Designers have only a fraction of a second to attract users’ eye and win over their loyalty. Clear visual structure, thought-out typography and moderate use of images are extremely important - as they can drastically improve the scanning process for the users. Consequently, to achieve a lasting positive impression, it’s common to make use of basic rules of usability.

However, classical solutions can be boring; creative solutions can be appealing. Therefore to impress visitors, designers risk unusual and innovative approaches. After all, between standards and creativity there is a lot of room for design experiments. We observe these experiments. We explore new approaches. And we collect them, so you don’t have to.

And since no page is equally important as the start page, it’s interesting to know, which approaches designers come up with, developing an innovative design for start pages. Let’s take a look. Unusual, remarkable and outstanding start pages - in a brief overview.

1. Dynamic, interactive, stylish.

Apparently Leo Burnett prefers to work with pencils, at least in the sketch phase of the site development. The flash-based design of LeoBurnett.ca uses a pencil as a mouse pointer. Users can use it to navigate in 3D. Beautiful, interactive and user-friendly.

The navigation items on Capitalcomm seem to be bounded to a string. To navigate through the content users have to drag the menu items. Extremely well designed, extremely nice to explore.

Flash-based navigation at Yammat.com sticks to a rubber or elastic band; once a link is clicked, the whole page gets in motion. The background images changes with every page reload.

Interactive vertical navigation menu. SectionSeven.com lets you browse through its sections like through the pages of a book.

Not only users can play with web-sites, web-sites can play with users. The navigation menu on Flaboy.com captures the mouse cursor and offers specific browsing locations - automatically. Nicely designed, nicely implemented.

Navigation menu can be gorgeous. MHQ.nl proves it. (The site was already featured in one of our previous posts).

2. Browsing a site in a new way.

What about browsing a web-site without having to click on any links? Interesting approach. Designers experiment.

3. Using enhanced interface design.

Jason Hickner offers sliding navigation with amazing typography and well thought-out dynamic interaction.

4. Offering another perspective.

An unusual design perspective is offered at Davor Vaneijk’s site. Users look at the icon-based navigation under an acute angle.

Similar approach by Mathieu Badimon.

Lance Wyman showcases his work in the form of a spiral. The latests works are placed on the outer side. A navigation menu helps to select some more specific works. Implemented with Flash.

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