Last December, I posted a list of the best designs in 2007. Now, it is time for — Best of CSS Design 2008 (a new list of 50 websites hand-picked from Best Web Gallery). This year, more designers are using the large background technique and utilizing Javascript frameworks (such as jQuery and MooTools) to enchance the user experience. I also came across a few designs that mixed Flash with CSS; perhaps a new trend we should look for in 2009?
Big bold visual images make this website stand out from the crowd.
Good use of Flash mixed with CSS.
Good visual and content-focused design.
An excellent mixture of big font and grungy effects.
Nice use of large background on the homepage. Large background web design is very hot lately.
Another nice example of large background design.
I have to admit, Tennessee’s sites are one of the best series — Fall, Spring, Summer, and Winter.
A very origanized site with great usability.
LightCMS incorporated some pencil/sketchy effects, yet maintained its corporate feel.
Nicely designed one-page site.
Great implementation of CSS and Javascript (jQuery).
The aquarium themed portfolio of Luke Larsen demonstrates great use of jQuery’s Scrollto plugin.
Wavy and rounded shapes make this site look fun and interesting.
Although the design style reminds me of ISO50 (Scott Hansen), but it is worth to mention.
Notice how Electricurrent used the background image technique to display the portfolio images?
Good visual design, easy navigation — two thumbs up.
A cool design that combined CSS, Javascript, and Flash technology.
Viget did a great job on branding their image by maintaining the consistency throughout their series of blogs — Inspire, Advance, Engage, and Extend.
An awesome design that used Flash scalable image as the background (resize your browser to see the scalable background).
This blog frequently change their homepage background photo to provide refreshing feel.
Here is a perfect example that uses high resolution photos for website’s background. Notice the background image is scalable based on your browser size (done by Javascript CSS).
FreePeople is my all time favorite design (love the collage style).
Retro and sexy.
The scrapbook design style is a perfect match for the site’s content.
Love the hot retro font!
It is rare to find such a beautiful black and white theme.
