Web designs with exceptional forms of navigation

Beautiful browsing.

There are a number of showcases demonstrating creative navigation throughout the design community. Despite this, the majority of them just showcase nicely designed horizontal and and vertical menus. Of course, they were probably creative at some stage. However, some web designers test the laws of usability and like to experiment with design. Today, I have showcased over twenty stunning forms of navigation in website design. I hope these websites inspire you to forget all forms of current navigation and to design new, better and improved ways of navigating websites.

65 Media

65 Media are group of passionate individuals that produce fantastics experiences. They have creativity running through their vains, just take a look at their fantastic homepage:

65 Media

Carefully Considered

There are a few websites out there that use a horizontal layout, Carefully Considered is one of them. However, I like how they have made browsing effortless, just click to the right to view the next project and double click to read about the project.

Carefully Considered

Fauborg

A great website that allows you to browse both horizontally and vertically smoothly by dragging and dropping.

Fauborg

Gritti Rollo

Gritti Rollo has demonstrated how simplicity can be perfect navigation. Along side some beautiful hover effects and revealing areas with jQuery, Griiti Rollo has produced a fantastic and inspiring website.

Gritti Rollo

Daniel R Leyva

Daniel is someone who clearly has lot of creativity. He has mastered the parallax effect supplied by the jQuery library and created a 3D environment in which to browse the content. I feel with a background image containing a little perspective would work wonders with this design.

Daniel R Leyva

Organic Grid

Organic Grid have taken a similar approach to 65 Media (vica versa), a simple vertical menu with a gradient of backgrounds. With some beautiful sounds complimenting the mouse over and beautiful transitions throughout the website, it is a joy to browse.

Organic Grid

Khai Liew

Khai Liew has gone for the horizontal but vertical approach. Although it can be hard to read the menu item names without tilting your head slightly, the design alongside beautiful transitions is incredibly unique.

Khai Liew

Young

When looking at Young for the first time, you predict that it scrolls horizontal, however with no horizontal scrollbar appearing, you begin to question yourself. However, once hovering over work you notice the black bar thicken; indicating that it is a scroll bar, very stylish.

Young

Hello Goodlooking

There are very few websites that try something totally different. Hello Goodlooking is one of the few. Navigation is based around a mind map design. Menu items are clicked to reveal new items and content. A stunning example of creativity using Flash.

Hello Goodlooking

WallSwaps

Wallswaps is a great idea procured by Erskine Design. It is a virtual cork board where companies and designers can add their work, business cards and a lot more. A beautiful idea with some exceptional navigation.

WallSwaps

Screen Vader

Now this site is a must see! I am yet to see any other site demonstrating such enormous creativity.

Screen Vader

IAAH

Another click and drag site, but unlike its counterparts it is incredibly smooth. It is a joy to navigate and I am sure you will spend just as long as I did browsing the site.

IAAH

Daffy’s

Daffy’s take a look at traditional navigation techniques and just pushes them aside. Mouse over each menu item to reveal a a description and entirely different background image.

Daffy's

Frost Design

Frost Design have developed and smooth coverflow type navigation to display their work. Incredibly smooth and incredibly effective.

Frost Design

All about Photography

Another click and drag website, however this site use the google maps navigation methods to browse the website. Unsure how they implemented this so hats off!

Henriette Primus

Joshua Distler

Josh takes a different approach to typical web design. Based around a grid, the main homepage is made up entirely of navigation withe each menu item taking up a different amount of blocks. Not sure what determines how many blocks an item takes up but nonetheless a very creative design.

Joshua Distler

Design is Kinky Studio

A website that allows the user to browse both horizontally and vertically, by hovering the cursor over the arrows positioned at the edges of the screen. Also allows you to zoom in and out.

Design is Kinky Studio

BBH

Flash just blows my mind sometimes. The BBH homepage features a rotating world in which to navigate. One can position the mouse around the screen to determine which way the world rotates or one can click the world and drag yourself around its surface. What’s more impressive is the exquisite transitions throughout the website.

BBH

Fons Hickmann m23

Not just a standard jQuery scrollto website. Fons Hickman m23 has a lot of creative nooks and crannies to seek out.

Fons Hickmann m23

Margaret London

Beautiful navigation and transitions.

Margaret London

Thibaud

Probably the most creative navigation I have ever seen. How was this achieved? By finding inspiration from objects and the environment around. Get outside once in a while, don’t let the CSS galleries plague your mind.

Thibaud

Nick Jones

Nick demonstrates how a vertical menu can be both appealign and fun to browse through.

Nick Jones

Established

What seems to be just a large vertical menu, actually contains the content as well. Click on the arrow to the right of each menu item to have the content smootlhy scroll in.

Established

24 ways

Athough 24 ways is comprised of just horizontal and vertical menus, it is the way they have been made that demonstrates creativity. With full height and translucent backgrounds the end result is very appealing.

24 ways

Christopher Hewitt

The simplest navigation you will probably see. Chris shows how effective a simple list can be. Check out the gorgeous filtering as well.

Christopher Hewitt

Alp Tugan

Similar to Hello Goodlooking, Alp Tugan’s navigation is based around mind map design.

Alp Tugan

Zachary Pulman

Zachary has designed and developed a masterpiece. I’m sure you will have as much funs navigating through his website than I did.

Zachary Pulman

Wonderwall

Probably not the most practical navigation, but still damn impressive!

Wonderwall

Be creative

Easier said than done, no? If you find it tricky to ‘think outside the box’ don’t revisit the same CSS galleries over and over, they will only prevent your creativity from developing, instead they will lead you to copy. Many of the web designers above have taken notice of their environment and the objects that it consists of. They have determined what feels natural and have developed them suitable for web design.

What is your favourite form of navigation from the list above?

What inspires you? How do you find inspiration?

I look forward to your comments.

  

Written by Liam McCabe

The almighty creator of CreativityDen. Loves every bit of design as well as going out with friends, playing golf and enjoying life!