The Index: Issue #3

Published on 27 February 2023 by Andy Bell

Welcome back! The theme this week is whitespace and how it enhances both the look and feel of your design work, along with making the content much easier to digest.

Ilkka Janatuinen - personal site

Personal sites are very much making a comeback in 2023 (they never went away, really), so you might want some inspiration for your own masterpiece. This personal site for Ilkka Janatuinen is a perfect for that.

I love how clean it is. The usage of whitespace, especially, makes this site’s content really easy to digest. The duotone effect on their profile image works great with the minimal colour scheme too.

Good Eat’n

⚠️ Motion warning

This site is so bold, it’s like pop art. The colours and heavy strokes make this UI scream at you, but dang, it works.

The transitions and animations are a bit much in places, though. I actually think the overall look and feel would better carry this design on its own—maybe with just a few fancy touches.

That aside and just like the previous site—whitespace is doing a lot of good work on this design. Because everything is so bold, the generous whitespace gives your eyes time to breathe. Without it, this site really would be too much.

Rickett Architects

This is a lovely site. You know the score with Architect sites: they need to be clean, have stunning photography and 3D renders and have a Helvetica-esque display font.

This site does all of the above and does it really well. I personally like the traditional layouts you’d normally see in print too. It’s a refreshing touch. Again, just like the other sites: whitespace is really key to letting all the content shine.

The only real letdown is the accordions. I honestly don’t see what benefit they bring, especially when headed sections could carry that, rather brief content perfectly well. It’s a good lesson in choosing UI affordances that actually help, rather than just for the sake of it.

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Until the next issue, take it easy 👋
Andy