Using a light source the right way can add dimension and beauty to a website design. Strong light sources create a stark contrast between light areas and shadows in a design, making the elements look more realistic and dimensional and less flat. Some websites opt instead for a dim light source to create a soft glow around particular areas of the website, to attract the eye more subtly.
Lighting can also create a mood for a website. Some websites use bright swirls of light to show energy, while others use a dim glow to create a peaceful mood. In the examples below, you will see a wide range of lighting effects used, from subtle lighting effects to bold rays of light streaking across the page.
You can learn how to better use light and shadow to polish your page designs and make them stand out on the screen in our recent article 5 Simple Tricks To Bring Light and Shadow Into Your Designs.
Masterful Lighting Effects In Web Design
45royale
Newism
TaoEffect
McCafe
Postbox Inc.
Weloveicons.com
31 Three
Icondock
Mailchimp
for a beautiful web
CampaignMonitor
Crush + Lovely
Camp Creative Group
Design moves me
ditley
artificial studio
Revive Africa
Lisa Moseley
WebKitbits
rareview
Your Web Job
Strutta
Drew Wilson
envato
icebrrg
Revyver Labs
Mike Precious
nekob
nitobi
Search Inside Video
Monterey
Tutorial9
GoodBytes
foehn
Alex Buga
youLOVE.us
avalonstar
Viget Labs
Barack Obama
(al)
Angela Rohner Angela Rohner is founder of the Flash and CSS design gallery TheBestDesigns.com, which she started in 2001. She currently works as an Art Director and Front-End Developer in Dallas, TX. To get in touch with Angela, you can find her on Twitter, or you can visit her website.
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Sammy D
April 8th, 2010 6:52 amGreat article!!! I am using it all the time.
Hello from Chicago web designer.
Bim
April 22nd, 2010 8:19 amThese are brilliant. Inspiring.
Andrea Evans
April 30th, 2010 12:16 amright light should be place in the right place
Krista Jancik
September 20th, 2010 9:33 amIt is amazing how simple lighting can bring forth such strong presence. Web design firms have to balance creativity with subtle techniques to really make the design pop and flow at the same time.
Ken Cooper
May 30th, 2011 12:53 pmExcellent post. I like the template my guy used, simple and it has been really effective. ken-cooper-dc.com/