When Websites Make You Go "Bloody Hell, Thats Beautiful"
When websites are so nice to look at that you forget you were supposed to be working. A look at three sites that chose beautiful over boring.
Insights
Nov 19, 2025
Look, I spend way too much time looking at websites. It happens.
But every now and then, I find one that makes me stop whatever I'm doing and just...stare at it like an idiot. Not because it's going to revolutionise their conversion rate or whatever. Just because someone clearly decided to make something properly lovely.
Here are three that made me completely forget about the invoices I was supposed to be sending:
landonorris.com - Ridiculously Smooth
I'm not even that into F1, but this site got me.
Everything just glides. The animations, the transitions, even the way images load in - it all feels fast and intentional. Which makes sense when your whole brand is literally about going fast, I suppose.
The helmet section in the hero is what proper hooked me though. They've taken what could've been a boring image and made it engaging. You hover over it, his helmet materialises over the image. Just appears. It's this perfect little moment of "oh yeah, he's not just some lifestyle influencer, he drives F1 cars for a living.
The whole thing just feels premium! But not in a smarmy way. Just confident. Like they knew exactly what they wanted to make and then made it.
Is it showing off? Yeah, definitely. But it's Lando Norris, so fair enough.
fruitful.com - Finance That Doesn't Make You Want to Scream
This one made me actually smile, which is not a normal reaction to a finance website.
Most money stuff online looks like it was designed by someone who's never experienced joy. All grey and navy blue and trying really hard to look "trustworthy" by being incredibly dull.
Fruitful just went "nah" and made something with personality. Bright greens, warm peachy colours, little puffs of leaves with every click. It's not exactly subtle about the metaphor but who cares? It works.
The animations are bouncy without being annoying (which is harder than you'd think). Little things move and react when you scroll or hover, and it all feels like the brand is actually... personal? Like there's people behind it rather than a faceless corporation.
But, and this is the important bit, it's still completely functional. You can find what you need, the navigation makes sense, nothing's hidden behind some clever interaction that nobody understands. They've made something fun that still works, which is basically the dream.
Made me think about how many businesses think they have to be boring to be taken seriously. You really, really don't.
mont-fort.com - When a Commodity Trading Company Goes Full Cinema
Right, this is where I lost about 20 minutes of my life just scrolling up and down like a weirdo.
Montfort trade commodities. Oil, shipping, that sort of thing. Not exactly sexy. But someone looked at their brief and thought "you know what this needs? Cinematic storytelling."
The scroll animations are just beautiful. You're not reading about their business - you're being taken through it. Big bold sections, perfectly timed reveals, moody photography everywhere. It feels like watching a film more than browsing a website.
And the detail work! The way text appears and disappears. Those big section transitions. The treatment of their office locations (which could've just been a list with some pins on a map but isn't). Everything's been thought about.
Is it a bit much for a commodity trading company? Maybe. Do I love it anyway? Absolutely.
It's what happens when someone gets the time and trust to actually craft something instead of just churning out another template site.
Why Any of This Matters
I'm not saying your business needs a website like these. The bloke who fixes boilers down the road doesn't need parallax scrolling. Your accountant's fine without scroll-triggered animations.
But seeing what's possible when people are allowed to properly try... that's the good stuff. That's what reminds me why I like doing this in the first place.
Before all the analytics and conversion rate optimisation (which matters, obviously), there was just making things that look nice on a screen. And sometimes I need reminding of that when I'm three hours deep into fixing someone's contact form that keeps breaking for no reason.
These sites also prove something: good design isn't about copying everyone else or following some template. It's about understanding what you're actually trying to say and having the confidence to say it in your own way.
The Reality Check Bit
Do I make sites like this for everyone? Course not. Sometimes you need something quick and affordable that just works - that's literally why I created the Seedling tier. Not everything needs to be an art project.
But when someone comes to me wanting something custom? When they actually want their website to feel like them and not just another generic business site? That's when we can have some fun with it.
Your business doesn't need cinematic scroll animations. But it probably deserves better than looking like every other site in your industry while the homepage still says "Welcome to our website!" in Comic Sans.
Growing businesses through thoughtful design - which sometimes means being practical and efficient, sometimes means being bold and a bit extra, and usually means finding somewhere in the middle that actually makes sense.
Anyway. That's my ramble about pretty websites. Back to actual client work.
Want to chat about making your site less crap? You know where I am.
More to Discover
When Websites Make You Go "Bloody Hell, Thats Beautiful"
When websites are so nice to look at that you forget you were supposed to be working. A look at three sites that chose beautiful over boring.
Insights
Nov 19, 2025
Look, I spend way too much time looking at websites. It happens.
But every now and then, I find one that makes me stop whatever I'm doing and just...stare at it like an idiot. Not because it's going to revolutionise their conversion rate or whatever. Just because someone clearly decided to make something properly lovely.
Here are three that made me completely forget about the invoices I was supposed to be sending:
landonorris.com - Ridiculously Smooth
I'm not even that into F1, but this site got me.
Everything just glides. The animations, the transitions, even the way images load in - it all feels fast and intentional. Which makes sense when your whole brand is literally about going fast, I suppose.
The helmet section in the hero is what proper hooked me though. They've taken what could've been a boring image and made it engaging. You hover over it, his helmet materialises over the image. Just appears. It's this perfect little moment of "oh yeah, he's not just some lifestyle influencer, he drives F1 cars for a living.
The whole thing just feels premium! But not in a smarmy way. Just confident. Like they knew exactly what they wanted to make and then made it.
Is it showing off? Yeah, definitely. But it's Lando Norris, so fair enough.
fruitful.com - Finance That Doesn't Make You Want to Scream
This one made me actually smile, which is not a normal reaction to a finance website.
Most money stuff online looks like it was designed by someone who's never experienced joy. All grey and navy blue and trying really hard to look "trustworthy" by being incredibly dull.
Fruitful just went "nah" and made something with personality. Bright greens, warm peachy colours, little puffs of leaves with every click. It's not exactly subtle about the metaphor but who cares? It works.
The animations are bouncy without being annoying (which is harder than you'd think). Little things move and react when you scroll or hover, and it all feels like the brand is actually... personal? Like there's people behind it rather than a faceless corporation.
But, and this is the important bit, it's still completely functional. You can find what you need, the navigation makes sense, nothing's hidden behind some clever interaction that nobody understands. They've made something fun that still works, which is basically the dream.
Made me think about how many businesses think they have to be boring to be taken seriously. You really, really don't.
mont-fort.com - When a Commodity Trading Company Goes Full Cinema
Right, this is where I lost about 20 minutes of my life just scrolling up and down like a weirdo.
Montfort trade commodities. Oil, shipping, that sort of thing. Not exactly sexy. But someone looked at their brief and thought "you know what this needs? Cinematic storytelling."
The scroll animations are just beautiful. You're not reading about their business - you're being taken through it. Big bold sections, perfectly timed reveals, moody photography everywhere. It feels like watching a film more than browsing a website.
And the detail work! The way text appears and disappears. Those big section transitions. The treatment of their office locations (which could've just been a list with some pins on a map but isn't). Everything's been thought about.
Is it a bit much for a commodity trading company? Maybe. Do I love it anyway? Absolutely.
It's what happens when someone gets the time and trust to actually craft something instead of just churning out another template site.
Why Any of This Matters
I'm not saying your business needs a website like these. The bloke who fixes boilers down the road doesn't need parallax scrolling. Your accountant's fine without scroll-triggered animations.
But seeing what's possible when people are allowed to properly try... that's the good stuff. That's what reminds me why I like doing this in the first place.
Before all the analytics and conversion rate optimisation (which matters, obviously), there was just making things that look nice on a screen. And sometimes I need reminding of that when I'm three hours deep into fixing someone's contact form that keeps breaking for no reason.
These sites also prove something: good design isn't about copying everyone else or following some template. It's about understanding what you're actually trying to say and having the confidence to say it in your own way.
The Reality Check Bit
Do I make sites like this for everyone? Course not. Sometimes you need something quick and affordable that just works - that's literally why I created the Seedling tier. Not everything needs to be an art project.
But when someone comes to me wanting something custom? When they actually want their website to feel like them and not just another generic business site? That's when we can have some fun with it.
Your business doesn't need cinematic scroll animations. But it probably deserves better than looking like every other site in your industry while the homepage still says "Welcome to our website!" in Comic Sans.
Growing businesses through thoughtful design - which sometimes means being practical and efficient, sometimes means being bold and a bit extra, and usually means finding somewhere in the middle that actually makes sense.
Anyway. That's my ramble about pretty websites. Back to actual client work.
Want to chat about making your site less crap? You know where I am.
More to Discover
When Websites Make You Go "Bloody Hell, Thats Beautiful"
When websites are so nice to look at that you forget you were supposed to be working. A look at three sites that chose beautiful over boring.
Insights
Nov 19, 2025
Look, I spend way too much time looking at websites. It happens.
But every now and then, I find one that makes me stop whatever I'm doing and just...stare at it like an idiot. Not because it's going to revolutionise their conversion rate or whatever. Just because someone clearly decided to make something properly lovely.
Here are three that made me completely forget about the invoices I was supposed to be sending:
landonorris.com - Ridiculously Smooth
I'm not even that into F1, but this site got me.
Everything just glides. The animations, the transitions, even the way images load in - it all feels fast and intentional. Which makes sense when your whole brand is literally about going fast, I suppose.
The helmet section in the hero is what proper hooked me though. They've taken what could've been a boring image and made it engaging. You hover over it, his helmet materialises over the image. Just appears. It's this perfect little moment of "oh yeah, he's not just some lifestyle influencer, he drives F1 cars for a living.
The whole thing just feels premium! But not in a smarmy way. Just confident. Like they knew exactly what they wanted to make and then made it.
Is it showing off? Yeah, definitely. But it's Lando Norris, so fair enough.
fruitful.com - Finance That Doesn't Make You Want to Scream
This one made me actually smile, which is not a normal reaction to a finance website.
Most money stuff online looks like it was designed by someone who's never experienced joy. All grey and navy blue and trying really hard to look "trustworthy" by being incredibly dull.
Fruitful just went "nah" and made something with personality. Bright greens, warm peachy colours, little puffs of leaves with every click. It's not exactly subtle about the metaphor but who cares? It works.
The animations are bouncy without being annoying (which is harder than you'd think). Little things move and react when you scroll or hover, and it all feels like the brand is actually... personal? Like there's people behind it rather than a faceless corporation.
But, and this is the important bit, it's still completely functional. You can find what you need, the navigation makes sense, nothing's hidden behind some clever interaction that nobody understands. They've made something fun that still works, which is basically the dream.
Made me think about how many businesses think they have to be boring to be taken seriously. You really, really don't.
mont-fort.com - When a Commodity Trading Company Goes Full Cinema
Right, this is where I lost about 20 minutes of my life just scrolling up and down like a weirdo.
Montfort trade commodities. Oil, shipping, that sort of thing. Not exactly sexy. But someone looked at their brief and thought "you know what this needs? Cinematic storytelling."
The scroll animations are just beautiful. You're not reading about their business - you're being taken through it. Big bold sections, perfectly timed reveals, moody photography everywhere. It feels like watching a film more than browsing a website.
And the detail work! The way text appears and disappears. Those big section transitions. The treatment of their office locations (which could've just been a list with some pins on a map but isn't). Everything's been thought about.
Is it a bit much for a commodity trading company? Maybe. Do I love it anyway? Absolutely.
It's what happens when someone gets the time and trust to actually craft something instead of just churning out another template site.
Why Any of This Matters
I'm not saying your business needs a website like these. The bloke who fixes boilers down the road doesn't need parallax scrolling. Your accountant's fine without scroll-triggered animations.
But seeing what's possible when people are allowed to properly try... that's the good stuff. That's what reminds me why I like doing this in the first place.
Before all the analytics and conversion rate optimisation (which matters, obviously), there was just making things that look nice on a screen. And sometimes I need reminding of that when I'm three hours deep into fixing someone's contact form that keeps breaking for no reason.
These sites also prove something: good design isn't about copying everyone else or following some template. It's about understanding what you're actually trying to say and having the confidence to say it in your own way.
The Reality Check Bit
Do I make sites like this for everyone? Course not. Sometimes you need something quick and affordable that just works - that's literally why I created the Seedling tier. Not everything needs to be an art project.
But when someone comes to me wanting something custom? When they actually want their website to feel like them and not just another generic business site? That's when we can have some fun with it.
Your business doesn't need cinematic scroll animations. But it probably deserves better than looking like every other site in your industry while the homepage still says "Welcome to our website!" in Comic Sans.
Growing businesses through thoughtful design - which sometimes means being practical and efficient, sometimes means being bold and a bit extra, and usually means finding somewhere in the middle that actually makes sense.
Anyway. That's my ramble about pretty websites. Back to actual client work.
Want to chat about making your site less crap? You know where I am.