20 Beautiful Examples of Black and White Websites
Black and white are a timeless pairing. When combined, they look classic, cinematic, and elegant no matter the scenario you may use them in.For a lot of people, monochromatic designs and photography appear much more artistic than content in full color. The interplay between the light and shadows is accentuated, making the showcased content appear dramatic and mysterious. Unlike polychromatic designs where it’s obvious what you’re looking at, the black and white color scheme incites you to use your imagination to picture the story and the emotion behind the depicted subjects and elements.In today’s world of web design where websites in color prevail, a site with a black and white color scheme looks distinct, powerful, and slightly edgy. Viewers are drawn to its magnetic and somewhat abstract aesthetic, wanting to decipher the story behind what’s displayed.Creating an enrapturing website using only two hues may seem challenging, but the following individuals and brands have nailed the monochromatic style. They have found a way to craft astounding presentations by combining terrific animation effects, striking typography choices, and other elements that are sure to increase the viewer’s engagement on a site. The projects we will discuss to introduce you to the beauty of black and white websites include:GT ZirkonFor the Love of BreadOto Nove Swiss — ParisTwooLevon AronianUniversal SansJacob FrederiksenTanganMank: the Unmaking20/20 FilmsAēsop — Aromatique CandlesMuseum Insel HombroichSquad AgencyFontshareSam GoddardCenter for Philosophical TechnologiesFemale FacesOTK StudioLongshot FeaturesLena SitnikovaGT ZirkonGT Zirkon’s website is the proof that the black and white pairing is a terrific choice for showcasing the beauty of typefaces. And while the color palette on the site is minimal, the creativity of the team who designed it is the polar opposite. The homepage is imbued with terrific animated GIFs, immersively showcasing the font and its characteristics. For example, the process of designing the typeface is presented through an animated GIF of what appears to be a simplified version of Photoshop. It depicts the ways in which Tobias Rechsteiner, the typeface designer, manipulated the letters until he achieved the final GT Zirkon font look. Bold and italic versions of the font are also presented using GIFs. The former is introduced through a row of letters showing the difference between thick and thin strokes. The latter is depicted with the help of an animated protractor — the letters are designed to lean at a 13° angle, and as soon as the arrow reaches that number, the letters lean right. Throughout the site, but especially at the top section of the homepage, you’ll also notice a bunch of outlined, entwined, hypnotic strings that wildly sprout all over the content. You can stop them anytime by clicking the “Stop Growth” button. If you let them grow freely, they’ll form chemical connections as well as various 3D geometric shapes, including what looks like gemstones (complementing the name of the font).For the Love of BreadFor the Love of Bread is a series that introduces viewers to the world’s best bread makers. This website is a stunning introduction to the show, giving viewers a taste of what they will experience through the eight-part series. The immersive fullscreen videos are in black and white, enhancing the site’s cinematic appeal. As you scroll and jump from one episode preview to the next, the videos slightly distort and a duotone effect appears on the screen just before the next preview loads. When you press the “Play” button, you’ll be able to enjoy the episodes in full color. The “About” section of the site has a white background while the typography is in black. On the other hand, the “Episodes” list includes a black background and white text, while the enticing black-and-white episode previews lure you into the world of the show. The fact that the background and typography colors invert from one section to the next adds dynamicity to the site making it exciting to explore for anyone who visits it.Oto Nove Swiss — ParisOto Nove Swiss is a music festival that was organized in London’s Cafe Oto, but the 2020 edition took place in Paris. The website crafted for the occasion is minimal yet memorable. The only two colors are white (in the background) and black (for the content), but the clever typographic choices and the interesting navigation menu make it exciting to explore. Regarding typefaces, the combination of the thin, monospace font and large, bold, sans-serif typography looks dynamic and is appealing to the viewer’s eye. The menu is positioned on the far-right side of the screen, with vertically placed sections that are always visible. Once you click on them, they take up the entire screen. You can also play song snippets of the artists who participated in the festival, which makes the website more immersive and fun for the audience.TwooTwoo is an independent design studio founded by Danilo Campos and Carlos Kun. Their website not only exemplifies how effective the convergence of black and white is but also highlights how mesmerizing a websites with horizontal navigation can be. The studio’s online presentation captures the viewer’s undivided attention because of the striking interplay between black and white elements. Smart font choices and sizes are attractive to the eye as well, inciting visitors to discover more details about the Twoo studio. Key sentences that describe the studio’s philosophy and what they do are bold and white, looking particularly striking next to the more subtle light grey body text and against the clashing blackness of the backdrop. At the bottom of the page, there is a “Projects” section. On click, it launches the studio’s portfolio page where navigation changes to vertical and the backdrop becomes white. The change of the color of the backdrop makes sense since project single pages contain lots of colorful visuals and the light background makes them easier to digest.Levon AronianLevon Aronian is one of the world’s best chess grandmasters. The design of his commanding website matches his profession — the clear, white background is interspersed with thin, black lines, resembling a chessboard. As you scroll down the homepage, a 3D chess figure keeps you company. The figure moves across the checkered canvas, providing an amusing experience, but also directing your attention toward the significant elements on the page. The figurine is also white with light grey edges. What’s interesting about its appearance is that the black typography reflects off of its surface. The site is filled with large, black sans serif and serif fonts that are placed both horizontally and vertically all over the screen, creating an exciting typographic experience for viewers. Perhaps the most eye-catching page of them all is the “Fun” page. This layout contains information about some of Levon’s interests. There are 3D icons representing his hobbies and passions, such as music, books, movies, etc. All of them are colored in different hues, but thanks to the white background, the site doesn’t go into a color overload for one second. Instead, the content is easy on the eyes regardless of its colorfulness. This website might seem simple at first sight, but its chess-inspired design, immersive animation effects, and beautiful visuals make it beautiful to explore.Universal SansUniversal Sans is a website that allows you to create and download your own sans serif typeface. On some other typography-related websites on the list, we could see how well black texts look on a white backdrop, but this example demonstrates how effective the combination of the two colors is even if you invert them. In case you find the site’s default color scheme too overpowering, you have the possibility of inverting the colors with a color switcher. Whichever option of the two you choose, one thing’s for certain — in both scenarios, the Universal Sans font is the star of the site as it rightfully should be. There are several steps you need to take to customize the font to your taste, with the instructions displayed on the right-hand side of the screen. The different font sizes and weights along with the vertically and horizontally placed text make this website enjoyable to look at, while the cool customizing options make it fun to explore and use.Jacob FrederiksenJacob Frederiksen is a creative web developer. His one-page website demonstrates how, with a little bit of creativity and imagination, you can create a stunning introduction of your skillset using only a few elements. The all-caps sans serif font informs viewers about Frederiksen and about what he does. The simplicity of the font beautifully complements the vivaciousness of the featured photos. As you bring the pointer closer to the displayed black-and-white images, their edges bend beneath the force of the mouse. And as you move the pointer over their surface, they become convex. At the same time, moving the mouse up or down the photos adds a duotone effect to them. If you scroll down the site fast, you’ll notice that the text tilts to the right on your way down and to the left as you go back up, towards the top of the page. This playful touch adds more dynamicity to the website, making it more exciting and lively.TanganWhen in Nantes, Tangan is the place to go if you wish to rebalance your physical or emotional energy. They will help you do it using three methods — foot reflexology, the Abhyanga massage, and physioscan. The studio’s philosophy and the three methods are stunningly presented on Tangan’s captivating website. Transitions from one section to the next are marked by the changes of the background color, with the black and white backdrops interchangeably used on the homepage. The monochromatic photographs amplify the site’s artistic appeal while the featured videos transport you into the expert hands of Tangan’s professionals. The website is filled with elements that make it fun to browse, such as the horizontally placed animated text that runs from one side of the screen to the other, reminding viewers of the services offered by the studio. There is also a section with a split screen that closely introduces visitors to the services, with textual description on the left and the accompanying imagery on the right. The rest of the site is equally alluring, with the striking combination of black and white elements capturing the viewer’s undivided attention.Mank: the UnmakingMank: the Unmaking is a stellar black-and-white website dedicated to the biopic “Mank” as part of the digital campaign that highlights the depth of this cinematic masterpiece. The site follows the release of the movie’s art book and is devised as an extension to the book. The fullscreen menu is designed as a table of contents page, with each section displayed next to a specific page number. Horizontal navigation takes you through a selection of movie reels that are presented as a movie tape on the screen. Each reel is clickable, taking you to a fullscreen in-depth presentation of the selected part. You can discover more about the actors, directors, the process of post-production, and much more. Inner pages contain imagery that’s displayed as a movie reel as well, fully immersing you into this memorable cinematic experience.20/20 Films20/20 Films is a movie production company with a beautiful, cinematic website. The homepage is particularly striking. The company’s elegant, golden logo is placed against an artistic, fullscreen black-and-white image of an eerie, slightly stretched-out face. The strong contrast between the two, as well as the distortion of the image and its monochromatic character, bring out the abstractness and the color of the logo, giving viewers a taste of what the rest of the site is like. On most pages, the background is predominantly white. But on some layouts, such as “Commercials” and “20/20 Photo”, the screen is split in two, with one part colored in black and the other in white. Regardless of the background hue, the featured black-and-white visuals are a constant. The “Films” layout looks like a cinema billboard, with movie announcements plastered all over it. The surface of the white background on this page seems scratched and damaged, and this small detail wonderfully complements the site’s moviesque appeal. The “Journal” page contains numerous vibrant images, but regardless of how many colors there are on this layout, the page doesn’t look too intense because of the neutrality of the white backdrop.Aēsop — Aromatique CandlesAēsop’s collection of aromatique candles was inspired by ancient astronomy, hence the products being named after famous astronomers — Ptolemy, Aganice, and Callippus. The intro section provides viewers with a highly enjoyable audio and visual experience, showcasing a ship that’s trying to navigate the turbulent waters relying solely on stars and a lighthouse. As the shooting stars fall from the skies, someone catches one of them and the light of the star transforms into a candle. This cinematic and captivating introduction to the collection is entirely monochromatic and it includes the breathtaking pixelated art by Mattis Dovier. Once the introductory movie is over (we recommend you don’t skip it as it’s nothing short of astounding), you can navigate the nautical world and explore all featured candle collections by clicking on the lighthouse, seagull, etc. Inner pages aesthetically differ from the opening part. They look quite elegant and contain photographs in color, introducing you to the project and the products in a beautiful fashion.Museum Insel HombroichMuseum Insel Hombroich is a museum located in Neuss, Germany, and designed by the artist Erwin Heerich. This lovely place unites art, nature, and architecture and the site’s appearance mirrors the simplicity and sharpness of its exterior. The monochromatic visuals are featured on a white background, with details about each exhibition displayed below the photos. When you place your mouse pointer on the featured images, they become colorful. There’s also some text on the left-hand side of the page including menu links. The font used on the whole site was inspired by Erwin Heerich, the artist who designed the museum. His sculptures are known for sharp, clean, precise lines, and the typeface was designed to mirror the look and feel of Heerich’s works. The artistic use of the black-and-white color, gorgeous images, as well as the look and the position of typography make this website look like a digital magazine.Squad AgencyThe first thing you notice on the Squad Agency website is the thick and massive white typeface. The length of the uppercase sans serif logo on the left side of the screen matches the length of the imagery on the right. The logo is fixed while the images change, introducing some of the Squad’s models to the audience. Together, the two elements create an electric introduction. As you continue to scroll down the homepage, you will see a lot of text and seemingly not that much imagery. However, the heavy white typography stands out on the black backdrop. The bold font is used in various sizes and styles on the site, making the textual content appear attractive and interesting enough on its own. But as you hover over the models’ names, their images appear in the viewport. The pictures are predominantly in black and white, complementing the aesthetic of the site. The imagery seems almost delicate compared to the massiveness of the Druk font, and the two seem to perfectly balance each other out.FontshareFontshare is a website created by the Indian Type Foundry. On Fontshare, the ITF shares their high-quality fonts with users for free, making them accessible for those on the lookout for some gorgeous typography. The website is designed in a minimalist fashion that highlights the beauty of the fonts, keeping the viewer’s eyes focused on the displayed letters. The only two colors on the screen are black and white. The contrast between the white background and black fonts ensures every detail of every letter is well-visible. There are also lots of grid lines, keeping all typefaces, menu items, and all website sections separated from one another. The site includes some cool features, such as the possibility of changing the letter style and size on the spot. That way, you can check if a particular font fulfills all of your requirements. Moreover, you can enter some text on your own and see how each font looks in action. And even though there are lots of elements on the site, the interface doesn’t feel overwhelming. The white background tones everything down a bit, ensuring a crisp and enjoyable browsing experience for everyone who visits the site.Sam GoddardSam Goddard is a creative developer from England. Rather than combining black and white elements on his portfolio website, Sam opted for coupling a black background with light grey typography. While this combination is subtler in contrast, it’s just as eye-catching as the white and black pairing, which is why we decided to feature Sam’s folio site on our list. On his homepage, he used a large, all-caps, serif font for the names of his projects. He separated the projects with a thin underline which works beautifully with the serif letters. The combination of straight lines and soft letters gives the site structure without making it look too harsh and emotionless. When you hover over project names, transparent featured images appear on the screen, providing an almost cinematic invitation to explore each work in detail. Project single layouts are designed in the same style, with the black and light grey content drawing viewers into Sam’s creative world.Center for Philosophical TechnologiesThe Center for Philosophical Technologies is an initiative of Arizona State University that gathers experts from all walks of life to analyze and discuss all things philosophy, design, and technology. CPT’s website mirrors the vastness of these three fields but also their interconnectedness. That is immediately indicated in the top section of the homepage, where the floating logo is placed. The letters “CPT” ceaselessly move between parentheses — a symbol often used not just to provide additional clarification but also to create a connection between elements. The hidden menu is white but as you move the cursor over the links, a transparent light grey veil appears, covering the menu. The mouse cursor is shaped like a black circle, but when you place it on clickable elements, it extends, assuming the shape of a rectangle with rounded edges. The site is adorned with a beautiful and subtle white and grey gradient. You can see it in the background as well as on the majority of graphic elements. The transition from one color to the next could also be observed as a symbol of the continuous passage between seemingly disconnected fields. All sections of the site are presented on the homepage as gradient squares with barely distinguishable edges, once again indicating how correlated design, philosophy, and technology are. On hover, the edges of the squares become bright as if illuminated with a white LED light, contrasting the subtleness of the surrounding gradients.Female FacesFemale Faces is a project that addresses female rights through video portraits. The design of this one-page website evokes brutalist vibes as well as the simplicity of the Swiss Style. There is lots of white text on a black canvas as well as large headlines and grid lines that divide the screen into a myriad of smaller sections. At first glance, there are no other colors save for black and white. However, when you reach the bottom of the page or open the hidden menu, you’ll notice the moderately used red gradient. As you explore the homepage and move the mouse pointer over the list of videos, featured images appear behind movie titles, adding a touch of color to the site. Project singles look similar to the homepage except that they also include video previews, inviting you to discover more about this interesting project.OTK StudioOTK Studio is the design and technology studio of Oliver Thomas Klein. The site’s design is a bit unusual, with the entire content placed in just one section. The screen is divided into two parts — on the left, you can see the list of projects Klein has worked on, and on the right, you can explore the visuals representing each project. Large typography, the black and white content, and the stripped-off design give off slight brutalist vibes. To indicate the type of work he did on each project, Klein opted for tiny, colorful circles, with each color symbolizing a specific action (e.g., art direction, design, etc.). He placed them next to the name of every brand he has worked with. Since the typography is entirely in black, the vibrant colors of the circles pop out even more against the white background. On hover, brand names turn to a bright blue. And when you click on them, a short description of what Klein did on the project appears on the screen along with the featured imagery on the left. The content is beautifully organized, informative, yet concise. This website astoundingly demonstrates Klein’s creativity, introducing viewers to his genius in a memorable and authentic way.Longshot FeaturesLongshot Features is a production company founded by Joe Talbot and Jimmie Falls. The website leaves a strong first impression on visitors thanks to the black-and-white art of Mattis Dovier. Using the horizontal scroll, you navigate through a series of animated pixelated characters that lure you into the company’s wonderous world of movies. The design of the site evokes film noir vibes, looking simultaneously classic yet contemporary thanks to the interestingly animated content. Each featured character represents one of Longshot’s movies — on click, you will access project single pages that include imagery in color. The website also enables users to play music composed by Joe Talbot, which amplifies the site’s distinct character.Lena SitnikovaLena Sitnikova is a freelance web designer. She is known for minimalist designs and her preference for clear aesthetics is apparent on her portfolio website. The white background and the content in black wonderfully complement the minimalist style. The interface is clean, geometric, with lots of white space and not that much text. The screen is split into four equal parts, each representing one section of the site. When you hover over any section, a small rectangle pops up on the screen, telling you what you can learn about if you visit that part of the site. Moreover, the background on almost all sections (save for the first one) changes on hover. In place of a plain white background, a colorful image appears, injecting a touch of life to the site. Inner pages match the design of the homepage — they are simple, containing some geometric elements, but also texts and visuals that help viewers better understand Lena’s work.Closing WordsBlack and white mark opposite sides of the color spectrum and as such, they help create the highest contrast possible between elements. Using black typography on a white background is probably the most readable color scheme there is, but even if you opt for the inverted palette, excellent readability is guaranteed.The sharp contrast between the two colors ensures even the tiniest of elements are well-visible, which is especially important when, for instance, showing off the characteristics of a typeface. But as you could see, there are certainly no limits to what type of website you can apply this monochromatic scheme to. Designers and developers use it to strikingly present their portfolios while production companies rely on it to enhance the cinematic appeal of their sites.What all of the websites from our list have in common are gorgeous interfaces and the majestic use of animation and hover effects, grids, and typography that, combined, help enhance the appeal of the showcased content. Some brands have even incorporated splashes of color here and there, breaking the sovereignty of the monochromatic palette. So if you decide to create a black and white website, the fact that you’ll exclusively or predominantly have to rely on only two colors shouldn’t scare you. In fact, by creating an engrossing website using a monochromatic palette and cool effects, you will prove how imaginative and skillful you truly are.Originally published at https://qodeinteractive.com.20 Beautiful Examples of Black and White Websites was originally published in Muzli - Design Inspiration on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
52 Impressive Examples of Beige Websites
Beige is traditionally perceived as a neutral, simple, and pretty much foolproof color. While some people may consider it dull or say it lacks a wow factor, the allure of this hue lies precisely in its subtle, pristine, soothing vibes.Beige oozes equanimity and warmth no matter the scenario you use it in. It suits numerous different styles and complements virtually any other color. It even has a certain mimicry-like quality that allows it to take on the attributes of other hues it is paired with, while simultaneously enabling those other colors to come to prominence. Due to its inconspicuous character, this medley of off-white and earthy, light brown hues has become a widely used backdrop color.Websites with beige backgrounds became popular around 2019. Up to that point, it seemed the web was full of bright palettes and multi-colored gradients. But as creatives slowly started experimenting with beige, they realized there was a certain power in its tranquil neutrality. There was something inherently familiar, perhaps even nostalgic about large beige backdrops. Something that evokes the age-old sensation of writing on old paper. The more they played with this hue, the more they realized it could act as the perfect foundation for any type of project and help them evoke a variety of moods and aesthetics, ranging from elegant or earthy to dreamy, feminine, relaxing, and more.While the number of websites with a beige background is undoubtedly large, we have prepared a carefully curated collection of designs that demonstrate the multi-layered beauty of this sophisticated color:Thibaud AllieAngela MilosevicTiffanie MazellierMarvin SchwaiboldCraig RaynoldsDundervilleTabletLaura BizeChungi YooZhenya RynzhukNeuebel & MarkVictor WorkÉrika MoreiraCuspChiara LuzzanaBruegel — Once in a LifetimeThe Queen and the CrownSea HarvestProvider StoreNorm ArchitectsKarimoku Case StudyGeorge Nakashima Woodworkers&TraditionLoeven MorcelEham696 NYCKarst Stone PaperMaurèleÆbele InteriorsDDD HotelHomecultRino & PelleDDNALafaurieDéplacé MaisonWannabe — ToysChartogne-TailletDiscovered WildfoodsKenkashiBrews & GroovesEnidCraftedBASICAntara StudioKacper ChlebowitzVeley / RossAēsop — Aromatique CandlesTypologyF. Miller SkincareMaison d’EttoMuseum of Peace & QuietMonasteryThibaud AllieBeauty, simplicity, and elegance — three words that best describe Thibaud Allie’s portfolio website. This one-page introduction to his creativity bears an unmistakable magazine vibe. Enormous captions and large, colorful images are masterfully placed against a beige background that, thanks to its unimposing nature, helps put the site’s content into the spotlight. The highlighted project is displayed at the top of the page. The preview image is initially slightly askew but then it grows larger in size, straightens, and blends in with the rest of the content. If you reload the page, another featured image will appear. In general, Allie didn’t go overboard with visuals. There’s only one more section on the site where preview images from a number of his projects appear as you move the cursor across that particular part of the site. When you click on them, you will be redirected to a site of one of Allie’s clients or his Behance page dedicated to the selected project.Angela MilosevicAngela Milosevic is an art director and digital designer working at Squarespace. For her personal website, she created a simple yet engaging one-page layout that combines big, black typography with immersive hover effects. As you move the cursor over project names, grainy visuals appear in the viewport, following the pointer and leaving a trail behind. The clarity of the light background allowed Angela to experiment with interesting effects and interlace her site with cool imagery that speaks volumes of her creative genius.Tiffanie MazellierTiffanie Mazellier’s website starts off with a fun loading animation in the shape of a mouse that runs from one side of the screen to the other leaving a white trail behind. As the mouse reaches the end of its road, the black screen turns to beige, revealing Tiffanie’s short introduction. She combines large, all-caps letters with lowercase typography and creates a playful typographic scenery with sans serif and serif fonts. Most letters are colored in black, but she did implement a red typeout effect into some sections, adding to the appeal of the textual content and injecting life into it. The cursor is in the shape of a small circle, but as you place it on preview images of her projects, the circle grows bigger and begins to fluctuate. Uppercase text also appears inside of it, inviting you to discover more about her work. The “About” page is a beautiful testament to this artist’s creativity. There is an outlined drawing of Tiffanie, but when you put the pointer on it, it turns into a black-and-white image that swirls and distorts, mimicking the movement of your mouse. In general, there aren’t that many colors on the site, save for project pages that contain a more vivid palette. Everything is predominantly in black-and-white and beige tones, with sporadic splashes of red. The subtle beige background is a constant, gluing all elements together in a visually appealing, congruous unit.Marvin SchwaiboldThe website of Marvin Schwaibold gives viewers a lovely insight into his artistry. He displayed a number of preview images from some of his most notable projects on the homepage. The colorfulness of the visuals is beautifully enhanced by the tame beige hue in the background. The backdrop on most pages and in the fullscreen menu is colored in beige tones, creating a sense of consistency throughout the site. The pages are not swamped with too much content nor are there any wild effects, so you can stay fully focused on Schwaibold’s amazing work. The typography on the site looks refined but there’s a slight edge to it, as he coupled an elegant serif font with a clean sans serif type. The contrast between dark typography and the light beige background ensures excellent readability at all times.Craig RaynoldsCraig Raynolds is a photographer and art director. His website is bursting with visuals that seem to appear in the viewport wherever you move your mouse. While you hover over Raynolds’ name displayed at the top of the page, several preview images emerge on the screen, giving you a taste of his artistry. When you move the mouse over his project titles, the letters change their color from light grey to black. Preview photos also appear behind titles, following the movement of your pointer. Considering the visual richness of the site, the choice of the beige background makes perfect sense. In fact, its tame character helps bring out the beauty of Raynolds’ work.DundervilleDunderville is a creative motion studio from Sweden. The story of the studio is told as the “Chronicle of Dunderville”, which is why the site’s design resembles newspapers. On every page, the content is divided into multiple sections using a precise grid system. The color of the background goes from beige to black to soft, light pink, but the majority of the vibrant content is placed on a beige backdrop. The studio added lots of animated, multi-colored elements and illustrations to the site, so the background had to be more demure. One of the most interesting sections is the area where studio founders introduce themselves. You can press a button to hit them (i.e. the photos of them) with virtual lightning. The screen then goes from beige to black and an illustration of their skull and their interests briefly appear on the page.TabletTablet is an online Jewish magazine. The beige background on their website looks like a piece of paper through and through. On its surface, you will see a myriad of articles organized into multiple sections. At first glance, featured images appear to be black-and-white, but when you place the cursor on them, they spring to life and gain color. Some elements and call-to-action buttons are colored in red, and as such are impossible to miss on a beige backdrop. The “Scroll” section is particularly fun to explore. It is hidden on the right-hand side of the screen, behind the “Explore the Scroll” invitation in all red. On click, you will reveal a collection of selected articles from all categories featured in the magazine. The background stays beige at all times, bringing the content into the spotlight.Laura BizeYou can explore Laura Bize’s website in two modes — dark and light. Both the black background and the beige allow her content to fully shine. This is especially evident on the brightly colored illustrations of flowers that appear wherever you click on the screen and the colorful project previews. The beige background creates a more gentle atmosphere in which Bize introduces herself and her skills in an appealing fashion. On some pages, she even combines both black and beige sections, making the backdrop more interesting to the eye. Elegant typography wonderfully complements the site’s charming vibe, while all elements combined paint an adorable picture of who Bize is and what she can do.Chungi YooChungi Yoo’s website combines various shades of beige in the background with occasional splashes of pastel yellow and pink. This interactive project is visually rich, with lots of colorful pictures and illustrations, large typography, combinations of bold and regular letters, cool microinteractions, and playfully animated elements. The whole site is fun to browse, bustling with action. If you click on the asterisk in the top right corner, a virtual playground will launch. It is filled with rotating pink and red circles that fall from the top of the screen towards the bottom. A bunch of them also follow the movement of your mouse. The beige background on the site provides a beautiful canvas to play on.Zhenya RynzhukZhenya Rynzhuk is an art director and a visual designer. The loading animation on her site consists of a simple “Hey!” placed against two circles in soft pink and orange. Once the site loads, you notice that Zhenya juxtaposed the beige background with fiery orange elements dispersed all over it. That way, she managed to set up a lively, gripping scenery for the presentation of her artistry. Other pages on the site are colored in soft pink and light grey colors, but beige is still a dominant backdrop hue. At the very top of the homepage, you can catch a glimpse of some of her projects. When you place the cursor on the photo of Zhenya with her head bowed down, preview images start to change in quick succession. You can also launch a fullscreen showreel that fully immerses you into Zhenya’s creativity. A rotating asterisk invites you to “Click Click” on it, and when you do several orange and light pink circles appear in the top section of the homepage, moving in the opposite direction of your mouse. All pages are imbued with lots of scroll-triggered actions and animated elements that mesmerize viewers and keep them wanting to learn more about Zhenya’s work. Given the omnipresent vivaciousness of the entire website, the contrasting subtlety of background colors provides a sense of creative calm and adds stability to this stunning portfolio presentation.Neuebel & MarkNeuebel & Mark is a micro graphic and type design studio. Their website is designed as a modern and refined celebration of their 2020–2021 font catalog. It starts off strong, with the name of the studio written in a fiery red shade, clashing with the calmness of the beige background. Red is dispersed throughout the site, breaking the monotony of dark typography and enlivening the pages. There is also an interesting photo in cerulean and white tones at the top of the homepage providing a lovely contrast to the beige canvas and ensuring a striking introduction to the studio’s catalog. The all-black texts placed on the beige backdrop look sharp, with every detail of the letters clearly visible. Inner pages don’t contain many visuals, save for the “About” page that includes photos of Neuebel’s team. It’s all about the fonts made by the studio and the way they are captivatingly showcased on the beige background.Victor WorkVictor Work’s one-page portfolio website is a compelling presentation of this creative’s skills. The loading animation consists of the dark blue shade splashed all over the screen. Once the content loads, the blue background disappears from the view like a theater drape, revealing the site’s content. The backdrop is then in beige while the content displayed at the top of the page is in the dark blue hue that was used for the loading screen. The combination of beige and blue is a regal site opener, leaving a terrific first impression on the viewer. After several scrolls, the background changes its color — it becomes baby blue while the content turns red. As you keep going further down the page, the practice of changing colors after a few scrolls continues until you reach the final section. All color schemes you will come across on the site are displayed at the bottom of the homepage. You can select one and view the content entirely in that particular color combination. All pairings look terrific, but dark blue and beige are a particularly effective and attention-grabbing combination, which is probably why Work used it at the top of the site.Érika MoreiraThe loading animation in the form of fullscreen hero text lures you into Érika Moreira’s portfolio website. This stunning online presentation is a terrific example of how well beige can blend with other colors. The background is beige by default, but as soon as you place the cursor on any of the listed project names, the background color changes to some other hue, such as black, yellow, and brown, to name a few. At the same time, three undulating island-like areas appear on the screen, giving viewers a preview of the selected work. The moment you move the pointer away from the project name, the background becomes beige again. By using the subtle, neutral beige as the main color on the site, Érika was able to experiment and play with other hues more.CuspExploring Cusp’s website is a highly enjoyable experience. The homepage is filled with playfully animated content. As you move your cursor over displayed images, their surface becomes wavy thanks to the exciting distortion effect. The dominant colors on the photos are black, white, dark olive green, and light brown. The names of the collective’s projects are written using big, crimson red letters, while inner pages include black typography. The circular cursor is also colored in the prominent red hue. The beige background, which is used on the entire site, blends beautifully with this color scheme, no matter how eye-catching or subdued any other hue may be, connecting all the elements into an aesthetically cohesive unit.Chiara LuzzanaUpon accessing Chiara Luzzana’s website, you will see her brief introduction in large, all-caps blackletter typography. She tells you that she is a sound designer and invites you to enable the sound on the site, to fully enjoy the browsing experience. The featured music is probably what beige color would sound like if it were turned into music — soft and easy on your senses. The background on all pages is beige, perfectly complementing the site’s minimalist design. The neutral quality of the backdrop allowed Luzzana to go slightly more wild with typography, so textual content is at the forefront. She combined bold uppercase fonts with outlined letters as well as serifs with sans-serifs, creating a lively typographic play for viewers. Letters are black on all pages, save for the fullscreen menu, where the color of the fonts and the background inverts.Bruegel — Once in a LifetimeBruegel — Once in a Lifetime is a terrific interactive project created by the Art History Museum in Vienna to commemorate the 450th anniversary of Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s death. All pages are bustling with engaging multimedia content. You can enjoy not just the visual aspect of the site, but also the audio material that entirely immerses you into Bruegel’s world. For instance, one of his paintings, the “Peasant Wedding”, is brought to life with remarkable animations and sound effects that make you feel like a guest at the celebratory wedding lunch. There is also a video of the museum’s director introducing you to this exhibition. The use of the warm neutral beige background is spot on because a warm beige background enhances the magnificence of Bruegel’s works, flawlessly blending with every color palette he used on paintings. This website is a great example of how well a beige backdrop can fit any analog project. Whenever you wish to present drawings or anything analog, you won’t go wrong with beige because it resembles real-life paper. The earthy hue of the backdrop does not steal your attention, but it does help create a warm, pleasant atmosphere for exploring Bruegel’s Renaissance artistry.The Queen and the CrownThe Queen and the Crown website introduces viewers to the costumes used in the shows “The Queen’s Gambit” and “The Crown”. This interactive project takes you into a virtual beige museum with luxurious beige walls that level out the colors of the displayed costumes. You can go from one costume to the next simply by clicking on any of the mannequins. And if you click on the “+” button placed next to all exhibited pieces, you will discover more information about the selected outfit and see close-up photos of it. Some presentations even include clips from the show in which the actors wore that piece of clothing. The background, i.e. the museum interior remains beige at all times, creating a sophisticated environment for viewing the gorgeous costumes.Sea HarvestSea Harvest is a seafood market in Canberra, Australia. The design of the website resembles a poster or old newspapers with content that looks as if drawn on the beige surface with a pencil. The font combinations are interesting, uniting a monospace font with large, bold sans serif uppercase letters. The pages are filled with gorgeous illustrations and typography in all black. On hover, they all turn to the color of the sea. Photographs on inner pages are initially in black-and-white, and so is the fun snippet from Garfield, the comic strip featured on the contact page. The graphic content on the site gains color when you place your cursor on it. But no matter how many different hues the visuals may include, all of them seamlessly blend with the beige background.Provider StoreProvider Store is an e-commerce website where you can purchase slow-made Japanese homeware. The beige background perfectly matches the simple, unique beauty of the products and the overall color palette on the site, which is delicate and easy on the eye. There are lots of greys, whites, browns, and powder blue tones. The beauty of the pictures, typography, and cute illustrations is amplified by the beige background, ensuring a highly appealing browsing experience for the viewer.Norm ArchitectsNorm Architects website is bathed in earthy and nude tones, with beige, grey, and soft brown shades dominating the digital scenery and providing a harmonious and enjoyable visual experience for viewers. The site’s aesthetic looks sophisticated from the first scroll to the last. Every layout is rich in photos that present the studio’s work in a stunning light. The homepage starts off with a suave image slider, providing a striking welcome to visitors and a taste of what they are about to experience on the site. The design of every page is refined and perfectly balanced, reflecting the studio’s philosophy of “soft minimalism”.Karimoku Case StudyKarimoku is a Japanese furniture manufacturer and Karimoku Case Study is their architect-designed collection. The project was devised in collaboration with the Norm Architects studio and Keiji Ashizawa Design. All collections are featured in a horizontally scrolling layout on the homepage. You can learn more about each studio that participated in the project, read the related news, and find the nearest dealer of this furniture. The imagery on the site looks minimal, inviting, and often subtly bathed in sunlight. The warmth of the imagery and the furniture entirely made of wood is mirrored by the beige background that perfectly matches the site’s soft, elegant aesthetic.George Nakashima WoodworkersGeorge Nakashima Woodworkers website embodies the company’s philosophy that “the shapes and the colors of the wood speak to those who listen”. The colors typical of wood and the forest can be seen on the entire website, with lots of elements in various shades of green and brown. There are many images not just of the furniture, but of nature as well, the company’s biggest inspiration. The beige background glues all the elements together, and this lovely website is the further proof that beige is one of the best background colors for online furniture presentations.&Tradition&Tradition is a company that creates furnishings and luxurious home items. At the top of the homepage, a video presentation of some of their works stretches across the entire screen, completely immersing you into &Tradition’s world. The site contains lots of visuals and textual content, inviting visitors to learn as much as possible about selected pieces, discover how they were created, tour the studio, and much more. It contains a myriad of photographs, illustrations, and lots of video material, ensuring an engaging browsing experience for viewers. Featured elements are rich in colors, all wrapped in a beige weil that brings out the ritzy quality of the &Tradition’s pieces.Loeven MorcelLoeven Morcel is a studio that makes custom high-end furniture and the design of their website complements the look of their pieces. The first thing you see is the grandiose uppercase serif typeface. It is used in the most prominent sections on the site, such as surtitles and headlines, announcing the featured imagery and copy with fanfare. A typeface like that matches the grandeur of the studio’s furniture, and so does the beige backdrop. The neutral color helps set up an elegant environment in which viewers can inspect Loeven Morcel’s works up-close.EhamEham is a manufacturing company that’s been around for several decades. The top section of their homepage includes an image slider that introduces viewers to the quiet luxury of Eham’s products and, as they say, the source of the brand’s strength — the Bavarian Alps. The pages are filled with imagery, videos, and stories about the company’s creative process and their projects, bringing them closer to their audience. This brand unites sophistication and nature, hence a tame color palette on the site. The beige background seamlessly blends in with the hues typical of a natural landscape and further elevates the refined character of Eham’s stunning creations.696 NYC696 NYC sells ceramics and other handmade objects created by Japanese manufacturers. The displayed products are mainly colored in neutral shades of blue, brown, pink, and white. To match the aesthetic dictated by the showcased items, the designers opted for a light beige hue in combination with some smaller white areas. As a result, they created a site that resembles a gorgeous oasis of tranquility that is easy on all of the user’s senses, relaxing them and helping them appreciate gratitude, conversation, and the act of sharing meals with others.Karst Stone PaperKarst Stone Paper makes notebooks, journals, and planners out of stone paper that consists of recycled calcium carbonate. Even if you’re not familiar with the brand, the illustrated loading animation in the shape of a notebook provides enough of a hint about what they do. The site’s pages are imbued with gorgeous visuals that demonstrate the beauty and versatility of Karst’s products. Visitors can specify a variety of notebook qualities they are looking for and the site will eventually offer them the product that best matches their criteria. The colors on the site are ranging from blue, red, and black to pink, yellow, and green. However, the designers opted for calmer shades that are not aggressive on the viewer’s eye. The backdrop is predominantly colored in beige, matching the color of the paper found in notebooks.MaurèleMaurèle is a brand that invites all of us to slow down, read, write, and think. They are dedicated to creating customizable and sustainable stationery which is breathtakingly showcased on their website. Elegant typography adorns all pages, further inciting viewers to pick up a pen and jot down their ideas on Maurèle’s paper. Users can even customize papers according to their requirements by selecting a specific template and typeface or by entering their monogram. As for colors, the palette on the site consists of the hues typical of forests and nature in general. The dominant beige backdrop is coupled with dark green areas. The two create a powerful amalgamation that is not only appealing to the eye but it also amplifies the sophisticated character of Maurèle’s products.Æbele InteriorsÆbele Interiors is a high-end interior design studio catering to a sophisticated clientele. The design of their website is a facsimile of the opulence typical of their projects. The colors of gold, copper, and sand are dominant on all pages. They are placed on a light beige surface, oozing elegance from one pixel to the next. Typographic choices carry the same vibe, in particular the italicized cursive font. The site is packed with gorgeous imagery that delicately appears on the screen, showcasing the studio’s impressive portfolio in an impressive light.DDD HotelThe background on DDD Hotel’s website represents a mixture of neutral colors such as beige and grey. The calmness of these two hues is occasionally interspersed with deep green sections. The symbiosis of these three hues provides an ideal basis for showcasing the beauty of the hotel. Displayed photos are dark, grainy, mysterious, bearing a distinct cinematic feel and an irresistible charm. The site is designed so that it truthfully reflects the hotel’s contemporary minimalist design, hence the use of shades belonging to the neutral color spectrum. Exploring the site’s content is a highly pleasant affair, not just because of the satisfying color palette, but also thanks to the enrapturing effects. For instance, as soon as you place the pointer on the menu, the top left corner of the screen becomes black. If you click on the menu, the previously tiny black area grows large and assumes the shape of a half-circle, swiping away the content you were enjoying. The same thing happens every time you wish to switch from one page to the next.HomecultThe Homecult website celebrates the modern and sleek projects created by this interior design studio. The project page and single project layouts all come with a beige backdrop, beautifully complementing the elegant appeal of the displayed imagery. The mouse pointer is shaped like a circle and colored in eye-catching red. When you place it on menu links, it grows in size. At the same time, the letters you hover over spur into action and start to follow the movement of your mouse. As you hover over images, they become red also, contrasting the calmness of the beige canvas. The backdrop of the fullscreen menu is beige, too. Its neutrality additionally highlights the already vibrant red line that appears below each menu link on hover.Rino & PelleThe first thing you see on Rino & Pelle’s website is the following description — “Luxurious and contemporary appeal for every woman”. And the design of their site reflects the same idea. The typography and the color palette on the site ooze elegant vibes. Images and videos depicting the brand’s collection include lots of pastel, sandy, and toffee shades, all attractively displayed on a beige backdrop. The way the content is animated and how softly it appears on the screen adds to the site’s appeal, making it all the more enjoyable for the viewer. For instance, as you explore the homepage, you will come across a fullscreen photo. On scroll, that image starts to drift away from you, becoming smaller with each scroll while more pictures in different sizes assemble around it, offering a charming overview of some of Rino & Pelle’s creations.DDNADDNA is a brand that creates “jewelry with meaning”. Floating purple bubbles placed on a tranquil beige background instantly catch your eye, inciting you to continue exploring the site to discover what DDNA has to offer. After several scrolls, the bubbles disappear from view, leaving an open space for the inviting imagery and texts that slowly slide onto the screen. The “Collections” page includes a horizontal image slider, arrestingly presenting DDNA’s products. The jewelry depicted on the site comes in various colors and shapes, but that’s not a problem for the beige backdrop as it can effortlessly match any style and design.LafaurieAs we could observe on some earlier examples, a beige backdrop is a safe choice for websites that include a myriad of multicolored elements. Lafaurie, a French fashion house, used it along with light grey and white to create a warm and soft basis to present their collection. At the top of the homepage, you will see a list of categories that their items have been organized into. When you place the cursor on any category, a colorful preview photo appears, contrasting the peaceful neutral background and keeping you focused on the image. Even though the displayed items aren’t particularly wild in terms of colors, every page features a great number of images, so the beige background helps infuse the site with clarity and simplicity.Déplacé MaisonDéplacé Maison creates urban trekking shoes and accessories. You can experience their website in two modes — light and dark (i.e. the ink mode). The amalgamation of distinct visuals, typography, and animation effects evokes cool alternative vibes. The cursor is shaped as a restless, liquid form resembling a splash of ink. As you move it around a page, it leaves a trail of tiny dots behind that are also in motion. The page on which all products are displayed includes the enjoyable infinite scroll effect while the items move on their own as if placed on a vertical conveyor belt. The site is packed with imagery and illustrations that highlight the authenticity of the sneakers. The majority of the brand’s collection is in white, grey, olive green, and black colors with orange and gold detailing. Not only does beige go great with all these hues, but it also helps accentuate their allure.Wannabe — ToysWannabe is an independent online store that specializes in selling high-end collectibles of action figures and props. The design of the site is simple yet imbued with a few peculiar surprises here and there. The peacefulness of the beige background on the homepage is shaken up with the 3D model of a skull wearing a hat that follows the movement of your mouse. Typography is in large, bold, black serifs, standing out against the light backdrop. The “Index” page contains some sort of a wheel that you can move on scroll or by dragging the cursor sideways. The wheel introduces you to product categories, each marked by a specific action figure. On click, you will reveal the entire collection. The mixture of the beige color and classic typography with terrific animation and hover effects gives this site an irresistible appeal.Chartogne-TailletChartogne-Taillet’s website is a majestic example of how a presentation of an alcoholic drink can be designed in a picturesque and imaginative way. The interactive map that shows the vineyards and the region where this champagne is made looks as if illustrated on a soft, beige, textured drawing paper. Upon clicking on a vineyard of your choice, a watercolor illustration of a vineyard appears. It consists of tiny, colorful circles resembling champagne bubbles that, as you begin to scroll down the page, rise toward the top of the screen, much like the bubbles do in a glass. While you enjoy the bucolic presentation of the Chartogne-Taillet brand, classical music plays in the background, making you feel as if you had just joined a sophisticated party in the French countryside.Discovered WildfoodsDiscovered Wildfoods is a sustainable wild game brand based in Australia. The visual content and the colors on the site evoke strong natural, earthy vibes. They speak loudly to an audience interested in sustainability and purchasing high-quality meat. The grainy beige and dark green background has a relaxing effect on the viewer, much like nature does. Some of the images appear in the viewport with the parallax effect, fully immersing visitors into the Discovered Wildfoods world. Strong, bold typography amplifies the brand’s message regarding sustainability and helps increase users’ interest in the company’s offer.KenkashiKenkashi makes microbial composting additives. Their mission is to contribute to improving the quality of the soil and making it more healthy. The choice of the beige background on their site beautifully complements the visuals. The synergy of green texts on a beige surface makes viewers think of nature, matching the style and the content of the displayed photographs. There are also several sweet, seemingly hand-drawn illustrations in a slightly darker shade of beige, enhancing the site’s charm.Brews & GroovesBrews & Grooves is a fun website that finds perfect musical pairings for specific beers. While you wait for the site to load, a can of beer and an album cover show up on the beige screen, giving you a taste of what you’re about to experience. Once the content loads, the background color changes to black, but beige still remains a prominent color on the site. Specks of this hue are dispersed all over the backdrop and the typography is, for the most part, in a warm shade of beige. Red is also used as a highlight color throughout the site. The combination of sandy shades and the contrasting red and black colors creates a slightly retro aesthetic. When you open the hidden menu, the colors of the background and typography invert. The menu backdrop becomes beige, with menu links in black. However, once you hover over a menu item, the color of the letters changes to the attention-grabbing red. The site is packed with action, with immersive hover and scroll-triggered effects. For example, as you move the mouse over the list of available pairings, project previews appear on the page, waking up your curiosity and inciting you to continue exploring.EnidEnid is a digital studio based in the UK. The creativity of their team is clear from the onset — the beige loading screen features several logo variants that appear one after the other in quick succession. This commanding one-page website fuses several pastel colors, including pink, green, and beige. The content is placed on a grainy beige background, which gives the site a warm retro look. The layout is split in two, with the projects this creative studio has worked on listed as folders on the left-hand side of the screen. Going through them feels like a never-ending action because of the infinite loop effect. If you do not enjoy it, you can turn it off by clicking on a wavy line in the top right corner. Contact information takes up a significantly smaller portion of the page and stays glued to the right side of the screen at all times.CraftedCrafted is a platform and an initiative created by the BASIC agency. This project unites artists from San Francisco and encourages cultural exchange between them. The site’s design is essentially simple — it includes lots of images and accompanying text, but the overall appeal lies in the way the content is presented. In the first section of the homepage, images are characterized by the constant vertical movement. In other sections of the site, photos have been edited so that they appear to be grainy, reminding you of hangouts during summers passed. The beige background complements the cosy atmosphere depicted on images and in videos. The seriousness of the website is occasionally interrupted by some quirky animated illustrations such as a pizza slice riding a skateboard, an icecream cone with sunglasses, a talking mouth with feet, etc. They appear while the content is loading, but you can also see some of them at the bottom of the screen at all times.BASICThe grainy backdrop on BASIC’s website carries a strong cinematic vibe and its interesting appearance amalgamates the site’s alternative aesthetic. The color of the background ranges from beige on some pages to black on others, surprising the user with the unexpected change. Uppercase sans serif typography is omnipresent on the site, in headlines and body text alike. On layouts with a black background, texts are in a soft pink shade, making them particularly prominent against the dark surface. Beige and black together are a particularly eye-catching pairing and the contrast between the two hues helps enhance the beauty of the displayed content.AntaraAntara is a multidisciplinary design studio with a simple and refined website. The background on the site is not entirely homogeneous — in the top left corner, there is a small grey-ish area, and on the right-hand side of the screen, you’ll notice a splash of yellow color. The sunny yellow shade adds a touch of warmth to the light grey-ish backdrop, giving it a sandy-like, beige vibe. As you scroll down the homepage, the content elegantly appears on the screen. The studio used a gorgeous, attention-grabbing serif font in headlines and project titles. When you place your cursor on project names, featured images appear. As that happens, only the title of the selected work stays fully black while the other project names stay on the sidelines and become grey. Project single pages also contain splashes of color similar to those on the homepage. Depending on the project you’re viewing, their color will change to match the dominant color of that specific brand or design. The use of the neutral background allowed for this dynamic and playful use of color.Kacper ChlebowitzKacper Chlebowitz is an art director focused on motion and interaction design, and that shows on his terrific portfolio website that’s bustling with cool effects. The first thing you see once the site loads is his last name in gigantic letters splayed across the better part of the screen while a background video provides an insight into Kacper’s work. After some horizontal scrolling that reveals his last name in its entirety, the backdrop changes to beige. The homepage contains a selection of his works, placed in rectangular shapes with some geometric forms on them. On click, project single pages reveal information about each piece while the background changes to varying shades of grey or brown. In some cases, it stays beige. Project names are displayed in a slightly askew text marquee that imbues the pages with a subtle dynamicity. Featured images seem to be placed in some sort of a wheel that you can scroll through for an in-depth look at Kacper’s work.Veley / RossWedding websites are known for their sophisticated and clean design, and a beige background can greatly help enhance such a look. Veley / Ross opted for a light background that looks lovely coupled with elegant, occasionally outlined dark green and grey typography. The importance of using a neutral background on projects with lots of colorful content is particularly evident on the “Gallery” page. It contains pictures only, dispersed all over the screen. You can drag your cursor in any direction you like to explore the gallery.Aēsop — Aromatique CandlesIn 2020, Aēsop launched a collection of candles inspired by ancient astronomy. The trio of aromatique candles is named after astronomers Ptolemy, Aganice, and Callippus. The website designed for the occasion is a majestic work of art where the flicker of candles is compared to that of the stars. It includes stunning illustrations by Mattis Dovier who’s known for his pixelated monochrome art. At first, you see an animated illustration of the sea and starry sky, with lots of shooting stars falling into the water. You can drag your mouse horizontally to explore your surroundings and to start discovering more information about the candles. Dovier also created a movie for the occasion, poetically showing how candles came to be from shooting stars. The beige color on the site exudes the warmth of the candles. The sandy hue is used for pixel art and typography. It is also applied to the background on some product pages, where its subtle character completes the story about aromatic candles in an enchanting, ethereal, and subtle way.TypologyMost beauty brands strive to achieve a fresh and inviting look on their websites. The goal is to attractively show viewers what benefits they can expect from using the company’s products and a beige background is a great basis for creating such an aesthetic. Typology is a French skincare brand focused on producing vegan and cruelty-free products. Most of their skincare items are brown-ish and yellow-ish, and the warmth of these hues translates onto the bright background. The site includes lots of stunning photos and inviting videos that lure you into purchasing some of their terrific items.F. Miller SkincareGrid design is heavily deployed on the F. Miller Skincare website. Large and delicately beautiful visuals coalesce with green typography and a bright background, revealing the subtle beauty of this brand to their audience. On hover, a rippled effect appears on images, simulating the movement of water, a strong symbol of freshness. The website includes lots of open, breathable areas that enable viewers to easily soak up the content featured on the site.Maison d’EttoMaison d’Etto have achieved the perfect aesthetic equilibrium on their site by combining large visuals with more subtle graphic and textual details. The warm, earthy palette and the beige backdrop enhance the specific design of the perfume bottles inspired by contemporary art and architecture. The green color seen on the domed perfume cap and the packaging is interspersed throughout the site, forming a powerful and enjoyable synergy with the interchanging beige and white sections.Museum of Peace & QuietMuseum of Peace & Quiet is a contemporary fashion brand that encourages people to find their inner peace and focus on things that truly matter. They specialize in crafting simplistic clothing and accessories. That is why most of the items showcased on the site don’t have any embellishments and come in neutral colors, including various shades of brown and green. The background is beige, beautifully complementing the site’s earthy color palette. On the “Shop” page, items are displayed against a light grey surface. Some product sections are empty, which allows the site to breathe and the viewer to enjoy some peace and quiet while they scroll down to the next product. The design of the site complements the aesthetic of their products and the use of grids highlights the overall simplicity they advocate in life.MonasteryMonastery is a brand that makes skincare products from high-quality plant oils and absolutes. Their website is further proof that neutral and pastel colors fit cosmetic and beauty websites like a glove. The color of the background varies from one page to the next, ranging from cerulean, soft orange, and beige to white and taupe, sometimes even combining a few of them in the same layout. All of these hues are highly enjoyable to look at and as such, a delightful cornerstone for “the best that Nature has to offer”.Closing WordsBeige is an extremely versatile color, suitable for all types of brands, including skincare companies, interior and furniture design studios, architecture firms, food manufacturers, jewelry designers, clothing manufacturers, and many others. There are simply no limits to what you can achieve with this gorgeous hue. You can create any kind of setting you like with it and use it to depict a range of different emotions that resonate with your audience.Due to its subtle character, beige is a safe color, and as such, it can be coupled with any other hue. It all just depends on what kind of a visual identity you aim to create on your site. As some of the examples on our list illustrate, you can use it to achieve a tender, elegant aesthetic. On the other hand, some brands rely on it because it helps them bring out the sharpness and colorfulness of their projects. Whatever your goal may be, you simply can’t go wrong with the subtlety of the beige background. No matter what elements and colors you pair it with, its multifaceted potential is tremendous, making it the ideal background color.Originally published at https://qodeinteractive.com.52 Impressive Examples of Beige Websites was originally published in Muzli - Design Inspiration on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
25 Inspiring Examples of Black Websites
Black is, arguably, the queen regnant of all colors. It emanates dominance, mystery, elegance, and reflects a wide spectrum of emotions. Depending on the context, it can be conservative or unconventional, luxurious or minimal. Its usefulness simply knows no bounds.Thanks to its versatility, black plays an important role in all forms of art. In design, it is often used as a standalone color, mostly in logos, as it can help add a touch of power and sophistication to a brand. Think of Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, Adidas, or Nike, to name a few. However, black can also serve as a spectacular backdrop for websites. It helps put all other elements in the spotlight and accentuates the brightness and vivaciousness of surrounding colors.Below you’ll discover 25 stunning examples that prove the potency of black as a background color. While some of them use the simple yet timeless combination of black and white, others combine a variety of colors with their black backgrounds. But they all unquestionably illustrate how dark designs can help brands and individuals differentiate themselves from the crowd and create awe-inspiring projects. The websites we’ll introduce you to are:Synchronized StudioTrip in the DarkAndrew LeguayYuto TakahashiClement MerouaniSam PhlixA Day OutSpatzek StudioDigital Marketing ConferenceDesign CanadaThrowbacks MusicMav FarmEclipse SRLAkufenMysta ElectricMaxillaLongshot FeaturesCultishJuraj MolnárGucci MarmontIntro to Coding for DesignersKontrapunktMasters 1987WiseslangSkyline FilmsSynchronized StudioSynchronized Studio is a team of creatives and experts in digital art direction, branding, web design, and much more. A word that best describes this website is — powerful. There’s a loading animation that looks like a lightning bolt tearing the dark background as the numbers go from 0 to 100 indicating the loading status. The background is particularly interesting. For one, it’s not static. It resembles black silk wrinkled sheets, and the movement of your mouse causes the “sheets” to stir. The cursor leaves a lime-colored trace behind that adds a touch of color to the homepage. Inner pages are black and white, save for the projects page which is especially fun to explore because of the horizontal drag effect.Trip in the DarkTrip in the Dark is an astonishing project created by the Voskhod digital agency that I could wax poetic about ad infinitum. While the website loads, you first see a blinking eye placed on a black background inviting you to be patient while you await for your adventure in the dark to begin. You can then choose the way in which you wish to experience the site — with your ears, eyes, and/or by using your voice to interact with it. Once that’s settled, you’re introduced to Volodya, a not-your-typical tour guide. The background is initially white, but as he begins to narrate his experience and informs you that he’s visually impaired, the light switches off and you’re enveloped in darkness. He tells you his story using his voice as well as through a series of spectacular illustrations that lead you to a crossroads. There you can choose between exploring places or getting to know locals. If you select the former, you’ll be able to make your own map based on the real sounds of the city. You can select a maximum of 5 sounds that you should place in designated slots to then see your route through Yekaterinburg. If you go right and choose to meet locals, you’ll have the opportunity to hear several interesting stories that highlight the importance of listening to sounds, both external and the ones within ourselves.Andrew LeguayAndrew Leguay is a designer who specializes in branding, digital products, and lifestyle marketing. His creativity is evident in every single pixel of his commendable portfolio website. As you wait for it to load, the screen becomes more and more chaotic with each passing second. Words such as organization, strategy, branding, marketing, culture, product, framework ambush the screen and are all you can see at one point. It all clears out in an instant and then you get the chance to explore Andrew’s work. The entire website is designed using just three colors — black, white, and dark orange. The background is black, which allows the featured elements to stand out. The font choices are interesting and unusual, especially the typefaces used in headlines. And when it comes to animation effects, the glitching on scroll effect wonderfully complements the cool vibe of the entire site.Yuto TakahashiYuto Takahashi is an art director and a web and graphic designer. His website is mesmerizing from the get-go. The homepage starts off with a somber background image of a woman that appears to be submerged underwater. This composition looks calming and mystical, and it stands as an alluring invitation into Yuto’s creative world. To dive into it, you must first hold down the mouse button for a few seconds. What you’ll discover are his works masterfully displayed on a black background. The color palette he used on the website is not overpowering and it subtly contrasts the dark background. While you scroll and the projects appear on the screen one after the other, you’ll notice how their surface is wavy, resembling turbulent waters. As soon as the scrolling stops, the scroll-triggered animation effect is gone and the images become still. If you click on any of the pictures, you’ll see an in-depth presentation of the featured projects.Clement MerouaniThe website of Clement Merouani, a French art director and photographer, looks like a modern online art exhibition that you can visit and admire from the comfort of your home. You can control the carousel of his colorful works with your mouse. As you scroll or drag from left to right or vice versa, you’ll notice how the edges of displayed images become protuberant. The side towards which they lean depends on the direction in which you scroll. Clement’s website is essentially minimal and well thought out. The background is dark, elegant, and it ensures his works are in the spotlight. There are no distractions, no redundant elements that might draw your attention away. All the while you stay focused solely on his art. If you click on Index at the top left corner of the screen, you’ll see all of Clement’s works displayed in the Pinterest style on a black background.Sam PhlixSam Phlix’s website is minimal to the core and a perfect example of how you don’t have to go overboard with special effects to make an eye-catching online presentation of your work. There’s a black backdrop, big white letters, and monochromatic imagery. Oh, and a carousel, the “wild child” of this site. If you bring the pointer on the wheel and hold the mouse button, the carousel will start to spin, simultaneously inverting the website’s colors — the background becomes white and the letters turn to black.A Day OutA Day Out’s works are displayed in large, irregularly-shaped, multi-colored blocks dotted all over the dark background. The masterminds behind this studio have cleverly used colors and the shapes of displayed elements so that you can’t help but feel the strong pull to explore their portfolio. Even as you click on a project of your choice to learn more about it, the black background will still be there with large imagery added on top of it to show you every single aspect of the selected project. Back on the homepage, the studio’s name is written in large typography and is visible at all times. As you scroll, the letters start to move, going from one side of the screen to the next, often swapping places. The fonts these guys used are very simple, colored in white, and placed in stark contrast with the darkness behind them.Spatzek StudioSpatzek Studio’s website looks powerful and bold from the first scroll to the last. The riveting visuals and witty textual content form the perfect amalgam that illustrates the studio’s creative genius and their skillset. They say they don’t want to over-complicate things but rather care about emotions and creating projects for humans. It goes without saying that their homepage looks spectacular, but the about page is probably unlike anything you’ve seen before. There are yes / no questions to which you must answer before getting to read the studio’s bio. The text alone is fun to read, but thanks to the hilarious videos they’ve added to the description, things become all the more fun for the visitor. There’s a lot going on no matter what part of the website you go to. Lots of motion, large fonts, video content, etc. but everything looks harmonious because of the neutral black background.Digital Marketing ConferenceThe Digital Marketing Conference is organized every year by the famous Russian creative agency Possible. The website they’ve made for the 2019 edition is nothing short of majestic. You feel like you’re suspended in the air, exploring the continuously rotating dark universe of the conference by dragging the mouse cursor in every which direction while eerie sounds play in the background. All you see is black and white, with traces of red here and there. Above you are the starry skies with the DMC 2019 logo shining bright in the middle of it. If you keep looking up, the logo fades away, the stars spin harder and lose their form, and you feel like you’re sucked into some kind of digital vortex. Before you get dizzy, it all clears out after a few seconds, and the sky goes back to being starry again. Interactive links are placed at eye level and they carry info about the event, its program, speakers, etc. If you look down, you’ll see a map of Moscow with a clearly marked conference hall. The creativity of this 360° project doesn’t cease to amaze from one pixel to the next, and you can experience it even in VR.Design CanadaDesign Canada is a documentary film that introduces us to the finest Canadian graphic designs. The website was created by the phenomenal Locomotive agency. They’ve designed it in quite a simple yet compelling way, relying mostly on the colors of the Canadian flag — red and white. The background is black, which helped accentuate the iconic logos and other design examples. Animation effects, transitions, and micro-interactions are engaging, and they help make the browsing experience smooth, enjoyable, and entertaining.Throwbacks MusicThe majestic Throwbacks Music takes us back in time and gives us an entertaining, interactive 3D music experience. The black background is omnipresent on the entire website. We can listen to the great old songs that are popular to this day and learn more about musicians who created them. The library of featured artists is displayed in the form of a carousel, and as you move from one artist to the next, you feel as if spinning a record. The pictures of artists are black and white until you stop “spinning”, which is when they gain color. When you find a musician you like, you can hear a preview of whichever of their songs is included in Throwbacks Music’s music catalog. To listen to the song in its entirety, all you need to do is press and hold the spacebar. That action will take you to the page where, besides hearing the song, you can read more about the selected artist. Before you scroll away to the next musician, you can have some more fun and play virtual guitar strings by moving your mouse over them.Mav FarmMav Farm’s website is definitely something else. While it loads, you can see the name of the app written in futuristic-looking blue and purple letters across the screen. Once the content’s ready, an eyeball pops up at the bottom of the page luring you in and inviting you to click on it to enter the website. And then, you step into a surreal universe where WebGL scroll navigation rules everything. There are lots of colors, futuristic elements, complementing typography and terrific animation effects that look breathtaking on a black background while truthfully portraying the description of the company, which is — A new network and an alternate reality.Eclipse SRLThe website of the Italian agency Eclipse SRL is minimal and very fun to explore. Its ambient is very dark, matching the brand’s name. The homepage background is black and its monotony is occasionally disrupted by the passing dark moon. You’re encouraged to hold the mouse button and “draw” on this virtual blackboard. As you drag the mouse pointer across the page in whatever direction you please, you’ll leave a white trace made up of words in different sizes behind. If you click on the crescent moon at the top right corner of the screen, you’ll see a page filled with images depicting different lunar stages. On hover, some of them turn into Super Mario, Michael Jackson, or the iconic Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album cover art. This is also where you can read more information about the agency and explore their projects.AkufenThe first thing you see as the Akufen’s website loads are floating 3D cubes that levitate towards the middle of the screen. They form a large unit at the center that follows the movement of your mouse. Everything’s in black and dark grey hues, save for white typefaces. Exploring their portfolio feels very smooth thanks to the infinite scroll effect. The projects line up one after the other while the background remains dotted with dark cubes. The 404 page is charming and in stark contrast with the rest of the website. Its background is black, but there are occasional colorful, full-screen glitches interrupting the black and white synthesis.Mysta ElectricMysta Electric is a phenomenal tattoo artist that creates “dark graphic tattoos with beautiful melancholy” and his website perfectly matches that vibe. It’s entirely monochromatic, oozing coolness from one pixel to the next. The first thing you see is Mysta’s head in the background. Wherever you may move your cursor, the head will follow the movement. As you start to scroll, large typefaces take up the screen telling you Mysta’s story. If you hover over some words, you’ll see pictures of Mysta at work and with some of his clients. There’s also an extensive image gallery containing some of his awe-inspiring and idiosyncratic tattoos, as well as a black and white video that gives us a glimpse into the artist’s creative process.MaxillaMaxilla is a visual studio and a digital agency coming from Japan. Besides an interesting name and a cool logo, they also have a website that serves as an example of the striking things you can achieve with a black canvas and a lot of imagination. They start off with a bang — the first thing you see is a majestic radial menu featuring their portfolio. The names of projects are written in large, all-caps, white types, but on hover, your cursor turns into a big, black spot that sucks the white out of letters and leaves them outlined in the dark. Inner pages also reflect the agency’s creative approach to design, in particular, their about page. There’s an illustration of the white deer’s head at the center that follows every movement of your mouse. Next comes some short text informing you about what the agency does, and then — bam! You see a picture of a huge plush deer caught in the headlights, placed in the middle of the street. A few scrolls later, as if nothing happened, the deer is gone and Maxilla’s contact details appear.Longshot FeaturesLongshot Features is a production company with a terrific horizontal-scrolling website that introduces us to their wonderous world of film. It’s filled with remarkable animated art of the pointillism master Mattis Dovier. When you click on any of the featured cinematic illustrations, you’ll reveal the story of the studio, the films they’ve made, etc. The stunning pixel art and the whole website are made relying on the black and white hues, proving once more the undisputed creative power of this timeless color pairing.CultishCultish is a South African creative studio with a beautiful website that fuses seemingly unmatchable elements. The first thing you see is Penitent Saint Peter, a Jusepe De Ribera’s painting from the 17th century. As you move your mouse over it, the parts of the image where the cursor is placed twirl leftwards, giving this classic composition a modern twist. Again, there aren’t that many colors on the homepage — the background is black and the letters are white or blue. But somehow the website doesn’t ever look dull. Aside from the large painting taking up the upper part of the page, you’ll also discover images of the studio’s projects while moving your mouse through the darkness. Inner pages are predominantly monochromatic as well, adorned with sporadic splashes of blue.Juraj MolnárJuraj Molnár’s website proves, once again, that black is possibly the best choice for portfolio websites, and that less is certainly more. The transitions from one section of the site to the next are smooth and subdued, with the progress bar displayed at the left-hand side of the screen. This is a mainly typographic site with a mix of bold and outlined letters. When you hover over the names of Juraj’s projects, a few images show up on the screen, inviting you to explore in greater depth the selected work. I especially liked the animated outlined illustration of a beating heart. It’s placed right next to the list of awards Juraj has won so far, indicating that he probably holds all those accolades close to his heart.Gucci MarmontThe creativity of the people behind Gucci is inspiring, and not just on the runway. The websites their team has created for their big campaigns are all picturesque and mesmerizing. The one they made for the Gucci Marmont collection is no different. The website shows the Marmont bags as parts of still life paintings reminiscing the Renaissance era. The paintings are hung on a wall, and as you study them, you almost forget that the purses are the charming intruders that don’t naturally belong to any of these artworks. Given the colorfulness of the images, the choice of the black background is ideal.Intro to Coding for DesignersIntro to Coding for Designers is a beginner’s class that teaches designers the fundamentals of coding. The color choice for this website is not surprising. The black background along with white, orange, blue, and green elements are all typical of coding in Javascript, CSS, and HTML, which are the programming languages this course teaches you about. This website is quite simple, but it’s amusing to explore. There’s a playful feel to it, as the authors have added a bunch of geometric shapes that run away from your mouse pointer as soon as you hover over them.KontrapunktKontrapunkt is one of the leading Scandinavian design agencies and they’ve created a stunning online exhibition celebrating the Kontrapunkt typeface. They’ve singled out eight projects in which this font is used, demonstrating its versatility. The agency has opted for the predominantly dark color palette on the homepage, with lots of black and grey elements that are contrasted with white and yellow textual content. The typeface overview is informative and comes with lots of beautiful cursor animations. You can explore each project further by clicking on it. The exciting project pages shine more light on the typeface and demonstrate how it looks in action.Masters 1987Masters 1987 is an event production company from Los Angeles whose client list includes Oscar, Netflix, HBO, among many others. The use of a black background allowed them to promote their services in a striking way by opting for vivid imagery, all-caps typefaces, and snazzy interactions that ensure a cool browsing experience. The cursor looks especially charming. It’s like a comet that turns into a spotlight when you move it across letters. When placed on images, it puts them in commotion. The pictured objects zoom in and out, the photograph surface seemingly becomes undulating, and the color of the area where the mouse pointer is inverts.WiseslangWiseslang is a platform that gathers creatives from various fields. Their website looks subtle and impressive at the same time. The darkness throughout is filled with floating white dots or particles that assemble into all kinds of shapes. To navigate the website, you should use the arrows placed on the left and right sides of the screen. You can learn more about Wiseslang and the projects they’ve worked on, and regardless of the section you decide to explore, the playful white particles stay on the screen all the time.Skyline FilmsSkyline Films come with a website that all cinephiles will appreciate. The movies are displayed on what looks like an infinite cinematic canvas that you can explore by holding & dragging your mouse in any direction you wish. When you stumble upon a movie you like and stop moving the cursor around, a trailer for that specific feature will start to play. And if you click on the movie’s name, you’ll discover more information about it, its storyline, etc. The featured movies are all bursting with color, so the choice of a black background is not surprising in the slightest.Final WordsBlack is an exceptional, visually appealing backdrop color that gives a sense of depth to any project and highlights featured contrasting items. It helps brands tell their story in an attractive and unusual way that sets them apart from competitors and makes them more memorable.As the websites from our roundup depict, black looks best when paired with lighter hues. When you use brightly-colored typography on a dark background, you don’t have to worry about readability, which is a common issue in dark design. And to create arresting projects, you don’t need to go wild with special effects. As you could see, sometimes all it takes are two colors, a couple of cool animation effects, and simple graphic content to make a memorable and astounding website.Originally published at https://qodeinteractive.com on August 28, 2020.25 Inspiring Examples of Black Websites was originally published in Muzli - Design Inspiration on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
Absurd Trolley Problems
30 Great Free Fonts for 2019
via Muzli design inspirationDesigners’ Secret SourceThe best design inspiration — expertly curated for you.Muzli is a new-tab Chrome extension that instantly delivers relevant design stories and inspiration. Learn more1. MORGANITE2. THE CIRCUS DISPLAY3. ARKIPELAGO4. TRADESMITH5. COLUS..6. COLORTUBE7. BRIBERRA8. ALOJA9. CUNIA10. SPACE GROTESK..11. HORIZON12. BUCKWHEAT13. FREE FAT FONT!14. UNDERSTOCK15. FINLAND16. ACRYLIC HAND THICK17. SERICO18. BOBBY JONES19. PUZZLED20. ANODINA..21. OBJECT SANS22. BRIPOKUS STENCIL FONT23. HANSIEF24. TUESDAY NIGHT25. MINDFULLY26. RUSTICO27. AILERON28. BIG JOHN / SLIM JOE29. DISCLAIMER30. FIXER30 Great Free Fonts for 2019 was originally published in Muzli - Design Inspiration on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
30 Great Free Fonts for 2019
Hating Comic Sans Is Ableist
2020 Mailchimp Annual Report
GOAT: Buy and Sell Authentic Sneakers
Work and life of Stanley Kubrick
Marvin Visions — An Expressive Variable Font
Markus - Boring is bad for business
Kaiyo
Bulletproof | Create desire through disruption
Type Beast / typography collection / 2019-2020
I love typography. I love letters. I love to make ligatures and find connections between letters.
These are not logos, but sometimes they can be. Sometimes this kind of typography is not readable. Sometimes they look like abstract artworks. Sometimes they look like choreography. I love to watch them move, I love their beauty. I call my little typography monsters by Type Beasts.
Design Principles Behind Great Products
Klim Type Foundry
CAM - Selected Artworks
Announcing Dieline Awards 2019 Third Place Winners
Framer Guide to React
Safari Riot : Sound+Music for the Wild
First on SoundCloud
May 1 Reboot
Juliet Creative
Warp SVG Online
Davide Perozzi | Creative developer
Read Visions: Marvin
Tuttan
Design direction and album artwork for Brazilian rapper Rodrigo Nick. Photos by Fernanda Pompermayer.
Una Europa
Fonts: Recife, Lettera
Patrick David
Google Creative Lab Five
I keep making things out of checkboxes
"Expressionism but in typography"
Medium’s Best Design Writing of 2016
Turnover Typeface
Turnover is both typeface, a series of shapes and signs.
Constructed on the basis of square, Turnover is a fixed width type.
Its creation enhances the balance between the surface and black and white.
Based on the simple grid, it makes it possible to create bold and varied layout.
Atelier Akuko
Fonts: Sometimes Times, Sainte Colombe, Agrandir, Sporting Grotesque
Contemporary Elevation Data and Historical Maps Merge in Scott Reinhard’s Digital Works
By day, Scott Reinhard designs graphics for The New York Times. Recently, he created a United States map detailing where city-dwellers fled during the pandemic and another showing how the Pantanal wetland in Brazil has transformed into a massive inferno. Incorporating an ever-growing swath of data, his daily tasks are connected to the fluctuations of news cycles.
But in his off-hours, the Brooklyn-based designer takes a broader look at the state of the nation. More
Take to the Streets with a Free Font Inspired by Climate Activist Greta Thunberg’s Hand-Painted Protest Signs
A new font, free to all for download and use, is inspired by climate collapse activist Greta Thunburg. “Greta Grotesk” was created by Uno, a new company designing a solution to the disposable beverage cup pandemic. Drawing from the hand-painted protest signs that Thunburg has created for her worldwide efforts to create action on climate collapse, the font is in all capital letters. Above is an excerpt from Thunburg’s powerful speech she recently delivered at the U.N. More
NUENO – digital fashion
House of Gucci — An Inside Look
Nathan Smith
Fonts: Mabry, Space Mono
Creating Pixel Art with CSS
the fairy fort
Theatre Dijon Bourgogne
Fonts: Neue Haas Grotesk
Misto Font — Free (Cyrillic and Latin)
Misto font is a free reverse-contrast display typeface inspired by Slavutych — the youngest city of Ukraine, which was born after the Chernobyl explosion. Misto font designed to work best in headlines, including logo design, brand identities, websites, packaging and posters. It supports both cyrillic and latin versions.
Once Upon a Time In Hollywood
Fonts: Recoleta, Ivar, Funkis
Descubre Cevitxef Bilbao
Visions - An Expressive Variable Font
Monday
Fonts: Antiga, Graphik
The Hidden Melodies of Subways Around the World
Florian Monfrini — Catalogue 018°019
Notable Movie Posters of 2017
Beoplay H4 - UNFILTERED
Editorial New | Pangram Pangram® Foundry + Locomotive®
Sixpenny
Fonts: GT Alpina, Pitch Sans, GT Super
Honext
Fonts: Everett
How this one font took over the world
Hello Eden
Fonts: Mabry
The Next Point of View
Aristide – Swiss Portfolio
Aristide – Swiss Portfolio