Meet The Best Web Designers in Adelaide And The World

Website design is one of the most important aspects of a website. A well-designed site can draw in more visitors and help keep them engaged, while a poorly designed website can drive people away.

So, who are the world's best web designers? That's a tough question to answer, because there are so many talented designers worthy of consideration. However, we've put together a list of well-known web designers who are at the top of their game.

Why are we doing this? Inspiration! Over this multi-part series, check out their work, their philosophy and learn from the website designs they have created.

These creative minds have come up with some amazing websites, so if you're feeling stumped, be sure to check out their work for design inspiration. 

Of course, there are many talented creatives plying their trade, but only a select few can be called the best website designers on the planet. 

What makes these designers so good? Why have they made the list of Boylen’s best web designers?

• Some elevate their work to an art form, while still delivering user-friendly websites that convert well.
• Others are revolutionaries who broke through, championing radical ideas that we now accept as mainstream.
• Through the course of this series, we’ll included several thought leaders who have written books that are considered to be classics.
• Other designers make out “best” list because they can transcend complexity; they have the unique ability to translate complex ideas into easy-to-understand designs.

We wanted to show that the underlying philosophies of web design are not new. They have been well understood by the masters of design for many years.

While not website design Adelaide designer Ian Kidd was inducted into the Australian Hall of Fame by the Design Institute of Australia.  He was an inaugural member of the Adelaide Art Directors Club and the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA).

We love looking back at his old work and his words of wisdom effortlessly cross the bridge to website design. Here’s the perfect example:

“I’m not here to produce work to hang on the wall, I’m here to solve a problem and give a face to an organisation that is strong, eye catching, arresting and that speaks with honesty.”

Wow! You read this today – long after he has retired – at a time when gurus are writing about how to communicate on an award-winning website.

He is speaking about authenticity. 

He is championing design – that unique combination of elements - that makes a strong first impression and holds the visitor (“sticky design”).

One last quote from one of the best designers Adelaide has ever produced: “I strip away all of the gloss and give way to the simplest form and that’s pretty much it.” Head over to Apple and tell us he isn’t talking about their website, 25 years ahead of time!

Edging into the echelons of the best web designers in the world is Jan Cavan Boulas. Jan owns the design studio You Know Who and has been working in the industry for over 15 years.

She is a self-taught web designer. Never look down your nose at the self-taught (Boylen hired a teenager who was all raw talent and within two years he was in Sydney as one of Australia’s hot young guns.)
She’s a netawards Designer of the Year, Adobe Design Circle Mentor and collaborates with Apple, Mozilla, Ellen, Vogue, Adobe, Blackberry and News International. Phew!
Her work is characterised by its simplicity and functionality.
As the following quotes demonstrate, Jan is always looking for ways to improve the user experience and make complex designs more user-friendly:
"I have learned that people think differently than myself, that people do things differently. It’s easy to assume that users will try to accomplish certain tasks the same way we would, but this leads to ineffective design.
"We are not our users.
"We spend a lot of time and effort on our designs, but our users just want to get things done quickly using the very little time that they have."
This is a great lesson for all designers and non-designers who are prone to over-influence design direction: remember, designers are not the end user!

Another great web designer is Sarah Parmenter. Sarah is a British designer who has been working in the industry for over 20 years. She has worked with some of the biggest names in the business, including BBC, Guardian, and The Times. 

Her work is focused on delivering the best user experience possible. And we know that the best experiences are often the simplest, which is why she is highly respected for her clean, minimalistic website designs. 

Sara is always looking for ways to push the boundaries of web design and create unique user experiences.

Finally, one of her mantras is “design once use everywhere”. 

We can’t finish without mentioning her very funny LinkedIn bio: “she is a riot with a few cocktails in her. She is also a singer and actress, and co-hosts a popular weekly design podcast... She can probably levitate.”

One of the reasons why Mike Kus gets a gong is because he has successfully made the transition from graphic design to website design. That’s no easy feat and most traditional graphic designers can’t pull it off.

You can see it in action with his work for Kaazo.

“I was hired by Kaazo to create them a unique identity that expressed the idea of individuality. I created the logo mark and 'Make your mark' strapline, conceptualised the website design and produced physical assets such as t-shirt designs and stationary,”  he says.

Last year he told medium: “You’re always evolving as a designer, and you have to contend with trends in design. When I started designing in the Web industry, which is very trend-driven, my work was quite distinct from the trends. I spent several years on illustration work, and so I earned a reputation for myself, bringing a more artistic, illustrative kind of web design to the table.”

He’s an awwwardss judge and his bio states: “Kus has become known for creating web design that seamlessly marries form and function. His work has been featured in many design books and magazines and he regularly speaks at design/web design conferences across the globe. Mike works for clients worldwide and has designed work for the likes of Twitter, Microsoft, Berocca and Mailchimp among others.”

Stay tuned for the next instalment of our series on the world’s best website designers.

Created: Adelaide, June 21, 2022