Web Design Trends: Cityscapes, Landscapes and Seascapes

January 2009

A popular trend over the past year or two is using landscapes, cityscapes and seascapes in a design. Often placed in a website’s footer, they’re a great way to show off your creativity and as a web designer gives you a chance to test out your Illustrator skills.

A few tips for designing your 'scape'

1. Get some stock photography

You can get lots of downloadable vector graphics and photos from iStockphoto.

2. Check out Flickr

Flickr has loads of Creative Commons photos available for use.

3. Take your own photos

Get out around your town/city and take a few photos of noticeable buildings.

4. Sketch your own ideas

Jot down your own hills and buildings on paper.

5. Finally, get tracing and cutting in Illustrator and Photoshop

Now you have your inspiration you can start tracing in illustrator and trying different Photoshop effects on your buildings to come up with the perfect amazing scape.

Check out the showcase below for inspiration from the best.

Showcase of cityscapes

1. Andy Sowards
Andy Sowards
2. Disability Heroes
Disability Heroes
3. Flayks
Flayks
4. Gotta Get To FOWA
Gotta Get To FOWA
5. Carrot Creative
Carrot Creative
6. Sawyer Hollenshead
Sawyer Hollenshead
7. TJ Mapes
TJ Mapes
8. Bainbridge Studios
Bainbridge Studios
9. NY Moon
NY Moon
10. DrupalCon
DrupalCon

Showcase of landscapes

11. The Mattinator
The Mattinator
12. Kulturbanause
Kulturbanause
13. Hicks Design
Hicks Design
14. Viget Inspire
Viget Inspire
15. Rissington Podcast
Rissington Podcast
16. Adit Shukla
Adit Shukla
17. Vimeo
Vimeo
18. Koller Media
Koller Media
19. TwitterFone
TwitterFone
20. Project Vino
Project

Showcase of seascapes

21. Dizzain
Dizzain
22. Tomas Pojeta
Tomas Pojeta
23. We Are Not Freelancers
We Are Not Freelancers
24. Frisk Design
Frisk Design
25. David Torondel
David Torondel
26. Design Disease
Design Disease
27. Volll
Volll
28. Get Me Fast
Get Me Fast
29. Stylized Web
Stylized Web
30. DivVoted
DivVoted

Further Reading

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