The concept of Material Design was first introduced by Google in 2014, and soon it became a web design principle that every major website had to follow. The word Material design seems like something a designer would use for contemplating different choices for creatively designing the interior of a house.
Now, if you consider this in the digital world, the metaphor is not too far from Google’s material design specifications. Google has been working towards making the digital UI design process similar to the physical design, so it can be more relatable for the users. In the words of Matías Duarte, the Vice President of Design at Google:
Unlike real paper, our digital material can expand and reform intelligently. Material has physical surfaces and edges. Seams and shadows provide meaning about what you can touch.
Matías Duarte, the Vice President of Design at Google
What is Material Design?
This concept was firstly initiated for mobile app designing specifically for touch interfaces, but quickly surpassed the realm of smartphones and became a popular web design and development phenomenon.
In simple words, Material design is a way of making design elements look more real and touchable. The best example of this is Google’s design itself, however, many other websites have also adopted material design techniques to make them appear more relatable.
It is inspired by the textures and design of the physical world. Meaning, it reimagines the way light reflects on objects and casts shadows, and portrays it in the digital medium as three-dimensional design.
So, if you are looking to incorporate material design into your web design process, then you are in the right place. This article focuses on 15 awesome material design website examples that you can draw inspirations from and design your website according to the Material Design framework.
So, without further ado, let’s dive in:
Material Design Website Examples:
Here are 15 of the best material design websites that you can draw inspiration from. These websites are carefully selected and analyzed to show how you can incorporate material design in your brand’s custom web design for a greater user experience.
In a previous article, we have published a list of top sites for material design inspirations. Check it out.
1. Inbox by Google
Like we said previously, Google’s websites are the perfect example of Material design. Considering Inbox by Google, we can see that Google has beautifully incorporated the principles of Material Design into its web design, making it appear more realistic and reachable. Google has used its concept in other products similarly to show how other websites can use material design and have a more realistic user interface and design.
2. Dropbox Business
Next up is the Dropbox business. They have adopted the concept of Material design since the early times and have incorporated their brand colors into the design perfectly. The website is a typical example of Material design done right with a single color palette and black and white fonts.
3. Behance
Behance website design is a great example of getting material design inspiration for designing your website. It has showcased the principles of material design very well. Furthermore, you can even check out other material design projects to get inspiration.
4. Waaark
If you consider the guidelines of material design animations, Waaark has intelligently balanced elements and layout. The animation switched cleverly as you drag the mouse across the screen that looks like waves on the screen. It even shows the creative web studio’s capabilities of web designing and development for future prospects.
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5. Android
Android has beautifully incorporated the season’s colors into its website design to make it more realistic and relatable to users. The colors combined with beautiful design and premium animations make this an inspirational website for web designers looking to incorporate the material design on their websites.
6. RumChata
RumChata has combined physical aesthetics in an attractive manner that delivers a wonderful user experience. The elements used to make the interface similar to the real world and its beauty, making it more realistic. The design has a beautiful combination of colors and intuitive design that is amazing to look at and interact with.
7. Serioverify
The web design of Serioverify follows the perpendicular guidelines of Google’s material design concept that gives a sense of consistency to users that visit the website. The design enables developers to control the altitude and projection of elements by one single value.
8. Dribbble
Dribbble is a platform where designers share resources to inspire other designers. The website has adopted the principles of material design very well. Moreover, the social network has plenty of material design websites and resources that you can get inspiration from.
9. BeOnHome
Like Serioverify, BeOnHome also follows the perpendicular guidelines that set the consistency in design for a greater user experience. The user-friendly website has a simple yet beautiful design that you can get inspiration to make your own blog or website.
10. Codepen
Codepen is a website, or more likely a playground for web developers and designers. The platform has great examples of material design websites that you can search for according to your website’s requirements.
The plus point of Codepen is that besides having inspiration from the designs, you can even have a look at the underlying code, including CSS, HTML, and even javascript, used for building that web design or animation.
11. Land Life Company
Here is an example of a website that focuses on planting and growing forests for a greener tomorrow. Now the great thing about this web design is that it offers an interactive experience to users. As users hover their cursor through the header, the area that looks barren is brought to life by the trees.
The web design captures the essence of the company’s goals and incorporates it into the design, making it more realistic and letting the users know exactly what the Land Life Company has to offer.
12. Tech Style Fashion Group
Now the interesting thing about the Tech Style Fashion Group is that it is not only interactive but also quite visually appealing as the model is shown across the home page wearing the brand’s trendy clothing. As you scroll down, you get to see animations that display more about the brand. The color theme and the layout complement each other making the website attractive and providing a great user experience.
13. Asana
Asana has designed its website and application considering the guidelines of Google’s Material Design Framework, making it an inspiration for other designers. The design is simple yet sophisticated with a decent color palette.
14. The Distance
The Distance has cleverly combined animations and elements to offer an awesome user experience. The mobile app development company showcases just what it can do through the creativity used on their website. They have differentiated themselves from their competitors by incorporating material design on their official website.
15. Tom Bow
Tombow’s website offers an interactive experience to users looking to buy a quality pen for writing. The animations display their products beautifully as users browse through the different options and learn more about each pen.
Differentiating your brand with Google’s Material Design Framework:
By following Google’s design framework, you can make your brand’s website stand apart from competitors through a better user experience. The website can be visually inviting and easy to navigate through by using material design philosophy.
Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind when incorporating material design into your web design:
1. Choose Concepts Carefully to Reflect your Brand:
If you are looking to incorporate material design principles into your web design then you must know that you don’t need to follow the concept guidelines verbatim. You have to find the usability elements that complement your brand and make sense of new and upcoming devices. Try blending the concepts with your design to offer an amazing and unique user interface experience that reflects your brand.
2. Pick Colors and Fonts that Compliment the Overall Design:
When using Material Design, instead of using the framework’s color palette and typography set, you can creatively add colors to the mix that portray your brand. Use fonts and colors that other brands are not using, and one that looks sophisticated while reflective your brand. The content of your websites must be readable and engaging for a better user experience.
3. Always Keep Functionality in Favor of Form:
One of the most common errors in interaction design is that designers often prioritize form over functionality. This means that instead of focusing on usability recommendations, the designers focus on the aesthetic of the material design.
This makes the appearance attractive but the experience not so much. A user-friendly page is one that a user can navigate through easily, not one that just looks visually appealing.
4. Trust your Creative Design Experience:
Even though Google offers cutting-edge UX and UI philosophy that makes the digital experience effective, it is better to use it just as a point of reference. This is because as a designer you know your brand’s user demographics and theme.
You have to use your overall design approach and adopt the material design philosophy in a manner that improves the user experience. It is better to leave confusing and complex animations that interfere with usability.
5. Be Open to User Feedback:
When it comes to user experience, you might now be aware of the little inconsistencies that users end up facing when they navigate through your website. Therefore, you must stay open to user feedback regarding the user experience and usability of your website. This will enable you to obtain important insights on what works and what doesn’t, so you can tweak as deemed necessary.
6. Invest Your Time in Learning More About Material Design:
For an innovative and interactive user experience, you must keep learning about Material Design. Be on the lookout for any changes in the concept and how your competitors have used material design philosophy that reflects their brand.
Keep exploring broader UI and UX concepts to expand your professional designing scope. The digital world is fast-evolving, therefore it is better to learn from time to time, so you don’t fall behind in terms of the core principles of design.
The Bottom-line…
Material design is an awesome concept of making websites more realistic and interactive, however, it can become constrictive if the designers fail to stay true to the brand.
We have reviewed 15 of the highly-recommended Material website examples that you can take inspiration from and build an interactive website for your brand. The digital design philosophy is an effective and widely used concept that you can benefit from by embracing your brand’s creative design.