I bet you all are a little bit tired of classic list posts so this time I really spent my time to bring some value into this inspirational article. I gathered here 40 really unique and trendy web designs from Deviantart, all of them are fresh, created in February, 2010. But this time instead of just listing them all, I did a step forward – I tried to analyze and criticize each design, point pros and cons you should give some more attention to. For me design never is complete, there is always space for improving, but it takes serious experience to notice those small mistakes.
If this idea will raise some discussion and attention I am sure I will make more comprehensive research so we all could improve ourselves actually in the meantime. I am quite excited, how about you? Let’s get started!
You may take a look to our other Deviantart Inspiration based articles made in past as well:
Interesting blog using brown, red and few more subtle tones. I like overall design, nice mouse over effects – to main navigation, to RSS button, but something seem a little bit strange to me. For example that bird in header and funny icon in “Comment/ Continue reading” section in post. While blog is created for world comics, I think all icons (RSS,newsletter,search icons) should be funny, logotype maybe too?
And yet again some good points – notice all polished buttons, sections, little embossing, glossing effects, which make design look really professional.
Design home page for germany web agency. Could turn out as amazing Flash page, great photomanipulation type website.
Second version of Sense Design website – beautiful 3D effects just buy me to love this website! I don’t even dare to criticize here, fell in love with colors! Which is your favorite design?
Okay, if I need to tell something then I think white color is too bright in second screenshot. I understand on bright background it’s hard to put readable text, but this isn’t the best case. On text I would try slightly darker monochrome color as well as darker box behind the text. What about navigation? Maybe something bright and big text could get attention to the right place as well?
Would love to hear your opinions, this is a really hard case.
Interesting, yet clean and professional website design. I like especially header where featured slideshow is beautifully executed from original design point of view. Only I think company will definitely need to update their logo to fit it with this beautiful design.
Very fresh and trendy designs using just blue and black color variations throughout whole design. Close to simple perfection, though not aligned “Attention please” note confuses a little bit and footer should need more tweaking I think.
Site uses green as main bright color to get attention, black color is used just to define navigation and footer, but I don’t quite like black to white gradient in background of slideshow. Also logo looks quite good, but typeface used with it I think isn’t quite suitable.
I love this design, but it’s interesting to analyze and find some little points which could take this design to even higher level!
This artist also has full gallery of amazing works – very dark website yet great for image based website. Notice also beautiful 3D effects, glossing and shining borders. I am confused only about background stripes – resembles web 2.0 type designs a little bit and footer lacks little white stripe which all other blocks have.
One more great design using only light, subtle colors. For me the most succesful seems header and left content area. I would love to have something similar on my own blog. From marketing point of view though I would like to have bigger RSS and Twitter buttons, also no one would buy sponsor ads if they would lie so far from “Above the fold”.
It’s very hard task to create successful blog design and yes, I see countless bad design executions in my own site as well.
I wanted to bring attention to this design as well! Seems everything put so random, but in the same time here you will find great color and alignment hierarchy! Check out also cool looking left sidebar with nice embedded effects. I would only find some confusion in header, logo face seems to be too small and main branding item simply disappears in whole loud design!
Simply pointed – less is really more, perfect color harmony. I just love blurred contours at the back of logo and little innovative text on the main circle.
No comments, simply amazed about interesting and unique design though while it looks good I am not sure if it will not hurt text readability and usability as whole.
Wow, for this design I simply couldn’t find words to tell any critique. Beautiful accent in above the fold field (featured slideshow), light design, perfectly aligned and executed. I am watching and learning.
“The site focuses on skydiving, hot air balloon rides, hang gliding, gliders, warbirds and biplanes.”
Designer tries to put really big amounts of information here and I think he did great job! Great inspiration where successfully are added several photographs in background. Only confusion for me is left top section “Welcome to 1800Skyride” – all other sections has it’s own boxes but here text is just lying in the air. I am not sure – maybe it’s good thing, welcome text got my attention, but main text is a little hard to read. Analyze this site design yourself, you’ll find many more beautifully executed small things.
Interesting approach to hybrid/futuristic type of design. I am curious to see how this site will look live in Flash, notice all little points, glossing, gradients, shine.
No comments from my side is needed here – very unique and very well executed website design idea. Notice importance of well picked typeface, size and color as well, red color is used very well to get necessary accents – lovely.
By the way did I mention, designer is only 17 years old?
Interesting blog execution. I just love light designs and this structure would be great for small blog, though if content amounts grow in future, there would be problems with categories and sidebar, where I would add more choices for visitors to click.
Trendy design, very good colors for easy reading and interesting idea about boxes opening while navigating between different business plans.
Notice also unique “more” button and how navigation is emphasized with really subtle effects. I have one confusion though – why “Login” button on top right side isn’t in the dark field, but somewhere in the middle? Small point, but I am sure just inattention mistake. Interesting to find little points right?
Eye candy – modern colors and execution.
Very unique website, everything is tied together literally! I don’t know for what purpose this website is created but could turn out great portfolio or css (or whatever) showcase site!
Maybe not one of the most user-friendly websites, but you cannot deny – definitely grabs attention! Exercise for yourself – what’s so special in this design, what makes it to look professional, not cheap? I think this is great solution for product based websites where you don’t need to deliver big amounts of information.
I just keep finding more hand-drawn type trendy webdesigns from this author! Great inspiration to look how you can create modern yet a little bit playful type of design. I don’t know why, but only thing I would like to fix in this design is that dark border around featured images in articles. From my point of view more brighter or exactly opposite – lighter color would suit there a lot better.
Notice beautiful watercolor header and cute RSS, Twitter icons.
Professional, perfectly aligned website using subtle white and blue colors. Could turn out as great corporate website, by the way it is for sale.
Now, cons I am noticing is – I love that popular mac window, but description under “Mission Statement” is simply unreadable don’t you agree? I also don’t understand why “Twitter Feeds” section has icon, but all other ones have not? Design would look a lot better with icons on each category I guess.
Put your attention to header navigation, which is very interesting and eye catchy, phone icon also get good attention, exactly how it was intended.
Just beautiful design – I was surprised there are so many colors used – blue, orange,brown,white, green, even red, but it all together looks just outstanding! Here’s some impressive inspiration!
Very interesting retro type web design in the meantime looking very modern. I enjoy the use of subtle textures and monochromic colors – just plain black and white!
Well executed design showing how to display huge amounts of information in good way. Impressive 3D effects work throughout whole design, only I think company now definitely needs a new logo design.
Extreme website, T-shirt shop design executed in really good way, I think it’s very relevant, colorful, in the meantime looking very harmonic and aligned. Logotype is great and those stitches throughout whole design are relevant to T-shirt (stitches in fabrics) and give design it’s uniqueness.
This website is very polished, I suggest to visit it as great inspiration. By the way this theme is on sale in Themeforest, where you can actually see live version of this website. Great work. Check out live demo on Themeforest.
Very interesting design concept, great for product/image based websites. This one is for SPA salon.
Website for sale by the way and what I like in this template to so much is colors, logo approach (though typographic template one, but still nice) and placement. Interesting concept behind mood template – light grey at the header and pitch black at the footer.
I am not sure though about gradients in buttons, they seem to disappear and become blurred in design, and yes – concept is good, but for me that pitch black gradient seems to be too strong. White text on black background isn’t the favorite color scheme for eyes.
This design caught my attention with it’s unique and interesting top navigation. While website should require a lot of tweaking to work as real sale shop, color scheme and item placement is really great.
Trendy and unique website design, I enjoy all the arrows to point and get smiling attention to necessary sections. While header, sidebar and content section are very polished at least for me footer looks too short, text in footer too big to be harmonic. Other than that – great design concept!
Website design for company CompanionFinder – Adult friend finder. Girl definitely grabbed my attention, so header is purposely and well done I presume. Color selection is interesting and very harmonic and easy for eye to look at and read. Polished site, my attention grabbers were header with girl, and then textures in background making look design transparent and professional.
As I mentioned several times before already, it’s really hard task to process huge amounts of information in user-friendly and harmonic way. One more great inspiration with good concept and well thought through small section placements.
Simply great eye-candy. No more comments needed here I presume.
Interesting color contrasts – site is using just blue and monochromic colors to achieve everything. Definitely grabbed my attention as unique design.
Great corporate website design, actually for sale. Click to image to see it full view, many small details are nicely done there.
Simply amazing, very clean and professional design here!
Amazing water/ice type theme – I would love to see how this design would look as live blog! Very refreshing!
Interesting magazine type theme, we all know how hard is to view a lot of information in transparent way. I am not sure about background though, other than that – simple and professional!
Beautiful choice of colors, AlexDesigns is very talented designer and this work doesn’t dissapoint as well! Eye candy and surprisingly I cannot find anything I don’t like in this design!
This is my first time doing such research, review and critiques so you can be harsh too. Point out to my mistakes, you don’t agree with, add your opinion – I would love to hear it. Critiques for us, designers, is the best way how to improve, would love to hear your thoughts here.
I am even thinking making this advanced feature, analyzing some fresh, popular redesigns, pointing out tools and techniques how specific effects are created in design and maybe even create some fresh tutorials. Now is your time to talk, I did mine!
The importance of colors can be described by only one sentence – “Color to life is like salt to food”. Colors can change your mood, determine your attitude, whenever you see color you can feel its pleasing effect within your soul. In other words, in life colors express a lot of meanings without saying anything.
We pick up just where part 2 ended and the result of part 3 and final Blog Design will be looking like this:
Medios Sociales