There’s no shortage of websites today that blend beautiful branding with seamless functionality. The creative and strategy teams at BuzzShift are constantly on the lookout for exciting web design, and the last several years have been especially inspiring. More web designers and their clients are starting to break away from traditional scrolling rectangles and exploring innovative designs that are functional as well as thoughtfully designed. Below is just a small sample of sites we loved (and bookmarked) this year.
Canal Steet Market is an NYC-based retail and food hall space near the Chinatown neighborhood. Their simple yet functional site blends friendly branding with an innovative horizontal page structure to clearly separate the four main parts of the site: about, food, retail, and community. This innovative tab system helps keep the content components distinct while also evoking the simplicity of a single-page site with the “tabs” always visible on the desktop version. The mobile experience utilizes a traditional hamburger menu but when expanded the same color system is applied to the links for consistency. All photography on the site looks as if it was captured by a handheld film camera, which provides consistency despite the variety of restaurants and vendors being represented in the space. The typography is a combination of a traditional, elegant serif typeface, a typewriter font that brings small-community charm, and a handful of Chinese characters used as design accents, while also representing the local culture.
Stock Dutch Design is a boutique interior design company based in The Netherlands. This website design has a continuous sense of movement throughout the site experience that keeps the user wanting to engage with it. The layering of animated typography, lush photography, and stylish design elements create compelling layouts throughout the site that feel anything but static. The site also uses parallax scrolling for many of the photographs, particularly on the “projects” page, which invites the user to want to expand and learn more. Another element that we love is the animated color shifts that subtly change as the user interacts with the content. Stock’s site also isn’t afraid to use plenty of negative space to ensure content is always easy to digest and feels engaging rather than overwhelming. The combination of these elements creates a rich tapestry of content and design that expresses the creativity and style of the company.
Apeel is an innovative company that uses edible, non-GMO, plant-based material to keep its produce fresher for longer, effectively creating an extra “peel” on the produce. The site design effectively incorporates animation and illustrations to educate the user on Apeel’s benefits. For example, the homepage and product detail pages utilize an interactive horizontal scroller and stop-motion photography to showcase how untreated fruits and veggies spoil more quickly over time compared to Apeel produce. The site also primarily uses traditional vertical scrolling to navigate through the content but offers horizontal scrolling in certain sections where a greater breadth of content exists (e.g., recipes, products, and blogs). The horizontal scrolling through the products, combined with charming illustrations to represent the extra level of protection Apeel produce has, is particularly engaging! Finally, the high-quality food photography, warm color palette, and friendly typography work in harmony to make a highly scientific concept feel approachable and friendly.
What each one of these websites does exceptionally well is never let the design of the site outweigh the importance of the functionality and content. The creativity of the designs highlights the benefits, style, message, and personality of the brands rather than distracting from or overcomplicating them. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to website design, which is why working with a team that understands your goals and brand is so important. Our team at BuzzShift takes a strategic approach and incorporates relevant trends into developing a website’s UX and UI. Looking to level up your website design? Contact BuzzShift to learn more!
About BuzzShift
BuzzShift is a digital growth strategy agency with a focus on mid-market, scaling, purpose-driven DTC Brands. By combining the ideologies of branding, performance marketing, and retention agency, we can create memorable experiences with measurable results, and build long-term success for our clients with scalable, sustainable growth. Learn more about BuzzShift.
