Welcome to ILT’s second-quarter roundup of sites that use type well. It may be that not all the sites listed here are to your taste, but it’s hoped that something—even a detail somewhere—will inspire you. Invariably, these lists are subjective, so if you disagree, then feel free to do so in the comments below. If this list provokes discussion of what constitutes good web typography, then all the better. The designs are listed in no particular order. Click on the screen-shot to visit the site. Enjoy!

Designing the News

High contrast between header and main content area, lots of white space and well organised.

OmniTI

Nice logotype, clear text and a very nice colour palette. You can read more about the design process here.

Designr.it

Gorgeous logo (who can name the typeface?), and lots of subtle details.

Seed Conference

No Flash, no images, no fuss; just well-styled text and well-written copy; and proof that type alone can make one hell of a statement. I’d love to see more on-screen type treatments like this one.

Design View

Andy Rutledge is a designer who practices what he preaches. I particularly like how the text size is related to the article’s age, with the most recent excerpt set in the largest size.

WordPress.org & WP 2.5.x Admin

Although the WordPress blogging platform is not a web site, it is something that thousands, if not millions, of us see on our screens every day. If only more applications—on- and off-line—were built and designed like this.

OurType

I’ve been reluctant to include this site before owing to its use of Flash. However, it does showcase beautifully some great typefaces (and some of my favourites, I might add).

The Deck

Another site that simply relies on text for everything. A great example of hierarchy and layout. Who said a picture paints a thousand words? Type paints more.

Hell Yeah Dude

Busy without feeling cramped, and a site that clings to a good grid.

Information Architects

Not afraid of white space and a limited colour palette.

Naz Hamid

Beautifully done. A design that really lets in the light.

Jon Tan

Typographically rich, elegant and uncluttered; and the logo…it’s not an image!

Under Consideration

Lots of information without feeling cluttered, and complimented by a carefully chosen colour palette.

Elliot Jay Stocks

This web site has been featured just about everywhere. It’s here because it uses type well too.

The Things we Make

Colourful, organised and big type.

In a future article, Typographic Detail for the Web, we’ll look a little more closely at some of these sites.
Previous lists: 1, 2.

web typography