Flower Power
1st edition — by Patrick McNeil — Apr. 25, 2008
The Design Element
I hereby declare that the recent DMD silence is over! Being caught up in so many aspects of life I can finally focus again on my writing here. Fortunately I have still been cataloging, just not publishing the results, so there is a glut of samples waiting to be published. I am also super excited about several new Meltdown projects that are in the works of which I plan to launch the first one in the next few weeks. Just ironing out some development issues. So, on with the trend!
While these samples don't necessarily embrace the theme of Flower Power in the stereotypical 1960's way, they do make use of floral elements in a common way. And many of these designs fall somewhere between ornate elements and just plain old use of nature. All the same, I think this style deserves its own section.
So what thought or meaning can there be in such a style? As with many design elements it would seem on the surface that it is nothing more then a decorative and meaningless element. And again, as with many design elements, if we dig a bit more we can easily find plenty of purpose and meaning. Lets look at some samples to see what might be going on.
Iamfake.com
is a fine example. This portfolio site has a very green heavy pallet and a light touch of floral elements. The site isn't quite complete, but still there are some obvious lessons to learn. The designers connection to nature and growth has clear connotations in terms of design goals. All to often we find stereotypical stock photos of a plant growing to demonstrate such an idea. Here we find it more subtly demonstrated. Also, in this case, the illustrated nature of the imagery makes for a very distinct and one of a kind site.
Another site which makes some obvious, yet effective, usage of floral elements is
iheartluxe.com
. Here the floral element is very subtle and not a major design element. And yet, it is one of the only graphical elements of the design. The site is clearly geared towards women and the delicate ornamental floral design plays into that well. Not only does it make it a feminine environment, but it lends to the designer feel and purpose of the site.
Sarajofrieden.com
demonstrates a really fun usage of this style. Here the floral element becomes the navigation, and even more significantly, a visual message about the artists personality. What exactly it says about the individual is perhaps up to each of us to deiced. But with out a doubt it shows a fun, light hearted, creative spirit. This is my personal favorite as it breaks so many "rules" about the web, and yet accomplishes all it needs to, and more.
Sample Usage
