20 Freshest Web Designs, September 2018

Welcome to our roundup of the best websites launched (or relaunched with major updates) in the last four weeks. September marks the beginning of Fall in the northern hemisphere, and reflecting that change, we’re seeing fewer light, airy, minimal designs, and more rich, warm, comforting designs.

There’s been a flood of new design agency sites, and a ton of new season fashion sites launched this month—we’ve included the best. You’ll also find some great photography and lots for lovers of typography. Enjoy!

Critical Mass

Critical Mass is one of those design agencies you’d just love to work for. Their new site is a homage to themselves, telling a success story from their roots in Calgary, to 11 different offices around the world, with some exceptional work along the way.

Genesis

Genesis is a London eatery specializing in organic, healthy food. Their site is ever so slightly bizarre. Entirely black and white, with mystic-inspired illustrations, the site definitely makes me want to eat there, at least once.

Libratone

With bold color blocking, an unconventional grid, and one of the more interesting slideshows you’ll see, Libratone’s site is walking the walk by exuding confidence, sophistication, and a sense of freedom. A great site the perfectly encapsulates its brand identity.

Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacobs is one of the world’s most productive fashion labels, selling a dizzying array of products through this site. Despite the vast range of goods, there’s still time for careful details if you look, check out the animated bag for example.

Tao Tajima

Filmmaker Tao Tajima’s site features fullscreen clips of his work. What makes this site stand out is the liquid-style transition that segues between projects as you scroll. The way the video flexes is a magical effect perfectly in keeping with Tajima’s work.

GT Zirkon

Following the fashion for typefaces to get their own websites, GT Zirkon is a fantastic deep-dive into the design features of this sans-serif typeface. Entirely black and white, the animated noodle details continue to grow, creating a unique sense of time.

Porter & Pals

Feeding our dogs a healthy diet is super important to all owners. Porter & Pals wants you to trust them with your pooch’s diet, they’re different, and they want you to know it. Not convinced? Just keep refreshing the homepage for some hilarious pictures.

Alberta Ferretti

At first glance, Alberta Ferretti’s site looks much the same as any other minimal, grid-based fashion site. Where this site stands out is the playful use of the grid to create unexpected shapes and counter-intuitive alignment.

DAD

Dad is a design agency based in the Netherlands. Scroll through its colorful site and the work scrolls vertically, while the background type scrolls horizontally. Somehow, it works. If they don’t win a D&AD award there really is no poetry in the world.

Hourly App

Hourly is yet another time-tracking app for iOS, so far, so dull. But what sets Hourly apart is the 80s style typography and color palette. The bold choice is reflected in the app’s site, and delivers an impactful, and ultimately individual design.

Studio.Build

Studio.Build is a creative digital and branding agency that believes in big statements made simply. The site features a slideshow of selected work to scroll through, but click-through to the full portfolio for some exceptional design work.

Siri

Apple’s brand new site for its flagship AI product is predictably Apple-like, with a whole ton of mysterious black, gigantic sized type, and some lovely subtle gradients. Rarely does color-coding sections feel so exclusive.

Fred Perry

Fred Perry’s site is a perfect demonstration of how to do parallax right. Used to highlight the size of the product range, and the free shipping options, rather than simply to add interest, it’s an engaging effect on this site.

Sudtipos

Some type foundries focus on black and white to pull us in. Sudtipos have gone in completely the other direction, draping their site in colors inspired by their native Argentina. It’s a fitting approach for a colorful design collective.

The Wing

The Wing is a co-working space with a difference: it’s women-only. With its roots in community activism in the 19th and 20th centuries, The Wing has four spaces in NY and DC, and has plans for six more. It’s a site targeting women, with none of the clichés.

Swallowtail Tea

Swallowtail Tea’s art direction features heavy use of Photoshop’s noise filter, giving the site a nostalgic feel—plus the added benefit of much smaller image files, delivering a faster, more pleasant browsing experience.

Foster Type

Fittingly for a site showcasing type and lettering design, the online portfolio of Dave Foster features some exceptionally well-set type. For lovers of detailed design, it’s a pleasure to browse through and admire.

The Disconnect

The Disconnect is a unique approach to publishing on the web, they want you to disconnect in order to view the content. Just browse over and then turn off your wi-fi. Only on its second issue, it’s great, distraction-free journalism.

The Floral Society

Who doesn’t love flowers? The Floral Society sells high-quality products for amateur florists. From a Christmas wreath workshop, to DIY wedding flowers. It’s a delightful site put together on Squarespace, proving that anyone really can design a website.

The D. E. Shaw Group

A superlative example of an animation that transforms as you scroll, the D. E. Shaw Group’s site is a modern, abstract depiction of investment banking. As a way to illustrate a non-tangible product, it’s difficult to beat.

Paddi MacDonnell

Paddi MacDonnell is a designer and entrepreneur from Northern Ireland, follow her on Twitter.