PelFusion Design Magazine » creative

10 Creative Portfolio Design Ideas

Olivia — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:44:37 +0000

When you make a portfolio to feature your work, especially online, you want something that is going to really stand out. It has to be user-friendly, be easy to view and show off your talent and creativity. Ultimately, an online portfolio is an additional means of selling yourself, providing the potential client with a look at what you can create that both catches the eye and serves a function.

Some of them manage to do something really special. Here are 10 examples of the best and most creative portfolios online.

1. Jan Ploch

This excellent portfolio design from German designer Jan Ploch shows a great deal of ingenuity. The whole thing is based on the idea that the creative process is like a bottle, and he proposes the means of filling it. Even the website itself has a bottle design with an old fashioned touch, and everything is done in beige and brown shades. Despite this, it is extremely dynamic.

2. Tiny Big Studios

A fun and interactive portfolio design, there are plenty of little features to discover in this quirky design. If you touch the cursor to the logo in the corner the ant spins, and there is an arrow to the ant itself stating that it was not responsible for the creation of the site design. This leads to a link that takes you down to another section of the same page to introduce the branding company that did build it. You get a look at what they do, who they are and what they have done in the past, all on one page that manages to present a ton of information without looking messy or cluttered.

3. iLussori

This sleek website shows us what can be done with a fast-paced design aimed at providing an immediate look at the company’s capabilities. As a multimedia business, they gave us plenty to look at. There is a slideshow in the background that has been subdued with black and white and slight blurring. Then, you get a choice of a few examples on the front page, along with a link to a wide portfolio. Simple flash at its best.

4. Lois Jeans

You start off being brought to a home page that gives you three language options. When you select your own, you are then given two other options: Utopic or Dystopic, meaning your vision of the future. Each one gives you a series of bubbles with both images and videos, creating a marketing campaign based on either a perfect world of harmony, or one of miserable living conditions and dangers. Very cool, very modern and it taps into the current trend of expanding on both of these ideals in fiction.

5. FS Designs

A beautiful woman and an animated car on fire make up the logo design for this company. The overall website is dark and trendy, with a simple thumbnail look at some choice projects. It shows how you can make simple portfolio design look extremely complex and cool.

6. Scotch & Soda

Not technically a portfolio design site, this is a shop that shows off a lot of their work so I figure it applies. They have regularly changing ideas, and they are all pretty cool. Right now you can watch a slideshow, or play with the moving snowflakes that switch direction when you move your cursor.

7. Dan123

Meet Dan. He is a very friendly-seeming front end developer who has created this website to show us all the things he can do. His website is fun and cartoonish, with a kind of retro sci fi look. He even has a postcard motif for the contact page, which is a nice touch. He has a collection of thumbnails to see his work in the center, and they are nice and evenly space without a lot of frill.

8. Indubitablee

Formerly operating under the name Cornerd, they used a unique and interesting grid design for their site. They put an emphasis on communication, with a large portion of the home page dedicated to the contact link, their RSS feed and their Twitter profile. That is something unique that you will probably begin to see more often as freelancers and small business owners continue to see the link between their portfolio and social networking.

9. Otterball

When you first go to this link you will see an animation of a bunch of messed up thumbnails. They move in a circle pattern and then slide onto one side, aligning on the left hand of the page. This is a simple thumbnail presentation of their past work. They also have an About Us and Contact page, but everything is very simply made.

10. TauaDesign

This site is even better when you say the name out loud and hear the "tada!" sound it makes. They went completely minimalist, with nothing but a white page with a couple of gray sections on the side that takes you to different parts of the site. This includes a portfolio page, which is brought up with a flash animation of black boxes that turn into thumbnails.

Conclusion

If these portfolio design don’t inspire you, nothing will. What are some of your own favorites? Show us in the comments.

Creative and Inspiring Colored Pencil Sculptures by Jennifer Maestre

Ferman — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:08:38 +0000

If someone is after creativity and uniqueness that person should not restrict himself to only one medium. Jennifer Maestre, Massachusetts-based artist, is that kind of person and internationally known for her unique pencil sculptures. Those sculptures are very creative and inspiring, she derives most of her inspiration from the form and texture of the sea urchin. To make the pencil sculptures, Jennifer makes use of a variety pencils, nails and stitching. She takes hundreds of pencils, cut them into 1-inch sections, drill a hole in each section (to turn them into beads), sharpen them all and sew them together.

Here i am showcasing some of colored pencil sculptures created by her, hope you will enjoy and share your feelings. To check more of her work, visit her online portfolio. If you have creative and unique portfolio too, share with us, I will showcase it on PelFusion.

Clever and Creative Sticker Advertising Campaigns

Ferman — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:53:06 +0000

Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience (viewers, readers or listeners) to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Better results can be achieved if you do it creatively and wisely. For your inspiration i have collected some creatively done sticker advertising.

Specsavers: Bus Back Crash

Axe: Peep hole

Henkel Loctite Super Bonder: Glued Building

Metro windshield

Go fitness & Spa: Abs

Taekwondo School: Mosquito

Apple: Store window

Nexcare: Cracks

Amnesty International: Manhole sticker

hlx.com: Floor sticker

Pedigree: Floor sticker

Green Korea United: Quit cutting

Sweet Pete’s Bike Shop: Bike Safety Cling

Canadian Red Cross: Fallen Woman

NECC: Egg in a spoon

BioLink: Wet Floor

Gold’s Gym: Elevator

Australian Red Cross: Landmines

IBM Partnership Center: Just Down The Hall

Serve: Manhole cover

Lay’s Ceiling Stickers

Demolicion magazine: Surf

Wilkinson Quattro Titanium: Eggs

Axe: Lingerie stickers

Zoo Safari: Stickers

Perth Zoo: Tiger Bus

niagarachamber.org: Post-box waterfall

HP Advanced Photo Paper

Pathfinders Teen Homeless Shelter: Homeless Teen

Duracell escalator

Nissan X Trail Club: Powerful Mud Splash, Speeding Bike

Gold’s Gym: Elevator

Kanarias: 5 hours

42 Beautifully Designed Single Letter Logos

Ferman — Tue, 24 May 2011 13:30:44 +0000

Logo designing is an art, designers try to put all effort and creativity in a logo. We have been sharing different logos for your inspiration before, link to them you can find below, today we have decided to make a list of those logos in which single letter is used or different shapes are used to form one single letter.

Hopefully you will enjoy these logos and will tell us the best logo by leaving comments.

Do More With Your 404!

Robert Bowen — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 10:17:21 +0000

From time to time we have visitors to our websites that land a little bit less than perfectly as they arrive. Usually this landing stems from some sort of broken link or missing content. This causes the user to land on the 404 page. Now this is also an opportunity that many web designers still fail to capitalize on, even with the numerous community contributions that discuss ways in which you can dress up the 404 and make the page more of a useful addition to the site. Rather than just having it sit there with no other function than to alert users that they have lost their way.

This post will break down a few ways that you can do a little bit more with the 404 page of your site or others that you design, and hopefully get you in that mindset for thinking of other creative ways that you can address some of the more commonly passive areas of the site. So take a look below and ask yourself, can you do more with your 404?

What It Can Do

Now the first thing that we have to realize is that a 404 page, while it does have a specific function, which is to let visitors know that they have effectively taken a wrong turn. However its usefulness does not have to stop there. Just because it is destined for that one function does not mean it cannot take on other functions as well. Why allow ourselves to be limited in how we use this space?

Back from the Breach

First off, a useful 404 page is easy to design, and doing so is usually the best idea. For you are already starting off on the wrong foot with any visitor who has been sidetracked from their intended destination, but the 404 page provides you an opportunity to recover. But if your 404 page is merely tasked with this alerting of misdirection, then you are not seizing this chance to correct this breach. So that is the main thing that a more complete and helpful 404 construct can do for your site. If you take the time to craft one which goes that extra mile for the user’s benefit.

Help Them Find Their Way Again

As you pull back from the breach, why not take a moment via your 404 page and help the users find their way again. There are any number of reasons that the visitor could have gotten thrown off track and wound up at your 404 page. So use this as a chance to take their hand and guide them along to where ever it is they intend to go next. Allow them to virtually browse through the content on the site easily so they can use the 404 page as somewhat of a mall directory. They are here, now get them to where it is they need to go. Include an archive of your content, however creatively presented and arranged as you can.

You want them to stick around and delve a little bit deeper into your site, but if you do not have anything to encourage this action, then what incentive do they really have to look around? They have effectively errored out already. We need to show them that there is something more worth sticking around for. With most users who land on a 404 page they will decide one of two things almost immediately. Either what they were looking for is gone, or they need to look more carefully for it. If you have an archive or search box in a prominent position on the page, this may be the only nudge the user needs to look around. It at least improves our chances of keeping the user from simply bouncing.

Coming Attractions

If you are not up for including a full archive of the site content, then at least use this as an opportunity to give them a little preview of the what they can expect from the site. Rather than wasting this moment with the user, why not give them a something of a teaser to entice them further into the site. Rather than the 404 being somewhat of a negative first impression, build it so that it still provides an insight into the site itself. Offer some key content that has been proven popular and effective with other visitors. Or even a mission statement of sorts to alert the users as to what the site is all about so that they at least have that take away.

What It Can Be

Design sites tend to realize that a 404 Page can be so much more than it appears upon first glance, and in the online design community we see many exciting examples of a kind of transformation taking place. 404’s are becoming more than just a landing page, they are becoming an interactive addition that borrowing on that old slogan of ‘Be All You Can Be’.

Useful

We have already discussed a couple of ways that you can make the 404 page useful via the other section, but it is important to highlight that it has this potential. It does not just have to be a place holder of sorts for misplaced or missing content. It can be a virtual directory. An introduction to the site itself. And so much more. But unfortunately there are times when this part of the design is forgotten about until the last minute and so it feels that way on the site. Like an afterthought. Or worse, it is a completely underestimated area of the design and therefore its potential is never fully realized.

Informative

Now going beyond just being useful and helping to guide the users along their way, some have taken a different tack with their 404 page. You can use the space as a virtual learning annex. By filling the 404 with information of some sort, the page becomes a different kind of interactive addition to the site. One that could prove so informative that the users will be inclined to return to your 404 page…on purpose! That is often unheard of, but there are some examples where when it is done correctly, this is the case. Take Smashing Magazine’s 404 page as one extremely creative way to transform this misstep into something so much greater.

By having their 404 page to act as a tutorial for a better 404 page is a beyond brilliant use of this space. Be playful with your ideas and approaches to this web design solution and your 404s are more likely to be a shining example to others, rather than a virtual design cautionary tale. Take this opportunity to create a site FAQ and build it into the 404 page. Again, allow for some whimsy and character to shine through the page. This is a unique opportunity to fully put the attitude and tone of the site on display without being limited by the various rules that tend to accompany the other areas of the design. Here we are somewhat freer so to speak.

A Design Chimera

One of the ways that we can further benefit from thinking more freely about our 404 Page designs, is that we can evolve it in ways that we had previously never considered. We can combine this page with elements of other pages to form a sort of web design Chimera. With most web designs we have a few pages that tend to be standard and included beyond those that hold the main content. Whether it be an about page, a contact page, whatever, there are other key points of information that the users tend to look for. Why not include some of this on the 404 page as well?

We can create a sort of hybrid on the page that works in some of the information that is included in some of the other stand alone pages. This may feel somewhat redundant, but we have to bare in mind that not everyone will happen across our 404 pages. The other pages tend to get visits intentionally, while the 404 visits tend to be accidental. So it is not necessarily redundant as much as it is a consolidation of the important information from the site for those who get lost. So this hybrid approach might be something to consider as well.

The Last Word

That is a quick breakdown of some of the ways that you can upgrade both the design and function of the 404 pages that you create. Whatever route you end up taking, know that doing a little bit more with your 404 and offering that extra hand to help users along, can go a long way for showing a dedication to both your users and the content of the site itself. So what are some ways that you would suggest doing more with these page designs? What elements have you seen included on other 404s that struck you as original and creative? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

A Few More for the Road

Here are a handful of other fine examples of those who have taken the time and put in the effort to design an informative, useful, and playful 404 page. Check them out for a little dose of inspiration to get your creative juices flowing.

Creative Twitter Visualization Tools

Sonia Tracy — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:43:27 +0000

Twitter has quickly become one of the hottest, most effective social media tools. There always seems to be a new tool being developed however the tried-and-true tools such as Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Digg… will be the tools around for the long-haul. There are literally thousands of tools you can use for Twitter analytics however what if you’re a visual thinker?

Let’s face it: Twitter is all about words. You post a message in 140 characters or less but if you’re a visual, not linear, thinker you may need a tool that gives you some better visualization of your account – your followers, your network, having some fun with your account, searching trends or even monitoring. We’ve done some research and have found some free, online and creative Twitter visualization tools that will help you achieve your visual result.

The Archivist

The Archivist, a Microsoft developer off-shoot product, is a tool that allows you to search through tweets, archive them and then share the tweet lists with others. Essentially, sign into your Twitter account, associate it with Archivist and start searching. Archivist will monitor your Twitter account and if you’ve marked your archives as public all of your friends will be able to see your archives.

You can turn the archives to private and choose what you want to share so don’t panic about being monitored. It’s completely private if you so wish. The interface shows lots of visually appealing graphs and charts of Twitter volume, tweets vs. retweets, top users and URLs – all customizable.

Twitter Stream Graphs

If you’re interested in keyword optimization or SEO for your tweets take a look at Twitter StreamGraphs, a free online tool that will allow you to search on a word to visually see what’s hit or miss. You can search on users (using @username) to see how well their tweets are doing, or even use the @username/list format to see how well a list is doing.

The tool will show the last 1000 tweets that contained your search item and will color code the time/user information so that you can click within the stream to get more information. Hop on the site, do a keyword search and start playing around to get a better feel for how it all works!

Mention Map

Mention Map is a tool that allows you to visually analyze your network and the mentions you’re receiving on Twitter. When you type in your user name you are shown as the hub and all the users around you are lined to you how they relate to you and your network.

It doesn’t just show friends; it shows anyone who has mentioned you and will also show the hash tags that are most commonly associated with those mentions. This will show you how effective your own hash tags and/or keywords are performing as well as how much buzz you’re getting.

Twitter Counter

Twitter Counter is a great way to visualize and analyze your own Twitter followers and how your follow count is performing. It shows in a graph format if your follower count is climbing, falling, growing stagnant, etc. You will be able to see if there are certain things you’re mentioning that are gaining you more followers or if there is an activity you’re performing that is causing you to lose followers. You can also compare your growth with other users!

Portwiture

One of the coolest and most unique Twitter visualization tools is Portwiture. Portwiture is mainly for fun. It takes a look at your recent Twitter statuses and gives you a visual look – in pictures – showing you the theme of what you’ve been discussing. No worries though; it’s all rated PG and it is actually quite pretty.

You can share your Portwit with your Twitter followers and maybe get a little more creative with your words to see what your Portwit will be tomorrow. One restriction of using the service is that your Twitter account has to be public.

Twitterfall

Twiterfall is another amazing interface that can be used for analyzing basically anything and everything related to trending tropics, keywords, etc. The part of this interface that makes it different from the rest is that you’re able to pick a geolocation, only search within specific lists and even exclude certain keywords from your search. Once you search you’ll start to see a Twitterfall (looks like a waterfall) of the users mentioning the keywords along with their actual tweet. You can click on the user to see more, taking you directly to the user’s Twitter profile.

Viola! The tools we’ve mentioned today are merely a few of the thousands of tools that are out there for Twitter and social media monitoring. However they are some of the most creative and fun of the bunch.

So if you’re interested in analyzing some stats using creative Twitter visualization tools. jump on some of the sites we’ve mentioned and see what you can find. Hopefully you’ll find an interface that works for your specific needs and you can use them to gain some ground in the ever changing world of Twitter social media.

20 Beautiful Blue Websites For Your Inspiration

Thomas Hardy — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 16:54:44 +0000

Blue is a color which is often associated with comfort, loyalty and security, it is used quite a lot in web design to give them a welcoming and secure feel for their users. I have collected 20 blue websites which I really liked the look of and I hope you will too.

1. Jan Pivonka

2. Luxuscreations

3. Brad Colbow

4. Hotelparadiso

5. thatgamecompany

6. Get Ballpark

7. Guifx

8. Barack Obama

9. Mooty Graphic Design

10. Serj

11. Dizzain

12. Carbonmade

13. Iceberg

14. HelpWith

15. Frisk Design

16. BountyBev

17. Established 1986

18. Critical Zero

19. Piipe

20. Iceous

42 Creative Logos With Human Expressions

Ferman — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 12:30:18 +0000

Logo designing is very important part because it gives the company or product a recognition and distinguish it from others. Deisgners do look for inspiration before starting a Logo project, therefore today we have compiled a list of 42 creative logos with human expressions.

We would like to know, which logo is best in this list. You can let us know by leaving comments.

40 Awesome Interactive Japanese Websites

Ferman — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 15:05:18 +0000

Japanese art work is always inspiring and they show that creativity in web designs too. Most of the Japanese web sites are interactive, minimalist and flash based. By viewing Japanese websites you can easily understand their culture, tradition and art.

You will really enjoy by interacting these sites. Here is a collection of some creative and artistic examples of Japanese web sites.

Nestle

100 Satsu

Amakusa Mura

Eye Talk Town

Jvsc

Mc Donalds

Panasonic

Asics Gunze

Boat Race Academy

Egao Saku

FT 540

Hiroto Rakusho

Kanenavi

Love & Happy

Kewpie

May Belline

Mext

Story Branding

Tutu Dress

Naruhodo Agent

Nikohan

Soc Nara

Yamada Ueda

Yellow Man

Kazurasei

Solvida

Niigata City

Ub Energy

Nikke Town

Nara Jr

Morinaga

Shop Everyday

Takuhaiwaneko

Oyu

Biwako Koyo

Subtonic Graphics Design

Okayama Ichibangai

Awa Master

Busho

Clap Taps

Cool Business Cards That Will Make Good First Impressions

Joan Esperida — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 20:41:02 +0000

A business card design is bound to either make or break a potential transaction. Handing out a card with a mediocre design, let alone a bad one, could be the worst marketing decision.

Treat your cards like artwork that you can proudly present to your prospects. Amuse them with fresh designs and make a good first impression just like the examples below:

Be Impressive with Minimalist Designs

Minimalism means stripping a design to its most basic elements and bringing simplicity to a whole new level. The combination of black and white is popular, but you don’t have to suck the colors out of your card just to have that clean and simple look. The key is to use your chosen colors in a smarter way through playing with schemes and contrasts. By using ample amount of white space, you can easily give focus to the information in your card. Throw away all the inessential doodads and make your cards more worthy of attention.

Be Stylish with Retro and Vintage Designs

Old-style elements are usually considered boring and the words retro and vintage literally mean outdated, but give an old-fashioned look a bit of twist and you might just come up with the trendiest design. Other than making your business card look cool, retro and vintage can also awaken memories and invoke that oh-so-familiar sentimental emotion. Use neon colors, old pictures, and worn out textures to give your cards that splash of nostalgia!

Be Fun with Cute and Playful Designs

Having a cute and playful business card can assure a prospective client that you are not only fun but also an easy person to work with. A colorful caricature never fails to please. Be creative and design cards that will make people smile. Establishing business connections doesn’t always have to be prim; present yourself in a light-hearted way through fun cards.

Be Hip with Grungy Designs

If you want to make an impact in a hip manner, then grungy cards may be the thing for you. Grunge designs are influenced by the urban lifestyle. They are usually stained and gritty; creating one can be tricky so be careful– you don’t want to end up with a nasty-looking card.

Check out the link for business card printing.

Showcase of Dark Designs – Shine And be the Main Focus

Adrienne & Sarah Kahn — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 11:17:23 +0000

The dark background is a design element frequently used as a stage to highlight content in the center of a page. Overused a bit in the past, they are starting to make a comeback, appearing in many more recent designs.

Some Strengths

In some instances a dark background allows the content to really shine and be the main focus. In others, it works in cooperation with all of the design elements to create a classy cohesive design. Studies have shown that dark colors are easier on the human eye than light ones on a computer screen.

What to look out for

When creating a design with a dark background, watch out for contrast. Too little contrast between light text and a dark background, and users may have difficulty reading content. The combination of light text on a dark background is usually by default more high contrast than the opposite. Add in the fact that web users commonly read only a fraction of the content presented on a page, and this means that typography really matters in a dark design.

Some Guidelines

To create the right balance of scan-ability and visual appeal, it’s a good rule of thumb to increase the spacing between letters as well as margins, and to use lighter-weight fonts (as opposed to bold). Subtle textures and patterns can help a monochrome color palette from feeling bording or flat, while small splashes of bright colors will have extra power for highlighting, guiding, and adding general visual appeal.

A showcase of 20 well-executed dark designs

Here are some examples of good practices in dark design:

Komodo Media

Dark background with interactive graphics

Komodo media features rich graphics which pull the eye, leading readers through the page. The light grey on the dark for the blocks of text is a good choice, as it is visible but not too distracting from the images or headings. All-in-all this website has a good sense of flow through one section to another and has a good sense of balance between the graphics and empty space. Additionally, the ‘foliage-o-meter’ is a fun interactive feature.

Matt Ooley

Background simplicity highlighting interactive content navigation

Matt Ooley’s portfolio site features a simple dark background with a nice texture which keeps it from feeling boring or flat. The variance of the slight texture with the smoothness of the navigation bar is striking, and really makes the nav bar stand out even though they are both dark. The videos are the focal point here, but the thumbnail navigation with pop-up captions can feel a bit distracting. If the motion were smoother it might be a bit more effective.

CSS Remix

Boxes with sliding captions for smooth navigation

CSS Remix’s completely flat black background is very minimal, but the wide layout of the page content- 900px where the interior of a page is usually around 700px- keeps it from feeling empty. The hover-over pop-up captions are smooth and graceful, but the white and gray might be a bit too subtle to see easily. A suggestion to make these even more effective would be to increase the level of contrast between the caption boxes and the label text. The light gray combination does work well with the assumption that the containing box has a dark or bold color, but unfortunately that’s not consistently the case.

Jason Stockman

Less is more

An interesting example of a vcard style portfolio, this site features a rich but subtle texture. The slideshow of customer recommendations at the footer is a nice feature. This might be another example, however, of how the extremely simple and low contrast color scheme might be a little too subtle. Increased contrast between the background and the text would be a bit easier to read, and a splash of color might go far to add a bit more visual appeal. It is very neat and compact however, in a good way.

Awesome JS

Eye-popping illustrations and a simple background

Awesome JS has a dark illustration-style header which is striking and unique. The graphics really make this site, with subtle interaction like the pop-up speech bubbles that work so seamlessly as to be nearly unnoticeable (in a good way!)

The navigation is very strong- it’s both clearly laid out and labelled. The simple layout, and dark buttons with black hover-overs are very effective, and the simple black icons on the right are a great addition.

Neil Nand

Animated navigation

Neil Nand features a rich dark design with interesting patterns and eye-catching animations. The layout and information architecture are clear and precise, no easy feat when incorporating such an intricate level of animated navigation. A bit more contrast might help make the scrollbars easier to find. The top-level navigation while persistent, isn’t obtrusive. The typography is pretty unvaried, however. Adding some additional styles or fonts could really help take this design up to the next level.

Aleberry Creative Group

Bold colors and block print style typography

Aleberry Creative uses bold colors and graphics, reminiscent of block printing to highlight their content. The fingerprint pattern background is unique and striking, as well as the animated loading graphic.

A small potential usability problem here, however, is that everything on the first page is clickable and interactive. This creates an expectation in the user that things will continue to be interactive, which going down a level, they don’t seem to be as much so.

Looks Like Good Design

Subtle background texture with yellow accents

Looks Like Good Design is another example of subtle texture in an otherwise simple black background. The high contrast typography could be a little harder to read for some users, but the yellow is a very nice highlight and accent color, which plays well with the darkness of the rest of the design. The static navigation bar at the bottom of the page seems to work very well in this clean, seamless layout.

Rain Creative Lab

Featuring a ‘pixel explosion’ of geometric graphics

Rain Creative Lab integrates bold typography and a geometric feel into their layout. The “pixel explosion” while an awesome and fun feature, makes both the text of the navigation and the content in the page a little harder to read. It might be better executed with a large block of black behind the navigation to help visibility.

9ko

Wide left-aligned layout

9ko features a layout which is 1300px across, which is rather edgy. Additionally, the left-alignment is a simple way to make a site more unique. The thumbnails are big enough to give a good idea of the content they link to, while the hover over captions are subtle and unobtrusive. Larger fonts throughout might be a good idea, however, as the text could be hard for some users to see. The color-coded method of organization is interesting and well-implemented.

Krispy Krush

Orange and Pink highlights

Krispy Krush’s black background and orange/pink highlights are bold and fun. There is a usability problem, however, with the breadcrumb at the top of the homepage. This is first thing a user will see, but it’s not clickable, and confuses the rest of the navigation.

Rolando Pascua

Light-colored highlights content

Rolando Pascua’s plain black background contrasts nicely with the grid of light-colored borders to do a nice job of highlighting and containing the content. The banner is really energetic, with a bright and bold logo. The block of text below it isn’t very easily scannable. If the text were bigger or used fewer words, the main point of the paragraph would be easier to see.

Esteban Munoz

Dark background with illustration-style graphics

Esteban Munoz switches up the dark background a bit with a nice gradient and illustrations. The illustrations at the bottom of the page are particularly striking. The slider at the top of the page spans the entire width of the page, making it feel unique. The image gallery is handled well and cleanly laid out. The hover-over labels might be a bit controversial, but here they are interesting and work well.

Mutant Labs

Layers of texture

Mutant Labs features a striking wooden and pavement-style textures throughout which have the effect of making the dark background extremely visually interesting.

The site’s message is clearly and concisely stated, featured at the top left of the page for maximum impact, and the illustrations featured throughout are clever and appealing. The logo in particular is very effective.

Komodo Media

Lighter pattern contrasts with dark content area

Utsikten Meetings is a bit of a twist on our theme; the texture is in the background and the flat black is in the content area of the page as contrast. The rich texture adds lots of visual interest, while showcasing the content and leading the eye down the page. While the header images are not interactive, the preview images in the gallery page are large enough to give a good sense of the page being linked to. The subtlety of the gray cursive type in the upper left may be difficult for some users to read however.

Nue Media

Photography as background

Nue Media’s dark skyline photography background is super slick. The animation effects in the slider are unusual, and the wide layout of the content section showcases the portfolio content nicely.

Brand Mango

Simple black

Brand Mango is a solid portfolio website. The dark background is unobtrusive and leaves the focus on the content. One especially strong element is the prominence of the ‘Contact Us’ button. A nice feature to include would be a pause button for the slideshow, so users could look at a piece longer, or even link to the pieces being shown.

CSS DSGN

Organizing a large amount of content

CSS Dsgn is an example of dark minimalism. The main point of the site is showcasing lots of content, which the layout does a very effective job of. The footmap is especially nicely executed, and the preview thumbnails are large and descriptive without feeling overpowering. The dimming effect on hover-over is a nice touch and adds visual appeal. Overall everything feels fluid and works well.

Inspiredology

Fun and original illustration

Inspiredology immediately attracts and pulls users in with its fun and original illustration. The point of the site is a bit less clear, with the tagline ‘Design inspiration lab’ fading into the illustration. If it were a bit larger or darker, that would help make it stand out more. The dark navy and gray color combination works well for the background, however.

Natalie Sklobovskaya

Rich details and low-contrast

Natalie Sklobovskaya’s portfolio site features rich, gothic details like flourishes and illustrations. The low-contrast text is easy on the eyes but not hard to see. The subtle hover-over effects add additional visual interest. While fairly dark, the punches of orange and pink keep it from feeling too dark.

Takeaways

In summary, some takeaways for designing a dark website.

Be aware of text contrast- too high or too low, contrast can obscure a site’s content or purpose.
Splashes of color add visual appeal.
Subtle texture keeps things interesting- it’s all about the small details.
There is more emphasis on content, so make sure you are showcasing your best.
Keep it simple, darker backgrounds need more room to breathe.

Creative Ads & Photography By Various Photographers, Designers And Ad Agencies

Ferman — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:14:19 +0000

To create eye catching ads and get the first attention is not easy task. If your ad doesn’t convey the message what it is for, then it’s useless. To really stand out among others, the idea should be unique and out of box.

Here i have collected creative advertising photography and advertisements by various photographers, designers and ad agencies.

By Jeffrey Vanhoutte

By Linus Schneider

By Sean Izzard

By Romain Laurent

By smashLAB

By Marius Claudius Wolfram

By Thomas Lavezzari

By Filtre Studio

By Ray Massey

By Giovanni Pirajno

By CLM BBDO

By McCann Worldgroup

By Dentsu America

By Lowe Bull

By Innocean Worldwide

By Whybin\\TBWA

By Anomaly

By Nyehode

By Colenso BBDO

Creative And Imaginative World Of Ben Goossens

Ferman — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:57:51 +0000

Every designer has an imaginative world of his own but to make it real is an Art, those who are able to express their feelings and imagination in their work they become artist. Not all designers can do that but Ben Goossens is one of them who expressed his imaginative world in a very creative way.

Goossens’ images have received awards in a number of prestigious international photography competitions including Gold and Silver medals at the Trierenberg Super Circuit, the world’s largest annual photography salon. Goossens has also seen his work widely published, including an in-depth 10 page exposition in the March 2007 edition of Photo Art International. His composite photos are remarkable for their seamless yet painterly renderings of Surrealism dreamscapes.

Here i have collected the amazing art work done by him to learn more about him you can visit following links:

Ben Goossens Bio
Ben Goossens Portfolio

Indeed Mr. Professor !

Who is afraid of a tree?

I think, I’m a dreamer

Up to an higher level

The land of antopicitca

Bubble maker

Story of the very beginning

Piquant

Love and sorrow

Caged!!!

Take a seat

End of story

Sweet songs of the sea

A souvenir from the coast

Above all troubles

A home

Singing in the rain

Spring will be there soon

… a burdon

Time to go

Broken heart

Global heating!!!

Catch the power of communication

VIP

Sensitivity

Heartbreak hotel

Reborn

Brainwashed

It’s a real nowhere man

The survivor

Hope

Transparency

Magic in the air

Snip…snip

Exodus

Gate of eden

Drawing leaf

Stone headed visitor

Decay

Feeling blue

Like a virgin

Creative Advertising Photography And Photo Manipulation By Fred Perrot

Ferman — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:42:08 +0000

For your inspiration doze i have selected a talented artist named Fred Perrot. He is France’s leading advertising photographer and has done many projects for BMW, Absolut, Peugeot, Jaeger-Lecoultre, Tefal, Renault and Nespresso. I have selected the creative advertising photographs and photo makeover done by him. You will really be amazed by seeing these photos. To know more about him you can visit his official web site.

Here is the work extracted from his portfolio and do comment to tell us what you liked or disliked.