Do you remember long ago, in the days of yore, when Web sites were two-dimensional pages of text, maybe with an image or two sprinkled across the pages for flavor? No more is it so; designers are getting more and more creative as they invent new ways to experience the Web. Images move, navigation jiggles, and many sites are acquiring a three-dimensional quality.

Here we’ve compiled some of the wackiest sites out there – pages that make full use of all available tools to create a truly fun experience. From shopping to cheeseburgers to product promotions, surfing the Web has never been so fun!

HEMA Products
http://producten.hema.nl/

Let’s start with what appears to be a deceptively simple site. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary online store selling a variety of products. Of course, it’s in Dutch, so we can’t be entirely sure.

After a few seconds—allowing this false impression to settle—a cup in one of the rows of products falls over. It rolls into a stack of packing tape and starts a chain reaction of all the products! Toasters pop, borders catch on fire, and a radio starts playing—all to the accompaniment of various whimsical noises. This site is truly hilarious!

The Cheese and Burger Society
http://www.cheeseandburger.com/

From the sound of it, you’d think this page was a joke – and maybe it is. But the way the pages flip as you view the different cheeseburgers is very well done, and the voiceovers are hilarious. The entire page looks like a menu that you’d use to select your jukebox song at an old diner.

Cubic Studio
http://www.cubic.com.br/

This site has a truly unique idea for navigation. The home page is covered with little pictograms; when clicked on, they take you to the products that the symbol represents. Although it makes for enjoyable browsing, it’s hard to find anything again once you’ve left it – many pictograms are similar, and there are multiple categories that could mean the same thing. So, while cool, the site isn’t very user friendly.

Screenvader
http://www.screenvader.com/

If you’re looking for cool navigation but almost non-existent usability, this is your site. There is no title, and you can’t be sure what the site is actually for. That aside, the navigation is extremely cool. It’s a rotating menu – as you move your mouse, the 3d words move in the air, allowing you to view them from all angles. Not user-friendly in the least – but dang, it’s cool.

Tokyo Plastic
http://www.tokyoplastic.com/

This site starts of with a simple navigation page. It really doesn’t look like much. To find the fun, click on the first link: “website”. It will open up a page with funny and strange animations that you have to keep clicking on as you move through the site. The animations are weird yet fun – you could keep clicking them for hours! They eventually lead you to a menu full of goodies related to the company, but the animations still continue in a thoroughly fun way.

Volkswagen Efficiency
http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/technology/rollercoaster

We haven’t quite reached virtual reality yet, but some sites are getting pretty close. This site allows you to ride a virtual rollercoaster while you learn all about why you should buy Volkswagen vehicles. For a product promotion, this one is pretty cool.

This article was provided by Phases Design Studio, a Denver graphic design company in Colorado providing services such as website development, business card design and branding services.