One of the reasons I started a web design company was the plethora of crummy looking sites. So when we start out with a client and they are in a particular genre of site - like corporate, travel, or commerce - it is hard to find good examples. Someone out there in web world has obvioulsy felt the pain and came up with this fabulous collection of design patterns for websites at Design Meltdown.
We are starting a new series of posts to show you some of the greatest web sites out there. Our goal is to give you a little variety by featuring some “flash” sites with lots of animation and movement, and some more traditional sites - done exceptionally well - that you will give you new ideas for your business and a fresh look at the Internet.
Vodafone Website - Creative and Thought Provoking Fun
Vodafone is a UK Cell Phone provider that put together a very creative and artistic site flash based website for “making the most of today”. It’s based on the Mayfly, a little insect which has a life expectancy of only one day. Vodafone polled users on the web asking them their secret for embracing life and making the most of today. The results are creative and fantastic.
What can you apply to your website? Vodafone is like product placement in a movie. If you need to raise awareness of your product offering in an indirect, engaging manner, a website like this will raise awareness of your brand without hard selling prospective clients.
Micrsoft Vista Website - Clean Style and Vivid Imagery
Vista is the new operating system from Microsoft, that will replace Windows XP. While their official site doesn’t push any web design boundaries, it effectively uses impact photography, rich color, and clean fonts to present a fresh look on a very traditional website.
What can you apply to your website? This site is very “people friendly” and give you a sense of emotional connection and warmth. For those that need to sell their services in this manner (think doctors, lawyers, customer service oriented offerings, etc…) this clean style, vivid photos approach is very effective. We can all learn something about the use of good photography as this site pics photos that add breadth and depth. Consider taking photos of your business offering, staff, building, or product and tying it in to different pages on your site.
AgencyNet - The Best of the Best
This media agency provides branding, web design, video/audio, and multi-media services. They are leaders in their indudstry and their work with clients such as Bacardi, the NBA, and Oxyegen Television speaks for itself. Check out their site for an innovative use of 3d, video, and flash technology.
What can you apply to your website? Video can be integrated within your site to make the presentation much more dynamic than just static graphics that just sit there. It also shows you what a big budget can do.
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