A popular trend over the past year or two is using landscapes, cityscapes and seascapes in a design. Often placed in a website’s footer, they’re a great way to show off your creativity and as a web designer gives you a chance to test out your Illustrator skills.
A few tips for designing your ’scape’
1. Get some stock photography
You can get lots of downloadable vector graphics and photos from iStockphoto.
2. Check out Flickr
Flickr has loads of Creative Commons photos available for use.
3. Take your own photos
Get out around your town/city and take a few photos of noticeable buildings.
4. Sketch your own ideas
Jot down your own hills and buildings on paper.
5. Finally, get tracing and cutting in Illustrator and Photoshop
Now you have your inspiration you can start tracing in illustrator and trying different Photoshop effects on your buildings to come up with the perfect amazing scape.
Check out the showcase below for inspiration from the best.
Showcase of cityscapes
1. Andy Sowards
2. Disability Heroes
3. Flayks
4. Gotta Get To FOWA
5. Carrot Creative
6. Sawyer Hollenshead
7. TJ Mapes
8. Bainbridge Studios
9. NY Moon
10. DrupalCon
Showcase of landscapes
11. The Mattinator
12. Kulturbanause
13. Hicks Design
14. Viget Inspire
15. Rissington Podcast
16. Adit Shukla
17. Vimeo
18. Koller Media
19. TwitterFone
20. Project Vino
Showcase of seascapes
21. Dizzain
22. Tomas Pojeta
23. We Are Not Freelancers
24. Frisk Design
25. David Torondel
26. Design Disease
27. Volll
28. Get Me Fast
29. Stylized Web
30. DivVoted
January 6th, 2009
Andy Sowards says:
Lee! Amazing post! these are some top notch sites! And the technique is dead on. Find a good pic, trace an outline in PS or Illustrator, and then get creative!
Takes forever sometimes but theres just something about an all vector design that makes me weak in the knees
.
Keep up the good work!!
January 6th, 2009
Kyle Boyd says:
Thanks for the add, some of those other ones look epic.
The key is getting the right landscape to sort your need. Once you get that is game on.
January 6th, 2009
Lee Graham says:
Congrats Andy!!!
January 6th, 2009
Bryan says:
Lee…when I saw this topic in my Reader I was hoping that my site had made the list. There’s definitely a growing trend with using cityscapes, landscapes and seascapes in design.
If you’re looking for great vector versions of big city scapes check out Go Media. They’ve got some great stuff.
January 8th, 2009
Lee says:
Thanks guys, glad you like the list.
@Bryan: Sorry mate, your cityscape does look very cool though!
January 9th, 2009
Charles says:
Here’s a landscape to add! Very colorful, illustrated landscape header. Surprised you missed it
http://www.bestmortgagedeals.co.uk/
January 13th, 2009
Carlos Hermoso says:
Nice showcase of cityscapes, landscapes and seascapes for inspiration. Thanks
January 15th, 2009
Isabel says:
I love this post… sometimes I’m already here again just to inspire myself! Is really a good research! THANKS!!
January 24th, 2009
Atak Teknoloji Web Tasarımı says:
nice collestions. thanks.
January 26th, 2009
David Torondel says:
Thanks for the link on my blog
January 29th, 2009
Max Weir says:
Nice collection, there’s some really nice ones in here.
May 23rd, 2009
morteza says:
Hi
most of your collections are wonderful such as this.
try for more!!!!!!!
thanks
July 2nd, 2009
Lauren says:
These sites are amazing! Great post.