Web Designer's Idea Book, Volume 4 (prop) by Patrick McNeil

Author:Patrick McNeil
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Adams Media
Published: 2019-11-13T16:00:00+00:00

FIGURE 1: https://fruux.com

FIGURE 2: http://myboat.gp/en

http://4pinesbeer.com.au

http://candccoffee.com

http://jacquico.com

http://packdog.com

www.adline.ro

www.served-mcr.com

Vintage

In the past, retro design was connected to a particular over-the-top style. This is something I featured in my first Idea Book. Look at the designs there and you will see some rather extreme theme-based sites. Fast forward to Volume 3 and you will find a section on 19th-century design where the sites weave in elements from that time period. In this chapter, which I am titling Vintage, I want to feature sites that fit the modern format and structural style—the twist being that they are decorated and styled using type, imagery and colors with a vintage feel to them. In a few cases the theme is a bit more extreme than others, but generally speaking, the approach is more subtle and woven into what are otherwise very normal sites. Missing here are overly thematic interfaces that rely on quirky retro elements to get users to engage with the content.

A lovely example to start with is S’s vintage fashion website (FIGURE 1). It would be tempting for such a product line to get really carried away with making a vintage site. Fortunately, the designers thought better, and we find a site that fits the modern age. The type and color all feel very much at home on the modern web, but these elements have a vintage feel to them—a dated look that connects with the products in a more subtle way. I find the results to be amazing and the end product feels much higher-end than a more retro style might have resulted in.

Others, like the Tradestone Confections (FIGURE 2) site, the Wootten site (FIGURE 3) and the HAG (FIGURE 4) site are perhaps even a bit more subtle. With understated textures and carefully selected colors and fonts, the results are visibly vintage. If I could, I would do a whole book of sites in this style, as many are simply gorgeous. These sites need not rely on overly thematic designs to get the point across, and doing so would only serve to cheapen the design.

In contrast, a few of the sites, like The Peanut Gallery (FIGURE 5) and Stall & Dean (FIGURE 6) use far more striking and thematic elements. The approach is more heavy-handed, but overall effectively merges with modern takes on various design elements. Frankly, the sites are a breath of fresh air in a web world so narrowly focused on flat designs void of decoration. These sites suddenly feel rich, ornate and dramatic with such a contrast of styles.

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