crossmind.net is not the first and for sure not the last design portal. The reason, we have started it, is that we believe, we can do some things better. We have a much more ambitious aim, than just to collect “cool” sites. We want to analyze, what “cool” sites and trends are made of.

While working as designers, we have started collecting screenshots of the best sites on the internet and after a few years we had thousands of them.  One fact has attracted our attention: many sites had a lot of things in common. Individually created, they yet had similar elements. These elements represent certain trends. Some trends cross, creating the new ones. Copied and adopted by many, a trend becomes mainstream and looses its fascination, but it does not mean that a good designer may not use it anymore. Some original ideas, found out by experimenting pioneers, receive later a major acceptance, even in conservative areas. Watching this process is fascinating for us and we find it challenging to keep a track of it and to share it with others.

Many designers who underline an individual creative aspect of their work and freedom of their self-expression often forget that designer’s creativity (compared to the one of a free artist) is not an end in itself, but a tool, aimed on improving communication. That’s why design can not be judged alone, without asking a question: does it provide a proper “packaging” for an intended message? Knowing recent and past trends and movements broadens designer’s outlook and provides him with a variety of tools for making consistent decisions.

 

For inspiration and a possibility of profound research we have built a unique cool site filter, which allows searching for sites, meeting several specific criteria, which can be combined together. The database is updated almost daily.

We want to share or experiences with everybody interested on design topic. We do not intend to gain a “guru” status. We simply want to make our opinion heard and give others an opportunity to share their point of view. By becoming a member, everybody can receive a right to post a comment and take part in a forum. Experienced designers with good writing skills may also apply for editor rights and be able to post issues.

 

Brick by brick, we want to build a good knowledge database for both beginning and experienced designers.