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As You may notice in Year 2008 hand-drawn designs became one of the most popular creative trends, people tend to add more personal look and creative feel to their sites trying to stand out between traditional web 2.0 style, boxy layout sites. Hand-drawn design not always necessarily mean sketched or hand-drawn, there can be also creative things we use everyday like pencils, erasers, stamps, notepapers, stickers – could continue so on, but I will show examples doing through detailed research – so You could understand what’s really represented with “Hand-drawn design”. And actually this trend is very natural since many designers still sketch up their sites on the paper at first and only then start to design actual site.
I was really surprised when I read book “Nature Form Aesthetics” and noticed nature has already created everything, we just starting to realize it and through learning use those natural wonders for our own purposes. Okay, I’ll give an example – did You know the first real camera was created when people started to learn how our own eye is constructed? It’s the same objective with lens as our own eye! Of course cameras are constructed a little bit different but idea is the same!
What did I want to tell with this? Natural forms create aesthetical harmony in human’s mind, let them to associate design with childhood, creativity and real life, I believe now people are a little bit tired from all web 2.0 look designs, so we are showing sites on virtual board, notepaper creating interesting associations. However there’s a problem – it’s easy to overdo and harm usability, so people tend to use hand-drawn style just on the parts of the site like header, background, navigation or by using sketched notes or handwritten fonts in several places.
Usually sites using this style are creative, design related blogs, portfolio and showcase sites expressing inspiration, creativity not only between graphic designers but also tourism agencies, writers, interior designers, illustrators, dressmakers and so on.
Let’s try to answer the question showing examples – What’s represented with hand-drawn design?
One of the best hand-drawn style web examples in my opinion.
Notice pencil sketched background, watercolors, handwriting fonts, notes, fuzzy lines, paper clips, sketches – actually one of the best examples.
Also take a look on navigation menu on mouseover, sticky notes using handwriting text elements to add even stronger creative feel.
Estrya’s Handwriting font is very good for adding handwriting style notes as we see on WebDesignerWall screenshot examples above.
As main header on jobs section also is used natural background with illustrations and handwriting font Sketch Rockwell – very useful for headers and titles.
Use watercolor brushes in background to get creative look:
Very often people tend to use one main paper where whole page is based and add notes, pins, creative tools- this is actually main feature how to recognize this style:
Site using hand-drawn style in subtle way with paper imitation and charming page fold.
Warning – Flash site image below imitating workspace on Your office, using handwriting notes, photos.
Sites using just a few design elements to get that personal look with sewing cloth imitation and cute box layout roundup margins.
Sometimes entirely hand drawn sites can look amazing, but shouldn’t forget about usability since it’s easy to overuse this technique:
Portfolio website using a lot of sketched elements to express their creativity.
Kind of childish looking site but in the same time – very good example:
Use ribbons in navigation or titles to get really special fashioned 3D effect :)
Vintage/Grunge sites using hand drawn elements:
More like vintage style page using old paper, paper folds, stickers:
Excellent example of hand writing font usage in navigation, logotype and also notice creative contact boxes in the footer and sketched arrow. Simple and creative design.
Fuzzy lines, shapes, handwriting text and polaroid photo imitation looks really good:
Header using paper background and dashed (dotted could look good too) line with scissors.
Sites using leather or fabric elements in their background or navigation with stitches.
I think also wood texture in backgrounds is also very typical hand-drawn style feature and there are many examples showing why :
This site could be more considered vintage/grunge style website, but there are also very good examples of background usage, polaroid photos, wood materiality and map.
Site using table surface as background with many typical hand-drawn style daily use things, stickers, papers, pins, handwriting text and so on.
Go crazy being creative – whole site is dedicated to represent Your workspace and tools You are using. (warning:flash site)
Creative board with lot’s of notes, pins, badges, checks and handwriting text.
Actually I thought I will be a lot easer to describe this style, but as You see – images can tell more than description. Look carefully through those great websites, if You want to really stand out and forget about web 2.0 look site, which is already overused. Get inspired!
Subscribe to my RSS feed and stay updated because the next article will be huge hand-drawn resource collection with brushes, fonts, template images You can use to spice Your site or get totally creative without wasting Your time in tiresome resource search.
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Dainis Graveris is 23 years old blogger and designer, founder of 1stWebDesigner, now more silently managing everything behind the scenes. He usually hangs out in Twitter tweeting design related links and chatting with people. If you have any questions or feedback that's the best place to start! Cheers!
Monday, January 23rd, 2012 07:41
Thanks for the great collection. I love this style although it seems out of fashion lately…hopefully we will see more sites like these in future.
Thursday, July 21st, 2011 11:01
casio and web designer wall are really beautiful, they are very talented.
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010 15:21
THanks for sharing. It’s great
Monday, August 3rd, 2009 12:21
A beautiful roundup of websites that feature hand-drawn style.
Sunday, August 2nd, 2009 21:09
It’s amazing how you can accumulate so many great designs at once. I have a list of my own. Soon my design will be on your blog LOL! Well done.
Saturday, July 4th, 2009 04:24
Hi, all I wanna say is these designs are totally rad. Thanks for posting them here.
Monday, June 15th, 2009 07:22
I had drawn caricature and real drawing for almost 10 years, but never thought I could hand-draw my site. Thanks for inspiration.
gaus surahmans last blog post : Facebook-like chat panel with drupal chat module
Sunday, February 15th, 2009 15:55
Great resource and showcase. Good work
Lee Munroes last blog post : Web Design Trends: Stars and Aurora Effect
Saturday, February 14th, 2009 21:20
Fantastic list!!
Absolutely love these sites!
AthenaEmilys last blog post : February Wallpaper: Twenty-two
Saturday, February 14th, 2009 22:26
Great collection! Here’s another take on handdrawn websites that I think is cool http://www.matthewgraygubler.com/ – I featured it on my blog. Evan Eckard also has a really cool wordpress theme called Notepad Chaos that fits into this style, I used bits of it on my blog.
Tanyas last blog post : Favorite Web Personality #15: Pascal-Auban Scher
Sunday, February 8th, 2009 17:07
How do you get the backgroundimage (main-bg.jpg) to shine through the divs?
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 18:46
Seriously great post. I recently forun another site with handwritten logo Oxcili …. I know it is not as good as you have shown above but worth a mention that such a trend is catching on!
Friday, January 30th, 2009 23:07
Really awe inspiring list. These designs are awesome!
Tom Rosss last blog post : A Beginners Guide to Photo-Manipulation and Ani-Morphing
Thursday, January 29th, 2009 08:26
Hi..
I love the idea of hand drawn style which is mentioned in this site.
As it breaks the traditional rule of web site design, trough hand drawn style we can have more creativity and also add personal touch to our websites.
Thanks
john
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 17:43
I love this look and I love how even small elements can really spice up a normally boring website. I can’t wait to see what’s next!
Elizabeth Kaylenes last blog post : I hate New Haven
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 15:27
I like the “hand writing” look. I chose a font for my logo that somewhat resembled hand writing. It does add a personal touch.
Dee Langdon – BloggerNewbies last blog post : EntreCard – Yes, No or Maybe?
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 22:03
I love the free-flowing feeling of sites like this. It really breaks the “boxy” design rules, which is a good thing. Organic looking sites are restful on the eyes, even if there is a lot going on.
Carter Harkinss last blog post : 5 Do-It-Today Media Strategies for Getting Noticed in New Places on the Web
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 13:28
This is a great post. I like the breakdown of Web Designer Wall. Well done.
You missed a classic hand drawn site though:
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 13:26
Lol! Very nice list. thanks i feel inspirated!
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 18:14
Thanks a lot for listing my site! I am curious as to why it was listed in the Hand Drawn category, but any recognition is good recognition so thanks!
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 14:56
great list here.
i think this is another site worth mentioning.http://www.ecenglish.com/younglearners/
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 06:53
I’m hawking my own “hand-drawn” site. Hope it inspires you to do something… completely different.
Great choices btw.
Sai-Kit Huis last blog post : Starbucks IS coffee culture
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 02:26
I love the sketchy/hand drawn style in web design. This is a great source of inspiration, thanks!
Angie Bowens last blog post : Arbenting’s Best of the Week for 01/18 – 01/25
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 00:07
Thanks for including http://www.cssjockey.com in the list.
I appreciate your effort..
Thanks,
CJ
CSSJockeys last blog post : Google Juice: Update Services and Optimize Link Structure
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009 23:55
work of art and i cant stop staring at each one of them. thanks for posting!
pastelss last blog post : Watch 24 Season 7 Episode 9 | 24 Full Episodes | 24 Day 7
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pastels
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009 23:55
work of art and i cant stop staring at each one of them. thanks for posting!
pastelss last blog post : Watch 24 Season 7 Episode 9 | 24 Full Episodes | 24 Day 7
Elizabeth Kaylene
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 17:43
I love this look and I love how even small elements can really spice up a normally boring website. I can’t wait to see what’s next!
Elizabeth Kaylenes last blog post : I hate New Haven
Dee Langdon - BloggerNewbie
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 15:27
I like the “hand writing” look. I chose a font for my logo that somewhat resembled hand writing. It does add a personal touch.
Dee Langdon – BloggerNewbies last blog post : EntreCard – Yes, No or Maybe?
john milton
Thursday, January 29th, 2009 08:26
Hi..
I love the idea of hand drawn style which is mentioned in this site.
As it breaks the traditional rule of web site design, trough hand drawn style we can have more creativity and also add personal touch to our websites.
Thanks
john
One
Thursday, January 29th, 2009 00:53
One more:
http://oink.elrellano.com
Hari
Saturday, January 31st, 2009 18:46
Seriously great post. I recently forun another site with handwritten logo Oxcili …. I know it is not as good as you have shown above but worth a mention that such a trend is catching on!
Tom Ross
Friday, January 30th, 2009 23:07
Really awe inspiring list. These designs are awesome!
Tom Rosss last blog post : A Beginners Guide to Photo-Manipulation and Ani-Morphing
Carter Harkins
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 22:03
I love the free-flowing feeling of sites like this. It really breaks the “boxy” design rules, which is a good thing. Organic looking sites are restful on the eyes, even if there is a lot going on.
Carter Harkinss last blog post : 5 Do-It-Today Media Strategies for Getting Noticed in New Places on the Web
Peter Fullerton
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 13:28
This is a great post. I like the breakdown of Web Designer Wall. Well done.
You missed a classic hand drawn site though:
http://www.WeArenotFreelancers.co.za
CSSJockey
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 00:07
Thanks for including http://www.cssjockey.com in the list.
I appreciate your effort..
Thanks,
CJ
CSSJockeys last blog post : Google Juice: Update Services and Optimize Link Structure
joyoge designers' bookmark
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 02:10
nice inspiring thanks for post..
Angie Bowen
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 02:26
I love the sketchy/hand drawn style in web design. This is a great source of inspiration, thanks!
Angie Bowens last blog post : Arbenting’s Best of the Week for 01/18 – 01/25
Sai-Kit Hui
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 06:53
I’m hawking my own “hand-drawn” site. Hope it inspires you to do something… completely different.
Great choices btw.
Sai-Kit Huis last blog post : Starbucks IS coffee culture
Уеб дизайнер
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 13:26
Lol! Very nice list. thanks i feel inspirated!
Todd Adams
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 18:14
Thanks a lot for listing my site! I am curious as to why it was listed in the Hand Drawn category, but any recognition is good recognition so thanks!
Clint
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 14:56
great list here.
i think this is another site worth mentioning.http://www.ecenglish.com/younglearners/
Jan
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 01:47
Thanks for including me in this list :)
iDevelopThings
Saturday, February 7th, 2009 04:53
Sweet! one more.. http://karalekian.com/
john
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010 15:21
THanks for sharing. It’s great
PSD Cutups
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010 05:41
Very nice list….
Liena Aifen
Friday, October 1st, 2010 08:48
Great articles. like your post. very intersting
Ride a Wave
Wednesday, February 16th, 2011 18:14
These are brilliant!!
Marianne
Monday, January 23rd, 2012 07:41
Thanks for the great collection. I love this style although it seems out of fashion lately…hopefully we will see more sites like these in future.
Barsha
Thursday, July 21st, 2011 11:01
casio and web designer wall are really beautiful, they are very talented.
John Parks
Monday, August 3rd, 2009 12:21
A beautiful roundup of websites that feature hand-drawn style.
Jay
Sunday, August 2nd, 2009 21:09
It’s amazing how you can accumulate so many great designs at once. I have a list of my own. Soon my design will be on your blog LOL! Well done.
Tanya
Saturday, February 14th, 2009 22:26
Great collection! Here’s another take on handdrawn websites that I think is cool http://www.matthewgraygubler.com/ – I featured it on my blog. Evan Eckard also has a really cool wordpress theme called Notepad Chaos that fits into this style, I used bits of it on my blog.
Tanyas last blog post : Favorite Web Personality #15: Pascal-Auban Scher
rOBSAN
Sunday, February 8th, 2009 17:07
How do you get the backgroundimage (main-bg.jpg) to shine through the divs?
AthenaEmily
Saturday, February 14th, 2009 21:20
Fantastic list!!
Absolutely love these sites!
AthenaEmilys last blog post : February Wallpaper: Twenty-two
Lee Munroe
Sunday, February 15th, 2009 15:55
Great resource and showcase. Good work
Lee Munroes last blog post : Web Design Trends: Stars and Aurora Effect
Jermaine Pleas
Saturday, July 4th, 2009 04:24
Hi, all I wanna say is these designs are totally rad. Thanks for posting them here.
gaus surahman
Monday, June 15th, 2009 07:22
I had drawn caricature and real drawing for almost 10 years, but never thought I could hand-draw my site. Thanks for inspiration.
gaus surahmans last blog post : Facebook-like chat panel with drupal chat module
Arie Zonshine
Wednesday, February 18th, 2009 11:06
Excellent list, here’s my addition: Lionways