Design That Works: JJAAKK Design Etc

We came across the website for JJAAKK Design Etc and fell in love with the warm color palette. Here are the reasons why this design works:

• Very clean, minimalist design that makes it easy to find the information you are looking for.
• Large panel display in the center to highlight recent work.
• Completely warm color palette but good contrast between dark and light colors
• Site is very well organized and not overbearing with information

Design That Works: Vitamin ID

We recently came across this Vitamin ID site and thought it was fantastic. As the site came up on our screen we instantly fell in love with the human connection it made. Here’s our expert opinion on why this design works:

• The Human Factor – you instantly connect with the gentleman being featured on their site. You kind of want to learn more about his story and what they’re advertising.
• Flow of Information – after that connection is made, your eyes flow down to “build a pack” and “take the survey,” which are the two call to action items for the site.
• Natural Color Palette – reinforces the brand and the product, which is advertised as all natural. The colors definitely give the site and the company an organic feel, and that kind of feel leads to thoughts of caring and responsibility on behalf of the company.
• Clean and Easy to Navigate – this site is very clean and straight forward. It’s a natural site without the use of organic textures (such as soil, hemp, canvas, etc). Because of its well organized design, its very easy to find the information you’re looking for.

Constructional Feedback: We’d love to see the same color palette and natural feel carry over into the online store and the blog components.

Design That Works: IWC website

Clean, eloquent, simple. Style, sophistication, dynamic. What more can we say? When we saw this website we were immediately drawn in. The simple solid color background, a cool grey, compliments the warmth and detail of the watches. This is the website for the International Watch Company, based in Switzerland. It speaks history mixed with modern style. It speaks luxury and craftsmanship. Spoken with little words and detailed photographs, you grasp the story and the personality of the company.

Design That Works: Oak Street Bootmakers

Stop the presses! I think we are in love. This is a beautiful example of where clean, simple, classic style is paired with dynamic product imagery to really bring out the personality and style of the company as well as the product. It’s straight to the point. The antique white background gives the impression of history, while the extreme close ups of the boots echoes modern times. These boots were made for walking, and standing, and looking good.

The Oak Street Bootmakers site simply rotates high quality images of their products on their home page. Although different products and scenes are featured in each photo, the pose of the boots remain consistent throughout the set. The texture and detail of the boots are really accented by the natural color palette, and the rustic nature of the website design.

When you go to their website, your attention is immediately drawn to their product line, and this is on purpose. Further browsing will show you a variety of very clean, professional product images contrasting against the natural background and mix of serif/sans serif typography. C’est magnifique!

You can visit Oak Street Bootmakers website to witness the design in all its glory.

Design That Works: Bohemia

Bohemia is a UK based boutique dedicated to discovering beautiful, unique & unusual products and bringing these items to a wider audience. They recently had their website redesigned and it looks fabulous! They also have a blog, Bohemia Life, which details and follows various creative trends in fashion and design. We stumbled upon their website and fell in love.

Here Are The Reasons Why This Design Works:

• Complimentary Colors: Orange and blue are complimentary colors on the color wheel, which according to theory, they always look good together. Bohemia has chosen a very cool, light blue and paired it with a bold orange. The colors truly do compliment each other. And the cooler blue also has an icy appeal to it.
• Easy to Navigate: The main banner with the pictures fading in and out calls your attention to special products. That’s sure to attract attention. But also, check out the navigation to the upper right above the banner. Super easy to scroll over and the drop down menus really give you the option to be super selective in what you are looking for.
• Little Elements Makes It Fun: We creatives like to add little complimentary elements that make the design flow better, all while being aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Note the fading paisley print in the back, and the light stitching on the top and bottom edges of the blue box that lays upon the fading images in the main banner. Brilliant!

Design That Works: I Love New York

Recently the site to promote tourism in New York was redesigned. Not only do we love New York, but we also love this website. You can visit it here: http://www.iloveny.com/.

Reasons Why This Design Works:

• Photography: It catches your attention with dynamic photos. If you are looking for a city to visit, you want to see what you are getting yourself into. The photos are very inviting, full of color and with a sense of energy all its own. They provide the option for you to click on them to learn more.
• Clean Design: The main navigation is at the top of the site, easy to spot and easy to browse through. The navigation is clean and simple, straight forward, because what really grabs you with the site is the content and the photos.
• Color Palette: We provided a swatch of the main colors on the homepage. The red in the logo is sure to stand out with the light sandy/earthy color background colors. The colors are warm and airy, so they compliment the changing photos on each page instead of competing with them.

Clever Design: Business Card Bottle Opener

We found this on the website CardObserver and thought it was unique enough to share. This is a limited edition bottle opener business card. Promotional item designed to be kept somewhere safe. Makes effective use of the logo in a memorable and useful way. Who doesn’t like to end their work day with a refreshing beverage?

Our only wish was that this business card design was for a beverage or nightlife/social company instead of a oilfield waste management company. Unless this card was handed out internally at a corporate function, outsiders may not make the connection (if there is one) between beverages and oilfield waste. But, who couldn’t use a bottle opener, and a pocket size one too! It fits right in your wallet.

Design that Works: XHTML Cafe

Can you believe this is a website? It doesn’t look like it at first glance, it looks more like a watercolor painting that you might find in a cafe or on a wall in your home. That’s what makes this website so unique and a design that we wanted to showcase for you today.This is the website for XHTML Cafe, a company that codes websites. Their site is fresh and original, which makes their company stand out amongst the competition.

Here is our expert opinion of why this design works:

• Thinking outside of the box. It’s fresh and new. The website is a store front, a cafe nonetheless, which compliments their name. This site is instantly unique and original, because its a sketch that serves a greater purpose.
• Creative navigation. You have to look into the website a little bit, not just to appreciate the little details but to find out more about what they do and to locate the links. This doesn’t take long though, once you get the lay of the site. In fact, its pretty clever how you can email them by clicking on the mailbox in front of the cafe.
• More than what meets the eye. This website has depth and texture, and it all neatly flows together as a scene of a cafe storefront. It offers a company personality and breaks the mold for how websites are presented. Instead of the traditional “header,” “links” and other components plainly placed before you, the site incorporates everything into a fun environment.

Design That Works: Baked

Now this is a design that is sure to please your tastebuds! We say that because its for Baked, a bakery cafe with locations in New York and South Carolina. We saw this website and we instantly fell in love. This is in part due to the crisp pictures of baked goods. Either way, we want to share this site with you and also let you know why this design works.

Why This Design Works:
This is our expert analysis for this design.

• Color: Nice warm colors compliment the nature of the business. (No pun intended, check out their logo, something tells us they are a very cool spot to hang out and grab a sweet treat).
• Pictures: If you visit their website, you’ll notice that their homepage rotates pictures of the daily happenings in the cafe. We’re talking extreme closeups of the baking process, including the batter and delicious cupcakes. Does that not make you want to put their address into your GPS right now and find your way there?
• Simplicity: This website is simple and easy to navigate through, making it very professional. The navigation doesn’t have any complicated fonts or items that leave you questioning “what were they thinking?”
• Texture: We are always a fan of finding a way to add dimension and texture to a website without going over the top or having something be too overpowering! The simple use of the wood grain background is very effective and further compliments the natural color palette.
• Good Copy: Take a look at the ABOUT page. Here’s an excerpt from their history section: “Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito spent much of their youth (or what was left of it) in the world of advertising.  Matt, a producer, spent his days hidden away in a cubicle stuffed with spreadsheets, post-its, and relentless voice mails, while Renato spent his time in the more rarefied field of graphic design (i.e. making things look beautiful so people would buy them).  Their thoughts were never too far from cake and coffee.” Their copy is fun, simple, to the point, and easy to relate too (whether you’re one of those working adults trapped in a cubicle or you’re someone with an idea for a business). It’s very positive and written with a twist humor….shaken, not stirred.
• Constructive Feedback: Our only recommendation would be to center this website so that it floats when someone expands the window. Most of us are operating on wide screen computers these days. But other than that, this is a design that works!

A True Statement