Hello Monday

Good web design exists in a similar category to film special effects, secret service agents and wigs: if they do their job properly, you shouldn’t notice them. Fighting with overly complex interfaces and pointlessly slow-loading Flash apps might be the epitome of bad web design, but it’s much harder to pinpoint just what makes a website efficient, interesting and innovative.

This is a concept that Hello Monday has grasped. The creative agency produces ‘visual universes’ across a range of interactive media, most notably on the web and for mobile apps, and while its concepts are bold and its technology often complex, the idea that usability comes first is always paramount. Prestigious clients such as Google, PlayStation, Victoria’s Secret and Lyndon Wade clearly appreciate this.

Like many interesting enterprises, the company was initially born out of dissatisfaction with its founders’ current jobs. “According to legend, he who can transform Monday into the best day of the week can become invincible,” says Andreas Anderskou, president. “On a perfect Monday the engine runs on passion, the deck is the playground, and the course is set towards great deadlines, good craftsmanship, skilled and friendly people, honesty, good food, mutual trust, and no fear. We sail between three offices in Copenhagen, Aarhus, and New York, but there is only one boat.”

So what’s the key to great web design? “Well, that depends on whether you want to entertain, educate, impress, inspire or something completely different,” he says. “If you’re developing a tool, you’ll probably be best off sticking to conventions. But for an inspirational site or a campaign, you can push the boundaries more.”

Ease of use, he emphasises, is almost always the most important factor, no matter what the client or project may be – but that doesn’t necessarily mean going for the simplest or most direct solution. “We aim to find a balance between the known and the surprising. The real challenge often lies in being creative inside the boundaries of the familiar,” Anderskou explains.

App Galaxy

Google’s Guide to the App Galaxy uses HTML5 to lead the viewer through the app-building process

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The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of eight full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Ecommerce Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Editor, Digital Art and 3D Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Beth Nicholls and Staff Writer Natalie Fear, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq.