25 Modest Websites With a Muted Colour Scheme

Read the article

A muted palette could be described as a selection of subdued or restrained colours which appear quite soft and easy on the eye. Compared with the bright and brash colour schemes of many modern web designs, these muted palettes give the impression of sophistication and modesty. Often using browns or subtle greys along with pastels and subtle highlights they make a great collection of inspiring designs. Check out these 25 hand picked examples from across the web.

Written by Chris Spooner

Chris Spooner is a designer who has a love for creativity and enjoys experimenting with various techniques in both print and web. Follow Chris' daily design links on Twitter, and be sure to check out his second blog over at Line25.com.

Download the eBook guide to setting up your online portfolio

19 Comments

Show/Hide Comments

  1. Bill Lowden says:
    December 29, 2008 at 5:27 am

    Very nice. I like the softer colors used in these sites.

  2. Zach Dunn says:
    December 29, 2008 at 7:13 am

    Ali Felski’s site may very well be one of my favorites of 2008. The header’s design is brilliant!

  3. Tracey Grady says:
    December 29, 2008 at 9:37 am

    I agree with Zach about Ali Felski’s site. It’s beautiful and the attention to detail is impressive.

  4. Stu | Self Conlusion says:
    December 29, 2008 at 6:42 pm

    Many thanks for including me on this list, I am featured here along with a bunch of great sites and I appreciate it greatly :)

  5. Ravi says:
    December 30, 2008 at 12:54 pm

    Hi…
    Very good web templates.I like the softer colors, gradient and stylish curve used in these sites.

  6. E.J. Semeijn says:
    December 30, 2008 at 2:56 pm

    Really like the colors!

  7. Chris W. says:
    December 30, 2008 at 3:23 pm

    Some of these don’t appear to be very muted on the colors, such as the Web Design Ledger site with the bright oranges… however, there is definitely a theme throughout all of them.

  8. joao says:
    December 30, 2008 at 3:34 pm

    great list! I love the softer colors of them!
    my blog

  9. Digital Design says:
    December 30, 2008 at 5:13 pm

    Really nice post, some of those sites are very attractive especially in the current web environment with so many stark white,blue,black sites.
    Olly Hite one is my favourite.

  10. Cesar says:
    December 31, 2008 at 5:59 am

    Nice designs, and great to see a chilean website on the list (teapot.cl) :-)

    Thanks for your january calendar too.

  11. Wazdesign says:
    December 31, 2008 at 1:47 pm

    Hmm…… this site is also kinda a mute effects

  12. Dainis Graveris says:
    December 31, 2008 at 9:51 pm

    Your site actually should be in that list too.. nice list by the way, bookmarking for later use :)

  13. Eli says:
    January 2, 2009 at 6:41 am

    Swell collection, dude. I actually fell in love with the color schemes of most of these designs :)

  14. Kelly says:
    January 2, 2009 at 10:51 pm

    Gorgeous collection.

    I saw Viget on a “colourful sites” round up not too long ago, so I’m not sure if muted colours would be the best way to describe all these sites. They definitely have something in common though. Perhaps the browns?

  15. Max Weir says:
    January 6, 2009 at 10:49 am

    Lovely collection, plenty of amazing inspirational sites.

    Thanks.

  16. rendyo says:
    January 10, 2009 at 8:33 am

    awesome…

    your great team…

    Thanks

  17. joyoge designers' bookmark says:
    January 12, 2009 at 2:40 pm

    nice collection thanks..

  18. Roy Nottage says:
    January 18, 2009 at 5:15 pm

    Some great sites in there, reminds me of how badly I need to re-design my ‘from college’ portfolio site.

    Great list Chris!

Comments are now closed.