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The Principles of Beautiful Web Design
Figure 3.26. Grainy texture on Italio's site
This site has several elements that help to establish its unique texture. The wood texture is rich
and grainy. Just the right color of wood was chosen to give it that “old walnut” look. Combine that
with the cream-colored, nearly parchment-like content area, and it only adds to the effect. The
jagged edge between the wood and the cream area is another texture element that breaks things up.
The food itself is a texture. Just as the texture of food is important when we taste it, the visual texture
only makes us want to try it even more. Thanks to the vivid food photography you can just tell that
the coating on that calamari will be crispy and delicious.
The weathered and worn look has been around for ages in both the print and web design worlds.
It was popularized to the point where it became a design trend in 2004, when Cameron Moll gave
this aesthetic quality the trendy and addictive name, That Wicked Worn Look. 9 Cameron’s series
of articles about the topic was an instant hit, and inspired many designers (myself included) to
bring more of that rough and worn-in texture to the Internet. Another example of a design that uses
the weathered aesthetic to create a sense of nostalgia is the Team Fannypack 10 website in Figure 3.27.
This goofy but thoughtfully designed site for a Multiple Sclerosis Walk team has been made to look
like a crumpled old newspaper. Notice the weathered texture and folded corner on the paper content
area. The sepia-toned color scheme also helps lend this team’s story some historical significance.
9 http://www.cameronmoll.com/archives/000024.html
10 http://www.teamfannypack.com/