Elite By Design » Inspiration

37 Gorgeous Space Wallpapers

Brian Lovin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 11:00:14 +0000

[tweetmeme] In my hunt for some abstract wallpapers during these past few weeks, I’ve encountered a recurring source of absolutely gorgeous space-themed wallpapers. These images use bright colors, explosive details, mysterious shadowing, and have a bigger-than-life creative impression on me. Space has always inspired the minds of man. That is why today I present you with 37 gorgeous space wallpapers that will inspire your life.

90+ Remarkable Examples Of Bold Colors In Web Design

Brian Lovin — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 11:00:08 +0000

[tweetmeme] The later months of 2009 showed a rising trend in web design of straying away from gradients, subtle details, and muted, Apple-esque design techniques. Instead, more and more designers are turning towards bright, vibrant, or strong colors in their designs to attract readers’ eyes to certain areas, invoke certain emotions, or create a certain mood. I fully expect 2010 to be the year of bright, bold colors in web design.

In light of this prediction for 2010 web design, here is a list of over 90 remarkable examples of bold colors in web design to offer you inspiration as you experiment with new design styles in the new year.

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32 Incredibly Stunning Abstract Wallpapers

Brian Lovin — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 11:00:02 +0000

[tweetmeme] After the phenomenal success of the post, 45+ Most Creative Abstract Wallpapers written over one year ago on Elite By Design, I have decided to compile a new collection of abstract wallpapers to spice up your desktop and add some creativity to your work day. If you’re sick of the wallpaper you’ve been using for too long, try one of these 32 most stunning abstract wallpapers.

An Incredibly Inspiring Collection of Avatar Fan Art

Brian Lovin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 11:00:19 +0000

[tweetmeme] Avatar has taken the world by storm, leading the box office in the US for more than four straight weeks and earning enough dough globally to earn it the rights of the number two grossing movie in the history of…ever. Props to you James. However, such a movie doesn’t become so popular without its fans. And its fans aren’t satisfied until they’ve somehow contributed to the “Avatar universe.” In a recent trip to Deviant Art, I found quite the stunning collection of Avatar-related fan art. This post is my collection of incredibly inspiring Avatar fan art for your enjoyment and inspiration.

Artist Allure: A Vitaly S Alexius Showcase

Angie Bowen — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:00:39 +0000

Vitaly S Alexius is an innovative graphic artist with a style all of his own, and of his own making. Born in Novokuznetsk, located on the Tom River in south central Siberian Russia in the year of our Big Brother (1984, for all those not acquainted with the reference). With a fascination in all things celestial and a wide range of artistic backgrounds, add a dash of Photoshop enthusiasm, and Vitaly has created a unique artistic voice that shines like the stars from the heavens above. Early in his life, Vitaly grew up in the European architecture and factories that surrounded him,and he immersed himself in it. In the late 90’s Vitaly found himself inexplicably launched overseas to Toronto, Canada where he completed his artistic education and gave rise to his style which he named ’Dreaminism’. Vitaly is currently working in illustration and photography exploring a variety of outlets such as CD/book/comic covers, posters, concept art and more.

Indulge in the following showcase of Vitaly S Alexius’s ’Dreaminism’!

Modern Magic

Modern Magic was a design done for the cover of the New Yorker magazine where we see Vitaly’s love for looming architecture take form. The piece offers a contrast whereas a large metropolis brimming with polluted clouds of air is pitted against a serene cottage resting atop one of the massive structures being bathed cleanly in a vast ray of sunlight.

~There’s no place like home.

Machinery of the Stars

Machinery of the Stars is a dazzling digital display born of a simple concept. ‘Perhaps there is another you, looking up in the sky, across the universe?’ From this simple ponderance, Vitaly turned to his love of the celestial, painting a breathtaking explosion of astral machinery above an expansive cityscape, and a lone person taking it all in lost in the question that inspired the piece.

‘What do you see,
when you look onto the stars,
In the darkest hour of night?’

Symphony of Darkness

Symphony of Darkness is so aptly named it is almost as frightening as the piece itself. This brilliant blend of the macabre and surreal creates a scene of beautiful horror that will stick in your mind for days. There is not much else to say about this work that it does not say for itself, not to mention the aid of the verse the artist attached to it.

‘There ain’t nothing to fear,
But the living fear itself,
And the sound of metallic footsteps
In pitch black darkness,
Where pure despair collects it toll.
Don’t blink or close thy eyes,
Or thou may see it too.’

Consonance

Consonance is a piece that grew from the idea that ‘music is about harmony, like a growing tree’. This inspiring illustration was created as for a school assignment based on the theme ‘Classical Music’, and the monotone creation with subtle flecks of color grant it that ageless flow that create the harmony it reaches for.

Collision of Worlds

Collision of Worlds is another amazing digital masterpiece with a nod to the stellar wonders that fascinated Vitaly as a child. With potent imagination and stunning astral imagery this vibrant creation explodes across the digital canvas coming to life with remarkable ease. No doubt about it, this is what’s like when worlds collide!

‘Falling, falling, falling…
My world was crashing down.’

Starcatchers

Starcatchers is by far the most colorful and rich piece that we have gathered from Vitaly’s gallery. Both in depth and scope, this surrealistic extravaganza delivers the truest essence of art. The artist’s included verse eloquently aids the piece so we shall let them say their part.

‘No certain future in sight

Nothing but darkness in the immeasurable depths of space
Between the horizons of distant stars

No other options upon this path,
But to evolve, and to adapt to the undying laws
That shaped the universe itself.

And even go beyond,
To catch the stars themselves,
In a tight grip of metal
To harness their energy
for our bidding…’

50 Most Fresh and Inspirational Favicons

Angie Bowen — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 12:00:54 +0000

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Branding goes deep these days. Logos are not the only way web designers are leaving their mark on the world wide web. They are scaling down their focus to 16 pixels by 16 pixels, making a different kind of mark altogether. Favicons have exploded across the expanse of cyberspace, cropping up in browser tabs and address bars everywhere. These tiny pixel art impressions of the site can be a daunting task for a designer. With such a small canvas for creation, how does one capture the essence of the site? Well, they may be petite, but we found some examples of fashionable favicons that brilliantly use this minuscule medium with both skill and verve.

Check out the showcase below, and be sure to let us know of your favorite favicons that we may have overlooked!

A List Apart

Trap Solutions

Szpo

Nilesh Chaudhair – Shutterbug

Thinking Woman’s Diary

Reach Group Consulting

myGoya

Juice

India Macromedia User Group

HUGS

Flashaholics

Evozon

Enlightened Lamp Recycling

Jeffery Zeldman Presents

ITC Fonts

Ornamentals Photoshop Brushes

30 Most Inspirational Business Websites

Angie Bowen — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:00:15 +0000

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It’s no secret at this point, this internet thing is going to be big! Most businesses today have some kind of online presence, usually focused around their website. The marketing value of this tool is virtually immeasurable. Unless you are a company that specializes in measuring the marketing value of of the internet as a mainstream tool for enhancing your business, then you might have an idea. And if that is your business, what kind of website would you have?

Business sites have a different goal than most, to be sure. For most business sites, usability is the main focus when putting the site together. They want to make sure that function takes precedence so that users can easily find their way around to everything that they are looking for. Some businesses believe the look of the site is as important as everything else, and they have achieved usability with an equal focus on aesthetics. Here are the thirty most inspirational business websites that we found.

PhotoImageArt

Group8020

Cad & the Dandy

Assaroe Falls

Mia and Maggie

Coconut Grove Apartments

Expression Tints

Porters Carpet and Furniture

Sunderman Construction

Rock Creek Strategic Marketing

Tastebook

Dornoch Castle Hotel

The Resume Girl

30 Elm

Hotel Oxford

Pink Comb Salon

Best Mortgage Deals

Depozit De USI

101 Prints

Miami Angel Properties

Madame Surto

Empower Walk

EarthGoods Natural Foods

Eliteak Outdoor Furnature

Merchant Vinyl

Fox Plumbing

Oypro Commercial Real Estate

Adcapital Industries

Paul Geller Enterprises

Advanced Recovery Computer Recycling

40+ Stunning Black And White Photographs

Brian Lovin — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:00:17 +0000

[tweetmeme] Color is beautiful, no doubt about it. In fact, here at Elite By Design we’ve shown off a lot of very neat galleries filled with bright and vibrant colors – but not today. Black and white is the new focus, with photographs that have the ability to convey messages and meanings with no color as they put more focus on lighting, angle, and contrast.

Here are forty stunning black and white photographs to help inspire you to look beyond color and see the true meaning of a photograph. Click each thumbnail to see the larger image on the original site.

All photos are property of their owner.

45+ Most Creative Abstract Wallpapers

Brian Lovin — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:00:22 +0000

[tweetmeme] Abstract wallpapers are inspiring, creative, and imaginative – so why are you still using the default wallpaper that came with your computer? Enjoy this abstract wallpapers collection with over 45 high quality examples.

Abstract wallpapers are beautiful, inspiring, and creative. A typical abstract wallpaper is bright, bold, and uses vibrant colors to capture an audience’s attention. Abstract wallpapers are images used as a background on your computer screen to be both aesthetically pleasing, but also to be an inspiring and motivating image to help you through your work day.

This post compiles 45 abstract wallpapers that will help brighten your computer and make your day a little bit easier.

12 Most Inspirational Political Websites

Eva Vesper — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:41:33 +0000

[tweetmeme] This guest post was written by Brian Franklin and Eva Vesper at Web Hosting Search. He occasionally writes for design blogs but also has his own hosting blog, where he writes about hosting, designing, and random potpourri. Web Hosting Search is a respected guide on web hosting providers and helps visitors chose the best hosting for their needs.

As the presidential election goes into its final lap, we decided to search for some of the best designed sites on politics. What surprised us was that many sites had ’shouting messages:’ large fonts, flashy images, and crazy Adsense. Were they no good sites out there that: 1) still get the point across; 2) do it in an aesthetically pleasing manner? Thankfully we were able to find some. We chose these sites not because of the messages (there are sites from all sides of the political spectrum) but rather how successful the designer was at creating a visually stimulating site without going overboard. Here are twelve sites and why we voted for them.

But first, BarackObama.com Vs. JohnMcCain.com

Before we get into our listing one question had to be answered: Which presidential candidate currently has the best designed website? And since web design transcends all political colors and differences it is with a objective mind we can clearly state that senator Barack Obama’s website is well designed compared to John McCain’s website. Why? Obama takes a warm clean feel to the website; images fade in and out, social media elements are well placed throughout the site, and the site dedicates a large portion to chapters. McCain’s site sadly, lacked both in good coding and design. There were no social media elements to take advantage of the power of the net and the visual design was bland. Brooke Marshall wrote an in-depth article about this. Check it out here.

And so with one day to go until America’s next president is elected, it is time to go political. Listed below are twelve well designed websites in the political niche. The time has come to address perhaps one of the most important topics of society today: web design!
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1. Politico.com

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A clean cut magazine. The layout has clear blue headers to form the political headlines of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Perhaps in another niche this web design would come off as plain and simple. At Politico.com however the content can reach the reader instantly through its headers, creating a professional and intriguing look.
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2. DeclareYourself.com

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A modern looking website that through a fresh and young web design takes on the issue of the relatively low voting rate amongst Americans. Declare Yourself has unlike other websites, understood the importance of presentation.
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3. JohnMcCainRecord.com

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McCain’s silhouette profile in the background and brightly colored headers in large letters makes this site stand out. The web design grabs you like a frontpage headline in a tabloid magazine.
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4. FightTheSmears.com

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Like most political websites, the color blue creates a patriotic and soothing mood. With good structure, easy navigation, and professional graphic elements, there was no doubt this site would make this list.
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5. NRSC.org

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Looking at the web design, The National Republican Senatorial Committee has a fabulous website. The header and navigation menu is separated from the body and that gives a sense of structure. The four featured boxes on the front page adds a clear structure and user-friendly presentation of the content. The video streamer in the main box gives the site a dynamic feeling. And irritating but still well done is the thick-box on the homepage. I’m not a fan of them since so many sites misuse them but this one grabs my attention and there is an immediate call to action.
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6. Democrats.org/blog

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The navigation menu is bold, and the blog header is a playful grassy image. With the three colors of the American flag, this web site shows of thought through web design.
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7. NoHussein.org

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Perhaps the only fully flash designed website, No Hussein has a
simple color scheme (black, orange, and grey), uses clever photos of Obama’s portrait and profile images, and has bold text to get the point across.
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8. RockTheVote.com

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A thoroughly designed website with impressive banners, icons and overall feel. RockYourVote gives the ‘rock’ feeling: utilizing the title name with also the style (something we haven’t seen in most political sites).
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9. NoVoteLeftBehind.net

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Creativity and the ambition stands out at No Vote Left Behind. They designed the website in a style that mixes a traditional red, white, and blue color scheme, unique graphics in logo and links with a simplicity of the content.
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10. GOP.org

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The Republican National Committee website is content-wise, a bit clustered. However, design wise it shows great depth with discrete yet nice header elements and a structure that puts focus on the intriguing slide show images on the front page.
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11. Equality California

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If you are going to design a website for an explosive issue, such as gay marriage, be smart and design the site to be friendly. EQ CA does just that. Upon first glance, it looks like a Scandinavian design furniture site. Nice sidebar with small logos, clear headings, and warm color choices. Our only problem: some terrible .ASP coding that makes it hard to click on the EQCA icon and actually get to the homepage.
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12. Iprotectmarriage.com

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And on the other side of the same issue, I Protect Marriage has a bold layout. Black background with pink trim, smart icons (the 8 made of two wedding bands), and even funky font in the quiz. The site sends a clear message without using harsh language that many other political sites use. The layout invites the reader to peruse the website without confusion, a great element to keep the reader on board.

If you get hired as a web designer for a political site, remember three things:
1) Design the site to welcome both sides (or all sides) of the issue
2) Use non threatening colors and writing to attract visitors (if your client disagrees, maybe explain that flaming messages won’t attract any visitors… except the nuttiest)
3) And know the type of visitors expected to come to the site. If you are designing a site for a working class city councilman, make the site simple in structure and visual, maybe go patriotic.

And lastly…get your vote out Tuesday.

Check out some really cool web design tutorials at the new site, The Tutorialist.