A few weeks ago we did a roundup of our favorite apps. We asked the team to share with us the apps they found really useful, and the crowd went wild!  So today we thought we'd share with you what we each like in a website. From design to functionality and content, each team member has a cool site they'd love to share with you. Check them out!  You might get some inspiration for your next site redesign!

Mattie:

I enjoy the look of both Ruche and Anthropologie because they each do a lot of custom slides. The slide shows use really cool watercolor techniques that are effective and beautiful without distracting from the main attraction—the awesome clothes!  As a website designer I understand and appreciate what goes into such a design and I think it's beautifully executed. I'd love to do something like these sites for a client one day!

Matt:

Awwwards.com is one of my personal favorites. It highlights some of the best new cutting edge websites out there by scoring them on four categories: Design, Usability, Creativity, and Content. The scoring is community based, so anyone can give their opinion on a website open to voting. Awwwards gives out accolades for “Site of the Day,” “Sites of the Month,” “Sites of the Year,” and “Honorable Mentions.” The purpose of the website is very clear, allowing you to quickly view the websites up for voting or the ones that have won. It even allows you to filter the websites by niche or technology used. Awwwards is a great starting point for inspiration!

TechCrunch is a blog based website that focuses on IT companies and startups. It recently went through a redesign to allow for a cleaner look. I love how the website fluidly adapts to any screen size. The mobile experience continues with the clean trend, stripping some of the unneeded elements while providing more focus on the featured articles.

Brittany:

Autostraddle is a big favorite on my list. While the content might be somewhat controversial (frank and honest discussions regarding all things related to queer culture), the website itself is one of the best themed wordpress blogs I have ever seen. The content is amazing and honest, which creates a great open community and it's an exceptional example of how social media can be used to bring people together.

Kristen:
ModCloth is a website that sells vintage inspired clothing and accessories and it's my favorite. I love how the branding is consistent throughout their site. Even the boxes their stuff is delivered in are fabulous and fun and go perfectly with their overall brand message: wearing this is going to be so much fun! They know their target market very well and they go after them with gusto! But as a writer, I admire their clever content the most. The product names and descriptions are nothing short of brilliant. Every product has a fun and kicky name like "Soiree of Sunshine Dress" or the "Tappy Feet Wedge." 

But the fun does not stop there! Once you click on the product description, you find a story describing what you'd be doing as you're wearing the product. The product descriptions are often whimsical and fun and frequently offer suggestions on what could be worn with the item. This serves an important purpose:  it engages the reader with the product, actually painting a picture of them using and enjoying it. Plus, you get a hint on how to rock it with shoes and accessories. It's different from product descriptions that we generally see and it really gets customers excited about the article they're considering. They bring you on a little journey and it's fun to engage in the fantasy. ModCloth really gets it right.

We hope you enjoyed checking out our favorite sites. These are the ones that inspire us and we can't wait to make your website every bit as spectacular as these!