10 Design Firms

Callison is a large architectural firm with locations all over the world. Their work includes everything from corporate health care to fashion stores. Their work to me is way too safe, they don't seem to take risks or do anything new. They're website is pretty simple to use and other than a few navigational issues I don't see much they could improve on in the aspect of the website. I really like some of the things they do however, and think that they could show off their work and make it look more high end just through the graphics in the website. Their website is like much of their work, too safe, nice looking, but on the edge of boring.

Leo A Daly is an international architecture, engineering, and interior design firm. They're work is very impressive and somewhat relates to Callson's work however it could be the more dynamic graphics of the website or something else but it seems to me that their work has a little more edge. The website is very easy to use and my favorite part is the cohesiveness of the squares and array of pictures that make up every page.

Hellmuch, Obata & Kassabaum is a very impresive firm with an absolutely fabulous website. It's high tech with its use of flashplayer and slightly hidden navigation system. To find the navigation, one must scroll over words at the top that don't even look like links. For someone who is not very good with computers, this may not be very helpful and it might even turn away potential clients. I personally really love the simplicity of the site. HOK did a very thorough job with explaining and showing off their work, location, and everything about the firm.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
is another great firm that I am really impressed with, especially with their commitment to sustainability. I like their website a lot but navigation is a problem. I think that if these websites chose to focus on the easiness and accessibility of their website through their navigation, they would be much more successful.

Gensler Architecture Firm does a really good job with making their site interactive. Even simple things make a difference such as the circles that correspond to a link all move at once when you scroll over them. It's not confusing in the least and is actually kind of fun. The simple lines on this site are really what make the attraction and focus go to their work.

RTLK Architects is a large firm with a great body of work. They design beautiful buildings in highly urban settings. One thing I notice is very popular in their designs is the use of glass, reflection and windows on a large scale. Their website is extremely easy to navigate, it's original, and they let their work speak for itself. I think RTLK's website is one of my favorites by far.

The Phillips Group definitely understands that pictures tell a thousand words. I don't really enjoy the very first home screen for this website, I think it might be too plain. Once I clicked on their portfolio I really enjoyed the graphics and the layout of the many different squares put together. Their body of work is organized very nicely and the only thing I would change would be their homepage to make it more dynamic.

FRCH World Wide has one of the most confusing websites I've come across. I understand that design is a complex system but that should only be seen by the designers. FRCH's designs are not even that complicated. The design firm designs some of the nicer KFC's and Disney stores. I think that FRCH is trying to overcompensate with their web design to make up for their designs.

Swanke Hayden Connell Architects have a very simple but easy to use website. I like the way it interacts and how their portfolio is a long list. It makes it easy to look up certain buildings. The one thing that bothers me is that it doesn't seem as high end as the other websites I've looked at. This is probably because when the pictures are loading, they are blurry for about thirty seconds and then finally load.


Interprise sounds like a great architectural firm however the website is hideous. The homescreen is full of words surrounding the brand name Interprise. Once you enter the site it is just as scrambled if not more. I think if they just simplified things that it would looks so much better and the company would probably be a lot more successful.