460 of the best design websites

Design sites are the most competitive category on A1, and the largest. Studios, freelancers and design tools all live here, and every one of them is being judged on the site itself. A design studio with a mediocre website has already lost the pitch. The sites here — Soren, Daniel Sun, Heron, Interfaces — are the ones where the site is proof. The first thing to look at is the work. The good sites lead with it: big, fast-loading, and cropped to show the detail rather than a mockup of a laptop on a desk. Case studies say what the problem was and what changed, in a paragraph, not an essay. The weak sites lead with a manifesto and hide the work three clicks deep. The second is the craft on the page itself. Transitions that feel considered, type set properly, spacing that’s consistent to the pixel. Design buyers notice a misaligned grid. The third is personality. The category is crowded, so the sites that stand out have a voice — a typeface nobody else uses, a colour, a way of writing. Most are built on Framer or Webflow, with the more technical studios on Next.js. Browse designer profiles, or narrower cuts: minimal design, animated design, typographic design, dark design and photography design.

Updated 29 Sept 2026

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Design website FAQs

What makes a good design studio website?

The work, first and fast. Then evidence of craft on the page itself — because the site is the portfolio. Then a voice that separates the studio from the other 400 in this category. The good sites here get you to a case study in one click, load the images in under a second, and say something about how they think in a sentence rather than a manifesto.

How should a designer present case studies?

Problem, what you did, what changed. One paragraph each. Then the work at full size — real screens, real print, cropped to detail, not a mockup of a laptop on a wooden desk. Show process only if it’s interesting. The case studies on the sites here that work are short, visual and end with a result someone could measure.

How much animation should a design website have?

Enough to show craft, not enough to slow the visitor down. Page transitions, hover states and a considered reveal or two. Look at the animated design collection for how the good ones do it. Design buyers are impatient; a site that makes them wait to see the work is showing off at their expense.

Which platform do designers use for their websites?

Framer has become the default for freelancers and small studios — it’s fast to build in and the output looks designed. Webflow for studios that need a CMS and client handover. Next.js for studios with developers who want full control. Squarespace and Cargo for portfolios that are mostly images. The platform shows less than you’d think; the sites here on all four look good.

How can a design website stand out in a crowded category?

A point of view. Most design sites look like each other because they use the same three typefaces, the same grid and the same reveal animation. The ones here that are memorable chose a typeface with character, a colour nobody else in the category uses, or a way of writing that sounds like a person. Pick one of those and commit.