The Best Design Company Websites: A Comprehensive Review
Greetings, Guys!
Welcome to our comprehensive review of the top design company websites on the web. We’ve carefully researched and analyzed dozens of design-related websites to bring you the best of the best. Whether you’re a designer, blogger, or business owner looking for inspiration or a professional partner for your next design project, this article has got you covered. So, sit down, buckle up, and let’s dive in!
What Makes a Design Company Website Great?
The design of a website is an essential part of its branding and messaging. A well-designed website not only looks good but also makes it easier for visitors to navigate and find the information they need. A great design company website should have the following qualities:
| Qualities | Description |
|---|---|
| Visual appeal | The website should be visually attractive, using colors, typography, and imagery that resonate with the target audience. |
| User-friendliness | The website should be easy to use and navigate, with clear layout and intuitive menus. |
| Functionality | The website should function flawlessly and load quickly, with no broken links or errors. |
| Content quality | The website should have informative, relevant, and engaging content that showcases the company’s skills and expertise. |
| Social proof | The website should have testimonials, reviews, and case studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of the company’s services. |
| Contact information | The website should have clear and easy-to-find contact information, such as phone numbers, email addresses, and physical addresses. |
| Responsive design | The website should be responsive, adapting to different screen sizes and devices, such as desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. |
The Pros and Cons of the Best Design Company Websites
While every website has its strengths and weaknesses, we’ve identified seven design company websites that excel in different areas. In this section, we’ll review each website’s pros and cons in detail.
1. Behance
Behance is a platform for creative professionals to showcase and discover creative work online. It boasts millions of members worldwide, covering a diverse range of industries and disciplines, such as graphic design, photography, illustration, architecture, and more.
Pros:
- Behance has a vast collection of high-quality creative work, making it an excellent source of inspiration for designers.
- Behance is free to use, making it accessible to anyone, regardless of their budget or location.
- Behance has a user-friendly interface that is easy to browse and search, with advanced filters and tags.
- Behance has a powerful social network built-in, allowing users to follow, like, and comment on each other’s work.
Cons:
- Behance doesn’t offer any design services directly, so users have to contact individual designers or agencies to hire them.
- Behance has a lot of noise and clutter, with many low-quality or irrelevant projects diluting the search results.
- Behance has a high competition among designers, making it harder for newcomers to stand out and get noticed.
- Behance doesn’t guarantee the quality or integrity of its members, so users have to vet them carefully before hiring them.
2. Dribbble
Dribbble is a community of designers sharing screenshots of their work, process, and projects. It is similar to Behance in terms of its focus on visual inspiration and peer feedback, but it has a more playful and experimental vibe.
Pros:
- Dribbble has a unique style and tone of design, with many designers specializing in specific niches and trends.
- Dribbble has a friendly and welcoming community, with many opportunities for networking, collaboration, and learning.
- Dribbble has a paid membership option, called Pro, which offers additional features and benefits to users.
- Dribbble has a mobile app that lets users stay connected and engaged on the go.
Cons:
- Dribbble is more focused on aesthetics and style than function and usability, so some of the designs may look great but be impractical or confusing to users.
- Dribbble doesn’t offer any project management or collaboration tools, so users have to rely on other platforms, such as Trello, Github, or Slack.
- Dribbble has a limited range of design services, as most of the work showcased on the platform is static graphics or illustrations, rather than interactive and dynamic interfaces.
- Dribbble has a lower search volume and discoverability than Behance, as it is more niche and specialized.
3. 99designs
99designs is an online marketplace for crowdsourced graphic design work, such as logo design, branding, web design, and print design. It connects businesses with freelance designers from around the world, who submit designs for contests or direct projects.
Pros:
- 99designs offers a wide range of design services, with thousands of talented designers available for hire on demand.
- 99designs has a transparent and fair pricing model, where clients pay only for the winning design, without any hidden fees or commissions.
- 99designs has a high level of customization and flexibility, allowing clients to give feedback and iterate on designs until they are satisfied.
- 99designs has a satisfaction guarantee, where clients can request a refund if they are not happy with the final results.
Cons:
- 99designs has a high competition among designers, making it harder for clients to find the right fit for their project.
- 99designs has a lower quality assurance and risk management than traditional design agencies, as most of the design work is done by freelancers with varying levels of skill and experience.
- 99designs has a low level of communication and collaboration between clients and designers, which can lead to misunderstandings and delays.
- 99designs has a limited range of design styles and approaches, as most of the designs are geared towards mainstream and generic aesthetics.
4. Awwwards
Awwwards is a showcase of the best web design, UX, and interactive projects on the web. It awards sites with high design, creativity, and innovation, based on a community-based voting system and a panel of design experts.
Pros:
- Awwwards has a high standard of design excellence, focusing on user experience, interface design, and animation.
- Awwwards has a well-curated collection of design work, with a strong editorial focus and a thematic approach.
- Awwwards has a global reach and diversity, featuring sites from all over the world and different industries and sectors.
- Awwwards has a strong social presence and engagement, with a lively forum, events, and newsletter.
Cons:
- Awwwards has a narrow focus on web design and UX, excluding other design disciplines, such as print, branding, or illustration.
- Awwwards has a high standard of entry, making it harder for smaller or less established companies or designers to win awards.
- Awwwards has a low level of transparency and accountability, as the voting and judging process is not always clear or objective.
- Awwwards has a high level of competition and trend-chasing, leading to many sites looking or feeling similar to each other.
5. Creative Bloq
Creative Bloq is a design blog and magazine that covers a broad range of design-related topics, such as graphic design, web design, typography, branding, and more. It features articles, tutorials, interviews, showcases, and galleries, with a focus on inspiration and education.
Pros:
- Creative Bloq has a diverse and knowledgeable team of writers, editors, and designers, who share their insights and experiences on various design topics.
- Creative Bloq has a loyal and engaged readership, who contribute to the discussions and feedback on the site.
- Creative Bloq has a high quality of writing and editing, with a clear and accessible tone and style.
- Creative Bloq has a strong visual identity and branding, with a distinctive logo, color palette, and typography.
Cons:
- Creative Bloq has a high volume of content, making it hard to keep up with all the articles and topics.
- Creative Bloq has a lower standard of design quality than other design-related sites, as it focuses more on content than aesthetics.
- Creative Bloq has a high level of advertising and sponsored content, which can dilute the authenticity and credibility of the site.
- Creative Bloq has a lower level of interactivity and community engagement, compared to platforms like Behance or Dribbble.
6. Smashing Magazine
Smashing Magazine is another design blog and magazine that specializes in web design and development, with a focus on code, usability, and performance. It features articles, tutorials, book excerpts, and events, with a strong emphasis on practicality and relevance.
Pros:
- Smashing Magazine has a vast and dynamic community of contributors, who share their expertise and insights on various web design topics.
- Smashing Magazine has a strong editorial team, who ensure the quality and relevance of the content and the consistency of the voice and style.
- Smashing Magazine has a high standard of technical proficiency and detail, with many articles featuring code snippets, examples, and demos.
- Smashing Magazine has a high level of interactivity and community engagement, with forums, conferences, and meetups.
Cons:
- Smashing Magazine has a more niche and technical focus, limiting its appeal to web developers and designers.
- Smashing Magazine has a high level of jargon and complexity, making it harder for beginners or non-technical users to understand or follow.
- Smashing Magazine has a lower level of visual appeal and aesthetics, compared to other design-related sites, as it prioritizes function over form.
- Smashing Magazine has a high volume of content, making it hard to digest or find specific topics or articles.
7. Designspiration
Designspiration is a visual inspiration platform, similar to Pinterest, but with a focus on design-related content. It allows users to browse, save, and share images, videos, and links, across various categories and tags.
Pros:
- Designspiration has a vast and eclectic collection of design-related content, allowing users to find inspiration and ideas on various topics and styles.
- Designspiration has a clean and minimalistic user interface, making it easy to use and browse, with no ads or distractions.
- Designspiration has a social network built-in, enabling users to follow, like, and comment on each other’s content, and connect with each other.
- Designspiration has a browser extension and a mobile app, allowing users to access their saved content from anywhere and anytime.
Cons:
- Designspiration has a low level of curation and quality control, making it harder to filter out low-quality or irrelevant content.
- Designspiration has a lower search volume and popularity than other design-related sites, as it is more niche and specialized.
- Designspiration has a limited range of features and functionalities, compared to similar platforms like Pinterest or Behance.
- Designspiration has a lower level of originality and creativity, as most of the content is borrowed or repurposed from other sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the best design company website for beginners?
The best design company website for beginners is Behance, as it offers a wide range of high-quality design work, tutorials, and resources, and is free to use.
2. What is the best design company website for experienced designers?
The best design company website for experienced designers is Awwwards, as it showcases the most innovative, creative, and advanced web design projects on the web.
3. What is the best design company website for branding and identity design?
The best design company website for branding and identity design is 99designs, as it offers a crowd-based and flexible model for designers and clients to collaborate on logos, visual identities, and branding materials.
4. What is the best design company website for graphic design?
The best design company website for graphic design is Dribbble, as it features a vast and diverse collection of static and dynamic graphics, illustrations, and icons, with a focus on detail and aesthetics.
5. What is the best design company website for web design?
The best design company website for web design is Smashing Magazine, as it offers a wealth of practical and technical advice, tutorials, and examples, for web developers and designers of all levels.
6. What is the best design company website for UI and UX design?
The best design company website for UI and UX design is Awwwards, as it rewards and showcases the most creative, intuitive, and user-friendly web interfaces and experiences.
7. What is the best design company website for typography?
The best design company website for typography is Creative Bloq, as it offers a wide range of articles, tutorials, and showcases, on various aspects of typography, ranging from history and theory to practice and application.
8. Which design company website offers the most affordable design services?
The design company website that offers the most affordable design services is 99designs, as it allows clients to set their own budget and receive multiple design proposals from freelancers around the world, without any fixed fees or commissions.
9. What should I look for in a design company website?
You should look for the following qualities in a design company website: visual appeal, user-friendliness, functionality, content quality, social proof, contact information, and responsive design.
10. How can I hire a designer from a design company website?
You can hire a designer from a design company website by browsing their portfolio and profile, reviewing their rates and terms, contacting them through the site or their personal website or social media, and discussing your project requirements and expectations.
11. What are the benefits of using a design company website?
The benefits of using a design company website are: access to a global pool of talent, a variety of design styles and approaches, affordable pricing, flexibility and customization, and transparent communication and collaboration.