Graphic Greats: Production Graphics with Wendy Peck at webreference.com | 21

Graphic Greats 2: Lines for Design

Lines in many versions present a very attractive and well designed look. Images © Jorge Hurtato.

Elegance in simplicity could have been the theme for this site. I have rarely seen so little detail deliver so much impact. Image © Nissan.

Nissan Maxima
The Nissan Maxima site shows how a few lines can really dress up what is, for the most part, a text based site. The menu is simple text, divided by lines. But the lines are graduated and they lead to a curved line. Instant design. The light lines are also repeated through the rest of the page, providing direction and a very gentle style. If you look at the close-up view, you will get an idea of the subtlety of the lines. You will have to visit the site, though for the full impact – and you should. You will not find a better example of quiet lines directing the navigation and flow of a page.

Black and white with a splash of color here and there. Wonderful use of lines and superb navigation.

Interior page sub-menu. Each page has different colored bullets to let you know where you are. Images © Aquent.

Aquent
If you love black and white with a splash of color, which I freely admit is a long time favorite for me, you will love the Aquent site. They have used the black and white theme very wisely, with bold lines leading to important places in the information. The menu is perfectly simple – text in plain black boxes that reverse to white text on black for mouseovers.

Simple lines make up a theme that anyone who has worked in the print industry will recognize – crop and registration marks set the edges of the page information. Note the bright yellow line of dots and the repeated yellow for the arrows on the sub-menu. All very simple but dramatic and artistic.

The second sample shown here is an actual size clip of the the sub-menu on interior pages. Note how the lines are tying the main menu into the sub-menu, as well as defining both the menu and the individual entries. Each page has a different sub-menu represented by a different color – easy to tell where you are.

This site is well designed with superior navigation. I recommend that you go to the site and wander through the pages, noticing how consistent the look is, yet how each page is different. Great stuff!

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Graphic Greats Index

Design Lines Start/Lines with Masks Tutorial
Lines for Design
Subtle Lines at Work
Tiny Lines in Vivid Color
Unusual Lines