Resources for Students
It’s been far too long since I visited iLoveTypography.com, and I was in for a feast when I checked it out this morning. Their first post in 2008 has fifteen amazing examples of typography on the web - not necessarily great web design, but the type itself. Great design does usually does follow great typography, so visit and learn!
I found this through a commenter on 37signals’ weblog: it’s a page where the team at 37signals doesn’t just whine about a design or usability problem, they create a solution. At 37Better, you’ll find their idea of a better PayPal experience (see above), a better bank experience, a better Google experience, and more.
As a student, you should be looking at these as examples of how improving a site’s usability will almost always improve its design as well. The 37BetterPayPal site above is not only much clearer - you can read how much you’re sending even in the tiny thumbnail of the better page - but it is actually more visually pleasing.
Always think about usability, and your design will follow.