The use of photography and images in web design is a prominent trend in 2012, leading to a wide array of minimal, yet beautiful online offerings that let their photos do the talking. In no niche is this more true than fashion, where a single photograph can hold more information and appeal than one million words.
If you need inspiration for your next fashion web design project or are simply seeking a new home to discuss the fashion industry, here are 20 minimal photography-centric fashion web designs for your viewing pleasure:
1. Free People Clothing Boutique
Featuring a unique array of hand-drawn grunge style clothing offerings, the Free People Clothing Boutique website is a wonderful example of the power of photography in web design.
2. Ralph Lauren
The American online home of Ralph Lauren offers a plain white background with full-width photo and video offerings giving visitors a quick but enticing look at what the site and the company have to offer.
3. Net-a-Porter
This online fashion magazine lets its imagery do the talking on its main page, enticing visitors to learn more about the unique styles showcased there.
4. Prada
One of the world’s most well-known and loved fashion brands, Prada allows photography to cover the entire site, from edge to edge, with very minimal navigation tools included almost as an afterthought.
5. Pepe Jeans
Popular denim company Pepe Jeans utilizes unique photography everywhere on its site, using areas overlaying the images to provide simple navigation from page to page.
6. Paul Smith
Fashion designer Paul Smith uses the main page of his website to house a single image showcasing his latest products, allowing other site functionality to appear only below the fold in order to let the photo speak for itself.
7. Aquascutum
The website of Aquascutum London follows suit with its use of a large single image to convey its momentary message on the main page of its website, focusing on both featured products and upcoming fashion events.
8. Victoria’s Secret
Well-known purveyor of women’s bathing gear and lingerie Victoria’s Secret utilizes images upon images to give even first-time visitors a clear idea of what they have to offer.
9. Benetton
The beautiful website of fashion firm Benetton features a huge photo slider on their main page to give a quick overview of the different categories that their fashion offerings cover.
10. Lucky Brand
Simple navigation buttons sit above beautiful photographs, all working to showcase the many styles offered by Lucky Brand.
11. Tommy Hilfiger
Long known and loved for its wide array of products, Tommy Hilfiger allows full-size photos to do the talking on its website home page.
12. Louis Vuitton
Luxury fashion brand Louis Vuitton gives each category page on its site a huge, full-width photograph to act as an introduction to the offerings within.
13. Gucci
The beautiful use of photo overlays grace the home page of Gucci’s website, giving a quick peek into its inner workings and designs.
14. Lacoste
Visitors to the website of fashion design company Lacoste are treated to one photograph with self-sliding access to many others, each depicting a different category of products.
15. Hugo Boss
Hugo Boss presents its website visitors with a huge array of photographs, some featured as a collage with others offering a full-size look at the company’s latest products.
16. Liz Claiborne
The website of fashion giant Liz Claiborne almost does away with other elements altogether, giving simple but beautiful photos all of the shine.
17. ASOS
Quick selection between products for men and women takes place via the large photo dominating this design.
18. Emporio Armani
Armani’s Emporio section utilizes a unique photograph as a background to all site functions.
19. Ralph Lauren Rugby
Allowing users to toggle between full-size video or a full-size photograph, Ralph Lauren’s Rugby brand offers a beautiful visual interface on its website.
20. Bontoni
Minimalist design and unique photography combine to make the website of fashion designer Bontoni well worth a visit.