5 Beautiful Website Designs to Inspire You for the New Year
Your website is the facade of your business: it’s often the first thing to make an impression on your visitors and help them understand the idea behind your brand. With the new year steadily approaching, now is a great time to start considering how to optimise your site for 2018.
The sites we’ve listed below all excel in different ways. Some offer stunning, immersive animation while others make use of captivating content and copy to deliver a clear message to their users. One thing that they all have in common is that they’re unique and functional as they are beautiful. They’re a fantastic reminder of the things that can be achieved using the platform of web design.
Paper Planes
Paper Planes is a stunning website that originated from a simple thought: “what if you could throw a paper plane from one screen to another?”
Website visitors use their mobile to “fold” a paper plane, stamp it with their location and throw it into the world. Other visitors can then catch the plane and view the location stamp, as well as seeing how far their own plane has travelled.
At the heart of this site lies the idea of unity. Its creators wanted to bring users together from all across the world to foster a sense of togetherness using the power of the web. This concept is reinforced by a unique mobile-optimised interface, beautiful, whimsical design and expert animation.
In Pieces
In Pieces is an interactive exhibition-turned-study into 30 of the world’s most interesting species, who are also currently endangered.
This website seeks to educate, inspire and provoke thought in visitors through its distinctive interface. Users can scroll through geometric renders of 30 endangered animals, which shapeshift, morph and float across their screen.
What’s particularly amazing about this website? It was made entirely using CSS, and looks just as stunning on mobile as it does on desktop. Designer Bryan James used CSS polygons to individually code each animal shape.
“No tricks or tools have been used to get the illustrated results, code-wise or graphically,” states James.
“Point by point, shape by shape, each one has been handcrafted via a personally-created tracing JS function after illustration.”
> http://www.species-in-pieces.com/
The Artery
The Artery is a full-service creative studio that specialises in creating content for brands across all industries and platforms. Some of their clients include HBO, Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. and Focus Features to name a few.
Their expertise in visual effects, 3D animation and creative development is represented in the brand’s spectacular website design. Set upon a responsive black grid with gorgeous animated 3D models on each landing page, The Artery’s website is creative, modern and beautiful. It embodies the company’s ethos and clearly conveys the brand’s values and passion for creativity and design.
The Feed
The Feed’s website is a mind-blowing reminder of what can be achieved when web design is done right. Using a creative blend of animation and video, the website engages the viewer through its responsive, smooth and beautiful design.
The scrolling text provides a strong impression of the brand’s character and goals, establishing a personal connection with the user. Meanwhile, the bright, clean colours and tastefully animated images catches the eye and keeps visitors engaged.
Big Cartel
Big Cartel uses simple, minimalistic design that lets the content do the talking. Crisp photography, well-shot video footage and natural, DIY-style typography instantly conveys the brand’s image while drawing the viewer in.
The focus on the rustic, organic feel of “makers” is conveyed aptly through the homepage video, and encourages potential customers seeking an online platform to sell their wares to make an instant connection. This website demonstrates that sometimes, simplicity alongside thoughtful content can be the most effective way of showcasing your business.
