3,500 views

Featured on Smashing Magazine!

Sparklette has been featured on smashing magazine! It is one of the “45 fresh, clean and impressive designs”. Yay!

All the other websites featured there are really beautifully done, mostly in cool black or brilliant colour schemes! In fact, mine pales in comparison as one with a much softer colour palette used.

It is an honour to have been highlighted! All along I thought this blog design would be known only in the local blog circles. I certainly didn’t expect it to catch the attention of any overseas website. I think I have newfound confidence in designing and blogging!

For more background information on how I designed this layout, check out this post.

Tags: web layout

Subscribe to new posts

About the Editor

Veron Ang is the Founder and Chief Editor of Sparklette, a Singapore restaurants guide, lifestyle and travel blog. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer science from the National University of Singapore and runs a web design firm at Sparklette Studio. To get in touch, head on over to the contact page or follow @Sparklette and @VeronSG on Twitter.

Have You Seen Pearls Being Taken out from Oysters?

Sparklette Decoloured

Comment using Facebook

Responses Leave a comment

marina
1 comment

Congratulations!
sparklette.net is definitely a beautiful and impressive designed site! I’m not surprised that it was featured in any design magazine :)
You totally deserved it!
Reply
Posted March 5, 2007 at 7:08 pm
nicole
15 comments

congrats girl~! cheers~~
Reply
Posted March 5, 2007 at 7:42 pm
pkchukiss
82 comments

Indeed, not many people can design websites that are really gracious, yet easy to use. Keep it rolling Veron!
(On a side note, did you ping that blog? I couldn’t find the Trackback there…)
Reply
Posted March 5, 2007 at 7:55 pm
DK
36 comments

Congrats gal.
Reply
Posted March 5, 2007 at 8:04 pm
Chris James
1 comment

Hi
I still dont even know what your site is about, but I got the link from the site you mentioned…
This site is actually beautiful, i dont think ive ever said that about a website
Congratulations on being so good at design, I am truely envious.
Reply
Posted March 5, 2007 at 9:46 pm
NTT
7 comments

Congrats. And the smashing magazine site which has this list “45 fresh, clean and impressive designs” got dugg!!
Say hello to lots of traffic!
Reply
Posted March 5, 2007 at 10:38 pm
Veron
3439 comments

Thanks everyone!
marina: It’s my first time really! Perhaps I shouldn’t even use the word “featured”. “Mentioned” would have been more apt!
nicole: Thanks, babe, for all your support recently!
pkchukiss: You are a sharp one aren’t you? I checked and it’s there now :)
DK: Thanks man!
Chris James: One of the weaknesses of this blog is that it doesn’t have a clear focus. Basically I just have everything in one place, be it food reviews, rants, travelogues, et cetera. I’m still working on it!
NTT: And the diggs are increasing rapidly! You are certainly right on the part about the traffic!
Reply
Posted March 5, 2007 at 11:22 pm
damien
10 comments

congrats! u deserve it veron! =)
Reply
Posted March 5, 2007 at 11:25 pm
Wel
5 comments

congrats girl, to c your blog grow over the years
somehow feel the content in your blog has changed
anywae gd job there! ;)
Reply
Posted March 5, 2007 at 11:39 pm
Maki
3 comments

Smashing Magazine is one of my favorite reads and its great to see you featured. It just proves that great design or content will never be overlooked on the internet.
Awesome! :)
Reply
Posted March 6, 2007 at 12:17 am
Fenton
6 comments

Cogratulations. Let’s celebrate it!
Reply
Posted March 6, 2007 at 1:04 am
SailorGirl
5 comments

YOUR DESIGN IS GREAT!!!!
COMING FROM A «LION», IT COULD ONLY BE GREAT!!!
(I’M AN ARIES, THEREFORE I KNOW WHAT I’M SAYING…)
;-)
Reply
Posted March 6, 2007 at 1:25 am
Ivan Chew
3 comments

Based on my extremely rudimentary knowledge of web design (i.e. practically nil), I can already spot several features that demonstrate careful attention to details. Like the mouseover-thingy at the top, for the links to homepage, alignment and text-size; the choice of the layout and item placement, how the animation at the banner serves to enhance rather than distract. Wow, even a count-down for the Edit Comment feature, as I found out later.
Even ignoring all the above, I like the choice of the graphics — the castle, the light rays bursting out of the sun, the floating lilac-coloured maple leaves… how soothing. The whole design style gives me the impression there’s a nice balance between a site that a teenager blog would have (i.e. tiny text, with unconventional layouts) and something that appeals to “conventional sensibilities” (uh, forget about the crap I wrote. What I mean is, it’s all good, heh).
Reply
Posted March 6, 2007 at 1:34 am
py
183 comments

Cheers and congratulations! You’ve made it!
Reply
Posted March 6, 2007 at 7:55 am
lostin
2 comments

Congratulations!
Veron, that means now you can increase you designing charges, lol!
Reply
Posted March 6, 2007 at 11:31 am
Herry
1 comment

Congrats Veron!! You deserve to be featured, I also attest it’s is a beatiful site. :)
Reply
Posted March 6, 2007 at 1:13 pm
Raine
1 comment

U are so cool!!! I would be my honour to know you in real life. Hahahaha~ Take care.
Reply
Posted March 6, 2007 at 5:09 pm
zaijian
29 comments

well oh my… international recognition, and about time too if you ask me :) bravo V… Remind me to get your autograph the next time I see you! seriously though, congrats, if this isnt justification for quitting your job, nothing is. You deserve that bottle tequila rose more and more each day hahaha
Reply
Posted March 6, 2007 at 5:35 pm
joiz
1 comment

I found your site through the mag. You are right, It kind of stood out from all the other sites because of the colours you have. It’s very beautiful. Congrats! :)
Reply
Posted March 6, 2007 at 6:41 pm
chrissy
1 comment

Many times we heard voices that try to diminish our worth and we began to believe in them, cease to be who we truely are. then once in a while, someone comes along and remind us that we truely are special.
I think this is a confirmation that you need in this point of your life. Carry on dreaming and doing what you do best, to design and write for your readers who is always returning back to this site.
=)
Reply
Posted March 6, 2007 at 10:45 pm