In college I had this great idea. I wanted to build a tea house. I was going to call it Tea-Neek (Like unique… cute right?). I had three friends who all thought a tea house was something our college town could use. We talked about buying one of the historical building and renovating it. Unfortunately, I was the only serious person in the group and despite all my great ideas we never got farther than scratch paper. (Though my plan is still to retire with to a little tea shop.)

So why do I tell you this? The tea house was a great idea but because I had trouble expressing some of my concrete concepts to my friends and to the bank, it never got off the ground. Sometimes businesses have this same problem when they are in the market for a website. They have a beautiful image in their head but can’t express it in words. This can lead to frustration on the part of the designer and the client.

Examples are by far the best way to keep both parties on the same page. I’ve talked a little bit about it before. By examples I do not mean just copying someone else’s site and adding your own images/text. I mean finding other websites that have the same look, feel or general design. Examples of websites you like or think are professional can be a huge help for your designer, especially if you are having trouble verbalizing your ideas.

I’d like to use today’s post to show off some websites I think are beautiful for different reasons. Pick some of your favorites too and keep them in mind when you are ready to create your own site.

Chocolate Secrets: This site has wonderful rich colors, good enough to eat! This was a site that a client sent to me as one of her personal favorites.

Mercy: Wine bar with great atmosphere. This website is full of personality. The images, the flow, everything about this site is a unique form of branding.

Pictures for Sad Children: This offbeat webcomic has a simple design, but tons of character. All the buttons and banners are hand-drawn by the artist.

YouNoodle: Website in Beta for start-up companies. Not a lot to look out but the design and navigation is clean and simple.

Underwood Law Library: Law Library at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Lovely home page. Right to the point!

Young Gallery: Great example of a minimalist website. Gallery for photographers in multiple languages with great images of the art. (Even with the intro which I am not a fan of.)

And finally Sabon NYC: High fashion beauty products. Everything about this site has a distinct flavor, you know that even the borders were hand-picked to enhance ambiance. It certainly makes you want to try their stuff.

What are some of your favorite sites, and why?