20. Marcus Thomas

This is a designer site. First off I love the color scheme and the choice to use a black and white photo with the designers name in the background. I also like the way that the header shows icons to represent the designer and I think that's a simple and creative way to have the header look. I also like that they used a simple box in the middle of the screen to explain what the website is about and it really sums up what your looking at in one sentence.

19. Aardvark Brigade

This is a site for social media and popular news. The thing that really drew my attention to this site and that I think makes it different then other sites is the way they have the body area seemingly bent and folded over top of an image that appears to be underneath. I think the blue planetlike image underneath looks really awesome and that slight detail really makes this site professional and interesting.

18. Square Factor

Square Factor is a designer site. I think it's really cool that they separated the two main functions of their business by two separate black and white sides of the page. I think its really cool that the image in the middle appears to break on one side and they have the title of the website in the middle of the page. The simple design of the website really guides your eye around the page and the orange details really add an interesting feel to the site.

17. Studio

I thought this site was unique and awesome because they have these gifs showing their content as the background and when you scroll over them they light up as it's shown in the shocking and revealing box. I like that they took a different direction then traditional websites and their site really is awesome to look at just in itself.

16. Saganowski & Co

This is a site called Saganowski & Co. It is really cool in that they use a blacked out image as the background and bold white and blue type showing the content. I like the simple design of this site and the fact that you can scroll through information without the information cluttering the site.

15. juicebox

This is a site called juicebox and it is another designer site. I love this website. One of my favorite parts about this website is that they have an image with a black overlaying color with the information about their website and content inside the image. I also like that they did the same concept in the background with a gray image going underneath the area of the content. I also like that they used a neon blue just a few times that really draws attention against the simple black white and grey of the rest of the website.

14. dotfusion

This is a site called dotfusion and it is a digital agency. They had a really cool approach to designing this website in that they have an image that upon scrolling over it shows more clickable images to the right with a little bit of information underneath. I thought that was a unique element in their site.

13. Vlog it

This is a really cool site. Upon visiting the site you see the icon in the middle of the screen and around it form these photos wrapping around each other. I thought that was a really cool and unique idea for them to do. Also the color scheme with just a simple black background and a simple black circle in the middle with white text looks really nice in contrast with the bright colorful images that make up their content.

12. International

It may seem like theirs nothing to this website but there is. As you scroll down the image in the middle rotates and tilts to eventually create the letters of the brand INT for International. It's a really cool and unique idea for them to do that and I've never seen anything like it.

11. small studio

Small studio is a design website. The cool thing about it is that you can use the very bottom arrows to scroll though the different content on this site. I think they had a unique approach to the design of this site and it's very effective in capturing attention and getting all the information into their site while avoiding a cluttered look. I really like that they have such a small navigation/header bar at the top with just the most simplified word for each link.

10. the escapist

This site is an online magazine for video games and gamers. They have a really cool layout in that all the elements seem very compact and upon looking at it there is a lot going on and a lot of images in a close space. They managed to make the design really nice despite having so much content and images packed into it. I like the way they have the large image pointed off on the sides that acts as an arrow for the next image and article. I also like how the navigation bar appears to be an extension of the shape of the image,and the social media icons that fall just perfectly balanced on top of the navigation.

9. Smashing Magazine

This is a site for Smashing Magazine, which is a magazine for designers. I love that instead of layout of the site with elements being in boxes from top to bottom, they have the boxes longer vertically and laid out from left to right. I also the way they handled the navigation in that there is a simple navigation bar first, and then a more detailed one right next to it organized by category. I also like the way they have the right of the screen organized with the search bar and the simple graphic images for their important links and even their advertisements don't look out of place on the site.

8. IRE

This is a site for investigative reporters and editors. What I like best about this site is that they changed up the traditional looking layout of a site and chose to do things a little differently. First off I like that they have the navigation being at the very top with the header on the left side overlapped by the content on the right. I think that's a really interesting way to lay out the site. The fact that they used a simple black, gray and white color scheme communicates professionalism and seriousness, which is appropriate for the subject of the site.

7. Paula Scher

This site is about a designer and artist named paula scher. The thing I like best about this site is that the image header is HUGE. I like that they went out of the box a little bit in that instead of having a header at the top left like many websites do, they chose to have an image covering most of the page with the name of the artist in the bottom right of the photo. I think having her picture with her art in the background of the site like they did says everything it needs to say about her and about what the website is about. I also like the way the typography is laid out in that its very evenly spaced and clean with a different font being used for just the title and quote on the right side.

6. Polygon

This is  a site for reviews of popular game consoles. The thing that I thought was particularly awesome that I've never seen any site do before is the scrolling window. When you first view the site you see the green and blue boxes and as you scroll down they go up as the content of the page below it appears to stay in the same place. That was awesome. I also like the style of the site in that they chose to use bold solid colors and just a simple white outline of the game console with a label underneath. The design is simple and it gets the point across immediately from looking at it.

5. Liquor

Liqour.com is about exactly what the name says. I thought the design of this site was really interesting because I hardly ever see modern looking websites with vertical stripes in the background like they have, but with the way that they made them it looks very subtle and nice in the background of this site. I also like how the only element that goes all the way horizontally across the page is the header/navigation. It looks nice with the gray on top of the blackish grey background. Otherwise, I would have made the article photos bigger and fill up the space seeing that there seems to be a large awkward gap in between the ads on the right side and the article images. Overall though the site is nicely done.

4. Zimbio

This is a site for celebrity and media information and popular news. The thing I like best about this site is that it's so simple yet so sophisticated and clean looking. I like that they used a simple grey and white color scheme with just a little bit of color in the header for the site and the navigation. I also like that they have the large photo with an article description on top of the photo, with a scrolling option to see different articles. Overall the spacing of all the elements looks perfect and the site is very clean and concise.

3. dogster

This is a site for dogs and dog related stuff. Mostly what I wanted to say about this website that I liked was the use of icons in the background. It looks really nice with the tint just a bit off from the background color it really adds interest without taking away from the actual content of the website. I also thought it was interesting that they chose to have the header without a border just kind of blending in with the background.

2. Ning

Ning is a designer website. The thing I chose to capture the bottom of the website because first off, I like the illustration going across the footer, with the social media icons. having those there really hides the wrapper and gives the feeling that all the space is really being used on the screen. I also like that the header scrolls with the website, it really shows unity with it being the same look and feel as the footer and other elements of the website. The last thing I want to say is that I like how they used a pattern, it's not too much and it just adds that perfect amount of texture and dimension to the top and bottom of the website.

1. National Aquarium

There's a lot of things I like about this website. My favorite part is that when you scroll over the black and white link photos they show up in color. I think that's a nice touch especially when the color scheme of the website is so dark and the color really brings attention to the photos. I also like how the main photo is blurred out on the edges it really gives a smooth transition of the background and the wrapper and looks really cool. I also like how they did the navigation bar, with down arrows that give you more options upon scrolling over them. It lets the website be simple and concise but has all the elements only a click away from the homepage.