There are lots of ways to improve your sites web design but sometimes you need help thinking of new ideas. So we have collected a list of creative ideas to help you come up with ideas for your designs.

This will be part one of a series we hope to be writing on simple ways to improve your sites design. If you have any techniques that you like to use or find attractive on a site leave us a comment.

We also plan on offering tutorials on how to do some of these techniques so if you want to know how to do something, leave us a comment!

NAVIGATION

Rather then a traditional horizontal or vertical link setup try something like a map. This is creative and a great way for your viewers to enjoy your sites navigation. There are a lot of ways to make your navigation different, such as instead of ordinary tabs try styling them in unique ways such as the tabs on a folder.

BACKGROUND

Grunge in design is a great way to add character to flat colors. Using grunge can add a subtle texture that makes your backgrounds and images stand out.

Find Brushes

There is a fine line between being too simple and being cluttered. Using patterns in your designs correctly can be the perfect addition to your site. Try patterns that you don’t usually see to really stand out.

Find Patterns

Wood is a popular design trend of recent years and is gaining popularity for its ability to blend well with many designs. A subtle use of a wood element is a great idea to fill in a space that could use some life.

Find Wood & Similar Textures

Another trend that is starting to pickup is watercolors. Web designs are evolving further into pieces of art with trends like watercolor. A great way to add texture to your background.

Find Watercolor Brushes

Notebook like paper lines are great elements for designs that are writing related.

Find Notebook Paper

Adding items like coffee cups, books, pens and other items that you might find on your table are good ways to add personality to your designs,

Find Desk Items

SMALL ADDITIONS

A paperclip is a great way to make a part of your design more realistic; tied together with the notebook paper lines you can make realistic looking paper. Nails, tacks, pins etc. could be other ideas to use. Tape is another small way to add something to your design.

Find Paper Clips

Post-It Notes are simple ways to style a small sections of your site. If you have a twitter update section using a post it note background could be a way to make the updates stand out.

OTHER

Stitching is another cool technique one can use in their designs to create borders or shapes.

Adding a background to your text can help it stand out. This technique is also effective when you have a background that might make it hard for your readers to see the text.

An interesting addition that I have always found unique is the use of elements such as doors, windows etc. to frame items of your site.

Are there places that you know of to find great resources for your website? Leave us a comment and help others.

Have any other ideas? Give us your and you’ll be credited for them, just leave a comment below the post.