| These awards are all the epitome of Elegance in Design. The web has too many pages that lack the care and beauty to make a visit memorable. The sites here are mostly chosen by my hand and honored for the gracious elegance that they contribute to the Internet. |
| Site Name | ]sXang[ |
| My Review | No superlative does this site justice. It just is not something that I can describe. I've seen some awesome Flash sites, but this is just amazing. Each segment of the site contains intricate graphics that all mesh together to form a very sophisticated atmosphere. Though there's a lot going on, nothing ever jars the senses -- harmony in chaos -- a delicate balance achieved by this talented graphics designer. The technical aspect is impressive too, but just playing with the navigations will humble just about any website designer. And I don't believe I've even mentioned that thereare Quicktime movies to be seen and QTVR pieces to play with as well. It's one of those sites you can't get enough of. Bravo! 11/12/99 |
| Site Name | Anonymomma's World |
| My Review | Anonymomma's World is one of those sites that everyone has visited at least once. I personally have returned many times just to be entertained some more by the lady wearing a bag over her head. This is an enormous and wildly funny place to visit, from movie reviews to quiet thoughts to graphical anarchy at Momma's Mugbooks to "serious" pieces of graphical art. Momma has one heck of a talent for graphics and webdesign. Her pages are all different, but the entire site is cohesive -- adhering to one overriding design specification. There being so many things to see and do at Momma's place, one can spend a day just wandering about. A MUST SEE site. 5/9/99 |
| Site Name | Varazdin 2000 |
| My Review | Varazdin is a city in Croatia known for its rich cultural heritage. Now it has a very impressive representation on the net as one of the most sophisticated Flash sites I have ever seen. The main portion of this site is the interactive city map of Varazdin, which one can zoom in, access all cities with 360 degree navigation, and locate all major streets. Besides the technical wizardry, the "plain" HTML on the other pages are well-done and cleanly implemented. A large scale magnum opus made with Flash3 technology. 4/24/99 |
| Site Name | Wicked Ascii Art |
| My Review | I've never been one for creating ASCII art, but after seeing this site, I feel compelled to try my hand at it. There must be thousands of pieces collected within this site, all organized into alphabetical categories and surprisingly accessible for so many files. Other than the tremendously interesting material that surprises and leaves visitors wondering at how such ingenious designs took shape, there is the quiet but very well-done site design that ties things together. Erik, the webmaster, has done an outstanding job with the navigation and ease-of-use in the site design, not to mention brought to the Net a remarkable collection of ASCII art. 3/29/99 |
| Site Name | Le Jardin Sauvage |
| My Review | Lestat de LionCourt, the charming resident vampire of this site, has a profound taste for the darkly beautiful. The entrance has the elements of fright and subtlety that set the tone for within the site. Upon arriving at the main page, one is immediately drawn by the metaphors of darkness everywhere: in the figures of a woman in a vampire's embrace to the faded rose of the navigational frame. Lestat guides his guest into his dark chambers, allowing you to meet his coven of immortally beautiful children and friends. At once dark and fascinatingly beautiful, here is a tribute to Anne Rice that leaves visitors feeling enthralled by Gothic vampirism once again. 12/15/98 |
| Site Name | Infinitely Imzadi |
| My Review | This is the first Trek award winner to make it to the web elegance winners' list as well, and I believe I'm entirely justified for doubly awarding this lovely site. Rarely have I seen a Trek site with richer content or more beautiful design. It would be a treat to find a site that incorporated either, but InfinitelyImzadi's Karen manages to do both with awe-inspiring panache in her site devoted to the TNG couple Deanna Troi and Will Riker. The design of the site is streamlined and easy to use. What I really like about this is the deep luxuriant purple and the cohesiveness of each element within the site. Such attention to detail as the framing work done on quotes and imagemap graphics has not gone unnoticed. The new incarnation of Infinitely Imzadi is infinitely impressive and well worth many return trips. 2/14/00 |
| Site Name | The Goodhue Gallery |
| My Review | Galleries on-line number in the thousands, but I've yet to see a gallery that gives the term "virtual gallery" a better definition. TheGoodhueGallery.com site immediately sets the mood by showing you the front door of the gallery, then leading you in succesively into the lobby and then separate display rooms. You can "walk" right up to an art piece and look at it like in a real art gallery. The only thing missing is the low hum of background voices and being able to look at a picture from all angles. It is my hope that in the not-so-distant future the static frames and the MIDIs be replaced with QVR technology and hi-fi MP3 streaming music. 11/12/99 |
| Site Name | Lifeshaper.com |
| My Review | I just love quotes, and good motivational quotes with pretty pictures make them twice as sweet. This site offers all of that and more, along with a nice interface that does a better job of staying in the background than most framed sites. I like the Monet-like surrealism of the pictures that come with quotes and the way the quotes are divided into categories. All in all a refreshingly enjoyable commercial site. 11/12/99 |
| Site Name | AXE - Edge of Reality | Site of the DEMON |
| My Review | Frames have never looked nicer on a webpage. Kudos to Mikael the webmaster for making me believe in frames again. These sites are the official sites of two bands, and as such, contain the material one expects of such sites. That is, discography, sound clips, band history, and such. What makes these two sites special is their quiet presentation and commendably stylish layout that is both inviting and relaxing. Exquisite pieces of work. 5/19/99 |
| Site Name | Alternative Ink |
| My Review | This company site of a professional design group is among the most unique that I've encountered. There are five different styles with which to view the site, from the cowboy Western to the Troglodyte cave painting, the distinct atmosphere created is most impressive and displays the range of skills that the designers possess. A great site to visit and see examples of unique and tasteful design. 5/9/99 |
| Site Name | Unsitely.com |
| My Review | Junky Jim has gone on a crusade to pick up the worst of internet trash and award them garbage ratings accordingly. This site is wildly humorous, and I spent a logn time laughing over what Jum had to say. Though his site isn't in the style of what I normally award, I just couldn't resist. It's a great site to visit and learn from bad examples what to avoid. Jim himself has a good idea of what is good style and what is not, so I highly recommend a visit to his garbage collection site. 5/9/99 |
| Site Name | Civello Salon and Spa |
| My Review | Sheer elegance and quiet beauty permeates this company page. Compliments to the designer who managed to incorporate a sparse ethereal theme throughout in a very compelling matter. This site uses light colors and simple lines to create a site that epitomizes good design. 5/9/99 |
| Site Name | Rob's travel photos |
| My Review | Rob has traveled extensively throughout the world and brought back from his trips many fascinating items of interest and stacks of photos. He's organized them here in this site in a simple, but effective fashion. I especially enjoyed his beer coaster collection! 5/9/99 |
| Site Name | Aeclectic |
| My Review | Solandia, webmistress of this purple gem of a site, presents a rich collection of the most beautiful Tarot cards. Besides a gallery of Tarot artwork, there is also a darkly beautiful gothic and 3d art gallery to explore. Exquisite taste and a veritable museum of artwork to appreciate make this site a standout of the gothic genre. 5/2/99 |
| Site Name | The Secret Heart |
| My Review | I have a weakness for the aesthetically beautiful and this site is as lovely a site as one can imagine. Elegant in its backdrop of whispery violet and pinkish gray, every element of the secret heart sings praise to the beautiful and serene. I came across this site by chance, but I am very glad I have done so. Everyone can learn something from this highly polished site. 4/25/99 |
| Site Name | The Avengers Forever |
| My Review | It's a shame I have never caught an episode of "The Avengers". I certainly will pay attention to the show once I do see it because this site is overflowing with the passion of a person who loves the show enough to dedicate so much time to presenting the show in a painstakingly detailed fashion. Every single episode is reviewed and given royal treatment here. The site as a whole is easily navigable and extremely good on download time while maintaining an organized graphical interface. A great site both in design and content. 4/23/99 |
| Site Name | The ART of webdesign |
| My Review | There is much to learn from visiting this site. Focused on presentation and lots of Java applications, it shows the webmaster has all the tools necessary to be a professional webdesigner but also knows restraint. The various scripts and applets he shows are all interesting, but usually too much for a regular page. Gerard manages to put everything together in an organized and efficient way, allowing amateurs to see and appreciate his abilities. 3/29/99 |
| Site Name | Tamboo - The Official Rupert Hine Web Site |
| My Review | Rupert Hine, modern Renaissance man, is a producer, artist andsongwriter -- who has a great site that challenges the imagination! Webmaster Tim has infused so much fun and mind-boggling Shockwave into his every page that one has to adjust for a while before getting used to it. Though it may take a while to figure out how to get around, the amazing work done at this site is well worth the effort. 3/29/99 |
| Site Name | Westfield Web |
| My Review | "Westfield" is amazing in its combination of clean surface simplicity and complex elements in content and text. I spent hours just looking around the site and I am amazed by the scope of content Jen, the webmaster of this site, has managed to incorporate. From reviewing the latest sci-fi films to discussions of physics to her "Escape from Westfield" choose your own adventure type of story, she has a little of everything. All bundled with a very nice and cheerful layout that wants for nothing. An excellent place to explore on a lazy afternoon. 3/15/99 |
| Site Name | Torment - a journey through the mind |
| My Review | Exzallia, self-proclaimed Goth and webmistress of this site has put together a page that mocks convention and leaves one seeing purple everywhere. A fascinating tapestry of purple artwork and thought, her pages allow people to see artwork that's at once dark and beautifu. Her page is noteworthy for its simplicity and original content, and her style and colors are evocative of dark emotion. 3/7/99 |
| Site Name | In Depth |
| My Review | The bland wallpapers supplied by Microsoft as part of its desktop really could use a lot of advice from this site's designers. Offering gorgeous 3d wallpapers and equally beautiful screensavers that are artworks in and of themselves, this place is a gallery showcasing some wonderful talent. The site itself is also well designed, a pleasure to visit with its immaculate style, detailed graphics, and sleek navigation. 2/4/99 |
| Site Name | Through the Mirror- Beyond Dreaming | My Review | As humans, we usually spend eight hours a day lying in a state of semi-unconsciousness. In those hours, we display no external action, but our mental activity takes form in dreams. If we have ever had any control over dreams in the past, we've lost the ability to now. This site, however, offers a way to dream "lucidly", that is it shows us a way of making conscious decisions within our dreamworld, allowing us to really involve ourselves in dreams and explore our sub-conscious mind. Designed beautifully with vibrant colors and unique naviagation, this site sets the tone for a fantasy-land where one can soar in the sky and explore the depths of the sea through conscious dreaming. 1/15/99 |