive Freebie Pack – 25 Grunge Brushes
Exclusive Freebie Pack – 25 Grunge Brushes
There are 25 High Resolution Photoshop Brushes in this pack. The license allows you to use these brushes in your commercial and personal projects. See the download file for details. Below is an example of what type of brushes are included in this set.
40 Unbelievable Sand Sculptures
By Tim Mercer
We’ve all made our own sandcastles at the beach but they were nothing like the masterpieces some of the worlds best can produce. These masters of sand sculpt astounding works of art from nothing more than sand and water. Some of these sand sculptures can takes days to complete using tons of sand. Today we present 40 Unbelievable Sand Sculptures that will blow your mind. So put down your plastic bucket and shovel and check out the real deal.
We’ve all made our own sandcastles at the beach but they were nothing like the masterpieces some of the worlds best can produce. These masters of sand sculpt astounding works of art from nothing more than sand and water. Some of these sand sculptures can takes days to complete using tons of sand. Today we present 40 Unbelievable Sand Sculptures that will blow your mind. So put down your plastic bucket and shovel and check out the real deal.
13 Keys to Success as a Freelance Designer
Being a freelance web designer is an appealing job for many people. There are perks like a flexible schedule and the ability to work from home that encourage people to move towards a career as a freelancer. Unfortunately, many people do not consider everything that is involved in being a successful freelancer and all of the challenges that come with being in such a crowded marketplace. In this post we’ll examine 13 keys to achieving success as a freelancer. These are all areas for would-be freelancers to consider before making the jump, and potential areas of improvement for existing freelancers.
29 Wallpapers That Will Make You Smile
Making wallpapers is a true art form. They come in all shapes and forms that might make you drool, smile, feel sad or stunned. You've probably seen a few collections of wallpapers around the web, but actually collecting them can be quite a task, especially if you seek to find some that aren't all about 3d, nature, sunsets, movies or animals.
Beautiful Houses: White Perrin in North Bruny Island
Beautiful Houses: White Perrin in North Bruny Island
The idea in this series is to show beautiful and inspiring houses. Houses that are remarkable for its design, elegance, elements, concept or simply because they are beautiful. So if you like architecture, interior design and beautifully designed houses, you are at the right spot. Check out this week beautiful house and stay tuned for more...
This week, we present you the beautiful White Perrin house.
Logo Design: Health
Logo Design: Health
The Logo Design series is up and running! We're thinking ahead and we want to find new ways to sort these listings. Last week we had a sweet post about Hotels... today it's all about health related logos!
Daily Inspiration #537
Daily Inspiration #537
This post is part of our daily series of posts showing the most inspiring images selected by some of the Abduzeedo's writers and users.
FIFA Football World Cup 2010 Wallpapers (for Minimalism Lovers)
The 2010 Football World Cup is coming up in a couple of days and we decided to celebrate this event with an exclusive set of very simple Footbal World Cup wallpapers for minimalism lovers, created by Oliver Twardowski especially for Smashing Magazine and its readers. The World Cup will be held in South Africa, between 11 June and 11 July 2010, and will involve 32 teams competing for the title.
The wallpapers are grouped in countries and presented in the alphabetical order. The design is very minimal: the only changing detail of the design is the horizontal line presented on the bottom of the wallpaper. The idea was to keep the design very subtle and simple, making it possible for you to actually use the wallpaper within your work environment. So you should be able to place all desktop icons on the wallpapers without moving things around.
The wallpapers are grouped in countries and presented in the alphabetical order. The design is very minimal: the only changing detail of the design is the horizontal line presented on the bottom of the wallpaper. The idea was to keep the design very subtle and simple, making it possible for you to actually use the wallpaper within your work environment. So you should be able to place all desktop icons on the wallpapers without moving things around.
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