Vector images aren’t used widely in the design community. However, using vector elements allow form much more design flexibility and can give a site a unique flavor. When vectors are used well, they can benefit a site’s design. Here’s a list of 10 websites that use vectors very well. Normal web hosting works just fine for vector images, and you don’t need anything special if you’re considering using them.
Most of these sites use vectors in similar ways – they provide some kind of background illustration, most often a landscape. However, there are some nice variations among them and they all implement the vector graphics well. Some use blog host like WordPress, while others are uniquely designed.
Volll
Volll.com is very creatively designed site that does a nice job of using a very unique design while still being easily usable. They use one page for all their content, dividing what would traditionally be different pages among different vertical sections of the page. Each section has a different background design, but they all flow smoothly together. Volll is an incredibly well-designed website and is a great design inspiration. They use vector background images, but they have nicely animated certain portions of the background, which really bring the site to life.
MadeByYim
MadeByTim.com is a very simple site, yet it is incredibly effective. The simple design structure makes it quickly apparent what the site does and how to use it. There is very little information on the site, but little is needed. The large vector illustration that takes up the bulk of the shows off the skill of the designer, and the information to the left simply states how to find out more or to get in contact with him. This site takes minimalist design principles to the extreme, yet it does it very well.
Arbel-Designs
Arbel-Designs.com is much like the first site on this list. it does a great job of integrating 4 different pages into one page. Each section is differentiated by its vertical location and its background image, and the different sections of the vector-based background flow together well. It also has some nice animation, and it and the interactive portfolio add a nice touch of interactivity to the site.
DeanOakley
DeanOakley.com uses the one-page design principle but does it horizontally instead of vertically. This puts a new spin on the idea and makes it unique, but the site is still usable. Vector images at the top and bottom are fixed while the content scrolls. This combines clever CSS design with nice vector image design, and makes for an overall great site.
YaronSchoen
YaronSchoen.com isn’t the most original site design in the world, but it is a nicely designed and implemented site. It has a traditional multi-page structure and static page elements, but it has some nice vector images at the top. It is a well done site and it uses the vector images nicely.
TheGreatBeardedReef
TheGreatBeardedReef.com is another variation of the one page, vertical scrolling site. There aren’t as many design elements in the background, but what is there is well done. The background, like other similar sites, it made up of well-designed vector images.
Owltastic
Owltastic.com is a traditional blog design, but it uses some unique vector images at the top. It does a nice job of using vector images to bring a fresh taste to an otherwise traditionally-designed blog page.
AditShukla
AditShukla.com‘s design is overshadowed by some of the nicer designs higher up on this list, but that’s not to imply that it has a bad design. In fact, it uses a very nice vector image at the top, and has a simple, easy-to-use navigation structure.
Divvoted
Divvoted.com is lower on this list because the site isn’t easy to use. Large fixed header and footer elements relegate the main content to a tiny section of the screen, and make the site difficult to use. However, it has some nice vector illustrations, particularly in the footer.
RadiumLabs
RadiumLabs.com is lite on the vectors, which is why it is ranked low. However, it has a good site design and uses some nice vector images near the top. It’s a great example of a site that uses vector images without having them dominate the design.
