inspiration central!

nice moving header

2009-09-18T22:13:00.000-07:00

The website for London Digital Week has a pretty cool header made of moving colors. Very nice way to add a sense of interest while keeping a very straight up, traditional design with everything else.

pa-taa on the interweb

2009-09-18T20:57:00.000-07:00

Websites are festive in their own way. The Bonnaroo site takes on a home made, almost felt-like quality in its type and other elements, and scraps together a pretty festive feeling site. I love it! The type is pretty well done, too.

full bg video - works for this site

2009-09-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

These guys used a 3-side bleed movie for the bg of their website. It is super distracting, except that's what they're selling. So it works for this site. Note the screen that's placed over the video - gives the whole thing a little texture, and pushes it into the background just a little more.

how much illustration can you take???

2009-09-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

these guys put together this totally mental site that makes you work hard to figure out what it does. They tucked in some very nice surprises - my favorite is a "panic" button that launches an article on stress reduction in a new window. Very funny, and actually useful at the same time.

I can't pronounce it but it really kicks ass

2009-09-18T20:03:00.000-07:00

This little site, with it's simplistic background & nice white-set-pretty-opaque bg for a column website has been making me wish I owned a club (that also carries it's own record label) all freaking day long. I want one, okay? Sometimes all you need is a full page beautiful illustration, some cool, interesting music, and some pretty impressive talent to thumb through. Less is more right here - me gusta mucho.

watt turns is up!

2009-09-18T19:58:00.000-07:00

Watt is a club in Rotterdam. They set up this site with a header that rotates. This little trick is done throughout many sites - a changing image w/ some text, but NOT the whole flippin' header of a site! Very innovative. The grand lesson: take something that works in terms of basic function (like rotation) and apply it somewhere else to see what happens. Note how the rest of the design is built to accommodate this massive rotating graphic.

chaos never looked so good

2009-09-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

So okay, these guys mixed up the header with images, illustrations, and straight up objects, and then layered in the content beneath that. It can be so flippin' hard to make such a cluttered mess look appealing! But I love it. They did some nice things with color, and there kind of is a decent hierarchy happening due to the larger header, and smaller body copy. The nav elements get a little lost (cause they're too small & aren't very interesting), but otherwise I like the way this guy feels.

sasssy BG image

2009-09-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

So okay, any of us who have designed a site with massive background images can understand cracking this nut. The guys who designed the SASS site created a pretty massive column to dump text info. It lacks pictures. I think that this minimalist approach is a pretty decent way to go. There's few other images to compete with the nice background one, and while the columns might be a little on the long side, it still seems to work okay.

design can carry a cool site

2009-09-18T09:20:00.000-07:00

So this site for Blondie (bar in Spain) has very little by way of cool programming or functionality, but it still totally rocks. The secret? Super cool design. It's fun & playful, & gives you a nice feel for the personality of this place.

matter throws down some sweet color work!

2009-09-18T09:17:00.000-07:00

This site for matter (in London) is simple but cool. There's an interesting pattern with light in the bg, and as you roll over the nav, the colors change, all of which work fairly well with the pattern color. The columns change content every several seconds, which keeps the whole thing looking fresh.

typing it up!!

2009-09-13T10:43:00.000-07:00

this english cat created some pretty rad type to display his name on his homepage. note the custom icons @ the top of the page. very clean, simple icons add to the clean, modern-yet-home-grown feel to the design. good stuff...

artsy artist site (shock | surprise | awe | beauty)

2009-09-13T10:01:00.000-07:00

okay, so this website is just as screwed up as i am. that deserves some serious recognition from this blog. you fucking win, zalibarek. well done my friend.

so often there's this massive gap between an artist & their online presence, and zalibarek not only avoids the gap, but in my opinion furthers the reputation of the artist by demonstrating prowess in the online realm in addition to the installations, video, and other fine works.

kickin animation! Very fun & playful

2009-09-13T09:56:00.000-07:00

This sa-weet site brings out the secret agent in all
of us. Cool animation loads super fast (even on those of us cheap skates running dsl). love the playful & interactive nature of this thing.

The design is cartoony in the best way: it's polished & modern, but just enough retro @ the same time. Kind of campy in that way. Clean layout & very usable as well. The typography could be a little more playful as well, but it's straight treatment lends to very high readability. me gusta mucho!

intelligent house site

2009-09-13T09:49:00.000-07:00

In this website, users can control an Intelligent House, opening blinds, turning lights on, preparing the bath and a lot more, all using remote controls.Pretty sweet usability.

illustraion + animation composition

2009-08-09T10:51:00.000-07:00

Charming wall (also built by Also) takes illustration and animation and pieces it together into a beautiful composition that knits everything together.

Baking some goodies

2009-08-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

The Colson bakery had it's web presence designed by Also, a very talented 3-person shop based in Chicago & NYC. Very nice integration of background elements with info laid out on top.

anything but sktechy

2009-08-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

So okay, this thing shows the massive potential that web apps have for becoming creative tools. It's pretty unbelievable, especially when you consider the diverse range of styles that these illustrators have created with this thing!

a one liner

2009-03-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

have you hugged a type designer today? they do some good things...

who needs a fleur de isle when you have type?

2009-03-22T14:58:00.000-07:00

i love how the background texture is Rosa Parks - just type; a variety of it. close to the bg color but not exactly - enough to tel us what this thing is all about and make a pretty nice texture at the same time.

boring no more!

2009-03-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

who says numbers have to bore people into a stupor? this annual report makes pretty good use of an otherwise uninteresting subject. Note the numbers are all at 90 degree angles: not TOTAL chaos. scale, color, transparency, composition.

if you had to pick

2009-03-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

a word that said "lift," where would you start? i don't know either. and i think they basically nailed it, at least for this composition. me gusta mucho.

this aint no FONT!

2009-03-22T14:53:00.000-07:00

this is hand drawn type, perfectly tied to the hand drawn illustration. and the type pulls everything neatly together.

art of type making paper stick shape words

2009-03-22T14:51:00.000-07:00

need i say more? need i?

do you have

2009-03-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

GUTS??? my main man Stephan has loads. Just check out this interesting arrangement...

ARE WE ALIGNED YET, fallout boy???

2009-03-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

so this isn't chaos (pretty damn close, though). first of all, scale has been adjusted,BUT it's all at a 90 degree angle. and there is the arrows which lead us directly into the Y. so there is some logic in the mix, and a good dose of organic composition - a pretty nice blend.

****DIGITAL TYPOGRAPHIC THROWDOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

Ehem, check out the super kick ass hand-drawn type laid out on top of an image. this re-defines the "background image" website: not only is there depth to it, but the surface of it has a personality and adds value to the overall composition. if that were all left-justified ariel, it wouldn't kick nearly as much ass.

FLUFFY CLOUD TYPE!

2009-03-22T14:40:00.000-07:00

ah, the old fluffy cloud type, doing good!

how much lightening can you HANDLE?

2009-03-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

that's right - how about an illustration full? AND it's type, too. Yes, they make you work a bit to understand it. The type is pretty consistent - it looks like itself all the way through. They didn't bend the visual logic of the bolts so that it would be easier for them to lay out. so good job, chap, good job.

only type

2009-03-22T14:35:00.000-07:00

so we have some typography, and... nothing else! it says it all, and you don't need anything else. no images, no BS - we know exactly what's being said. Sold, classic, worn, interesting.

LETTERS FIRST!!!!!!!

2009-03-22T14:33:00.000-07:00

yeah, so first see the letter forms, then the animals - which is the opposite of a lot of typographic illustrations. I like how both seem to exist equally, in the same plane. very nice.

type in the fro!

2009-03-22T14:31:00.000-07:00

I really, really dig the placement of the type in this piece. Yes it looks a little silly, but he sure had plenty of room in that awesome fro!

faces out of numbers

2009-03-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

7 never looked so good... it's a unique number with interesting serifs & shapes that lend well to turn it into a face with such little manipulation. i dig it.

"i could do that..."

2009-03-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

but you didn't!

i dig the sporadic line work in the letters - they're kind of mental, and they work well with the rest of the composition.

victorian type!

2009-03-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

it's hard to not love this modern take on victorian type: it has the same feeling, but is also clearly a modern mix - the caps are outlined, and the curves have been straightened. this modern take on the type also reflects the modern composition, yet it's made of old-style images. the type pulls the whole thing together.

mark mallman

2009-03-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

the type in this poster for mr. mallman reflects the graphic art. very nice!

chan's the man!

2009-03-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

this looks like banco, by emigre. it's fun, and slightly hipster Asian - has that fortune-cookie-at-a-Hong-Kong-rave feeling to it.

sunset rubdown

2009-03-22T09:40:00.000-07:00

some pretty serious illustrating went down to make this type fit perfectly into the mouth of this monster. the lips are less legible, but still it's a totally unique type solution.

stretched slab

2009-03-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

this slab serif looks like it's been stretched! very tall, but there's also something a little humanistic about the rounded corners - it doesn't feel too tough, either.

frank black

2009-03-22T09:36:00.000-07:00

check out this type combo: a script, with a sans (that has some attitude), followed by a skinny slab serif - and it all comes together pretty damn well.

fast moving type

2009-03-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

illustrated animations of type!!!

2009-03-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

pretty sweet type sequence

2009-03-17T19:51:00.001-07:00

short but sweet into motion graphics

2009-03-17T15:12:00.001-07:00

russian type video

2009-03-17T15:07:00.000-07:00

paper art

2009-03-17T14:55:00.000-07:00

paper art typographic solution - very, very nice & well executed.

hand made

2009-03-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

handmade with (mostly) filled counters. i think this one feels a bit more down to earth than a lot of filled counter typefaces. the handmade feel seems to keep it more human (& maybe a little more legible, too).

filled counters with style

2009-03-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

these guys have some great modulation throughout - and a unique, lively style. very nice.

toga land

2009-03-15T16:01:00.000-07:00

holy flipping contrast, batman! super skinny meets morbidly obese when counters take on a mind of their own & fill themselves in! the anorexic stems of the fat friends almost lose themselves in the massive contrast.

soft & full

2009-03-13T09:13:00.000-07:00

i like how the counters & negative spaces are filled in a way that isn't totally hard edged and geometric.

all together now

2009-03-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

yes, they make you work a little... geometry & color holds them together.

varoom

2009-03-09T09:30:00.001-07:00

pretty, pretty chunky.

crafty type

2009-03-09T09:25:00.000-07:00

hatched / stitched / crafty pattern makes some type. i like the patter & the letter forms

simple & beautiful

2009-03-08T20:15:00.000-07:00

don't mess with my baby!

2009-03-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

D&G layout with flourishes. can avenir (or a very similar type) be made ornate? is this "contrast" or amateur night?

yo tambien

2009-03-08T20:04:00.000-07:00

libro hits a homer

2009-03-08T19:58:00.000-07:00

type gone wild 3, getting vertical. love how it's chunked together, cut off, ligatured, scaled, colored, and set.

victor & susie!

2009-03-08T19:52:00.001-07:00

victor & susie is a children's book for adults written entirely with letterforms and punctuation!

it takes a few seconds to get this one...

2009-03-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

this guys is Michael C. Place - making folks think... but it's worth the pay-off!

labworks homepage

2009-03-08T19:38:00.000-07:00

labworks homepage image is a picture of this hand made paper typography, hung with plastic tubing against a neutral background. love it.

hammer

2009-03-08T19:36:00.000-07:00

i like how they made an object out of type without bending or damaging the type, or chopping any of it off. just good old type, different scales & colors.

amazing hand drawn type illustrations

2009-03-08T19:34:00.000-07:00

what came first? the type or the objects??

it's not my style, but hard to deny the talent here.

verticle ligature

2009-03-08T19:32:00.001-07:00

that "e" looks a little bit like a fish with a hook pulling his mouth down, but aside from that, this is a pretty cool way of joining letters vertically.

illustrated type

2009-01-31T09:06:00.000-08:00

so we all know that this type was hand illustrated, and it's also conceptual, with the type at the center of the concept. you can also see that the designer leaned more towards legibility rather than integrating with the rest of the image. that's a tough call (made someone else made it?) but it still works overall.

chunky disturbing type

2009-01-31T09:03:00.000-08:00

i think it's the subtle shifts in the baseline that make this type just a little unsettling. this is a custom typeface made just for this project: i think the designer did a good job illustrating each letter with just the right amount of contrast and consistency with every other letter.

circles making circles

2009-01-31T09:01:00.000-08:00

i like the hand-made feel to this type - the small circles create these tall, geometric typefaces.

decemberists poster with old style inspired type

2009-01-25T19:49:00.002-08:00

the type in this decemberists poster points to the victorian era (and so do the graphics). there's this old school "D" with flourishes growing out of it; the rest of the type is less ornate, but points to calligraphy, particularly that part of the victorian era that was influenced by asia and the far east. You can see this in the little flourish at the top of the "h" and "b," and also in the "t's."

The type here makes a lot of sense for these graphics and it all fits in nicely and works well together.

decemberists poster with light slab serif type

2009-01-25T19:40:00.000-08:00

This decemberists poster uses a light weight slab serif poster, which has kind of a retro feel to it. Other type is sans, and there's a little script that also points to the 1940's or so. The knight glove graphic points much farther back in time...

decemberists poster with stencil type

2009-01-25T19:32:00.000-08:00

this poster for the decemberists has this chunky stencil typeface. it's a super bold and almost army-like, blocky type. they contrasted the type with victorian-esque flourishes. amazingly it seems to fit into the composition seemlessly. it's strong, centered, and the flourishes seems to be coming out of this strong statement in the middle.

Publish Post

how much paper can you handle?

2009-01-19T20:16:00.000-08:00

brazilian fashion designer maria filo's site is a serious nod to paper crafts, and that good old cut & glue feeling. i like that the site goes two feet in & really does it on purpose.

the auto-music track makes me want to turn the exacto blade on myself, but i can't stop liking the hand-made quality of the design elements, and their pieced together composition.

http://www.mariafilo.com.br

tracy chapman - paint by number!

2009-01-19T19:43:00.000-08:00

do you remember those paint-by-number kits that you did as a kid? tracy chapman's new site sports a home page that lets you paint by number. and even if you're hyperactive or on drugs, you can't screw it up: she won't let you go over the lines.

it's pretty unique in terms of customization, & totally interactive, but i can't help feeling a little "special" doing a paint by number...

it's at http://www.tracychapman.com/

the weave toshi site is still the best fashion site in the world

2009-01-18T07:38:00.000-08:00

okay, so best in the world is an opinion, but seriously, nothing can touch this thing. the navigation, video-image integration redefine what people can produce on the web. anyone who isn't into interactive work has NOT seen this site before.

check it out! http://www.weavetoshi.co.jp/index.html

'the turn' site is pretty seriously amazing

2009-01-18T07:30:00.000-08:00

check out this site for a musical trio (and I don't love this genre of music either) - the interactivity is fun and engaging, and totally controllable. The music sounds good, but when paired with these artistic video clips, it becomes something much, much more beautiful. no surprise it took a fwa slot...

http://www.theturn.tv/

breaking the grid!

2009-01-17T13:38:00.001-08:00

check out this design in terms of layout: the grid is totally broken; the navigation is centered, spontaniously arranged and set in some pretty grungy, hand-drawn type.

see it @ http://www.kutztown.edu/acad/commdes/

enties site rocks some grunge type

2009-01-17T12:50:00.001-08:00

the enties site uses some pretty sweet grunge type for a background. a pretty big trend these days, but well executed.

find it @ http://etnies.com

Bella Koshka site

2009-01-16T18:24:00.000-08:00

the guys @ sevnthsin interactive agency put together this pretty sweet site for Bella Koshka, a mpls band. i love the hand-made feel to the pop-up book & also the digital integration - very cool! not a design sin at all, though. nice try...

check it you urself @ http://www.bellakoshka.com

sweet scroll element on anna's site

2008-09-13T08:09:00.000-07:00

check out the nav element to the right of that text: totally designed for the page! Very, very cool. I like her illustration / designing skills, too!

design from down under

2008-09-04T09:47:00.001-07:00

i like the design on the far right: nice use of scale & color...

2008-08-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

Nik Ainley is the crazy ill digital art bomb. check out his exceedingly bad ass work at his site, http://www.shinybinary.com/info.html

http://ecodazoo.com/

2008-07-18T19:34:00.000-07:00

check out this site: it's a great example of 3D work that you can totally interact with. And it also educates kids about the environment & doing some good.

realistic web icons

2008-07-18T19:16:00.001-07:00

this is (i really really hope) the future of what web icons will look like. instead of those cheesy, plastic looking 2.0-style icons that plague the net, the good people at deviant art threw down some super realistic (and just as useful) icons to represent cookies, viruses, and of course trash.

canadian subaru site!

2008-07-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

this is great: on the canadian subaru site, you become the "photographer" for their photo shoot! After someone wheels away a board of info in front of you, you find yourself looking through a digital SLR at a SUMO WRESTLER who's posing for a shoot. You can even hear the director / photographer shouting out direction to the sumo. It's totally hysterical, and a great a concept for a car site...

personal site of christian sparrow

2008-07-06T06:28:00.000-07:00

very cool portfolio site. this guy is a self-taught interactive designer who does his own illustrations as well as programming (html / css).

i like the hand-drawn work! i think hand created elements expand interactive work away from waxy & polished 2.0 designs that exemplify what's tacky about web work, and they push the boundaries of the medium into a new & interesting area.

http://www.christiansparrow.com/

sweet fashion logo

2008-06-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

check out this sweet logo - it goes to show that ornate, heavily decorated elements that are totally symmetrical have there place in design, especially in places like package design, and in logos like this one.

Leandro Demetrius

2008-06-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

this bralizian designer can throw down some fairly interesting layouts. he's currently studying interactive at the university anhembi morumbi. i'm sure you've heard of it...

what i like is the mixed media effect: clearly some collage-style clip art is at play, and that's blended with an unapologetic use of digital art. the light effect is interesting.

the initial blog

2008-06-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

here we go! this is my random collection of beautiful or interesting things! the aim is to inspire - check it out, and let me know if you got something worth adding! I'd love to post it.

- daniel