I’m always on the lookout for well designed websites. I love seeing the innovation that talented web designers bring to their projects. It’s both inspiring and motivating. Every week, I’ll be posting an article that features a favorite site that I’ve discovered. I’ll breakdown what I like about it and why. I hope that these articles will inspire you.

This weeks pick: David Fooks

David Fooks has done well with his little portfolio site. He keeps it minimal, but maintains interest throughout the site.

The Homepage

What I like about the homepage is that it takes an original path, but it doesn’t over complicate things or confuse the user. The use of illustration gives the site sense of mystery. The first thing I wanted to do was see what the jellyfish and the bear were all about. Upon rolling over them a little speech-bubble came up letting me know what this link was pointing to.

This feedback is what makes the illustrations work as navigation. The jellyfish and the bear are also effectively doing what I assume David wanted them to do: attract attention. Most likely users who go to this site will click on either of these illustrations pointing them to one of David Fook’s portfolios.

The Navigation

The main navigation also uses cleaver little illustrations with the same type of feedback as the links below. The icons are used well, and communicate what they are effectively.

The Portfolio

The portfolio section is a nice set of thumbnails ready to be clicked. This is a great way to organize portfolio peices. It gives the user the ability to quickly scan the work and until they see something that resembles what they are looking for.
Once clicked, the thublnail takes you to a project detail page that discusses the project. The entire portfolio can be navigated through this section as well without having to go back to the portfolio page.

Call to Action

Every site should have a clear call to action. This site’s call to action is on every page near the footer. A large graphic urging the user to “contact me” is used to clearly state what the user should do.

Conclusion

This site is one of the better sites that I’ve seen. Classy, elegant, and cleaver. David Fooks has done an incredible job and avoided the trap of over-designing. He has proved that simple does not equal boring.
Visit This Site

What do you think?

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  • http://www.affordabletowncarservice.com/ Eddy Wolthuis

    like your site will visit again