A style guide to 175 Non-Profit websites

This article is a full chapter from the Non-Profit collection, which contains 18 additional topics and 1,700+ design samples all focused on non-profit site design.

In any specific niche, you will always find a wide array of design styles at work. In the area of non-profits, we find a variety of styles, but we also find that there are a few more common approaches. For the most part, sites in this niche are more focused on presenting the content and communicating a particular message than on building a distinct style into the site. Let’s dig through some of the styles found in this collection of sites.

Content Focused

One style we find quite frequently with non-profit sites are designs focused directly on the contents of the site. In these designs, there is very little in the way of design outside the actual content. These sites don’t rely on complex visual structures. Instead, the content is front and center and is the bulk of the actual design.

Structural Design

In the following samples, the design is a lot more visually rich than the previous set on content focused samples. Here, the structure of the site is the foundation of the design. Content is contained inside of containers that build on the overall design. These sites don’t rely on a design theme or concept very heavily, if at all. Instead, the content still shines, but is framed up in much more visually intense containers.

Minimalistic Inspired

Minimalism in design is a popular approach in almost any industry. This style tends to result in clean, easy-to-use sites. The following samples are referred to as minimalistic inspired because none of them are pure samples of minimalism. It’s kind of unrealistic to expect such a thing, but it is quite possible to embrace the idea and implement it as an overall guiding principle.

Atypical Layouts

In some cases, we will find that we have the opportunity to push the envelope. The samples collected here do exactly that. They not only demonstrate some interesting layouts and approaches to communicating, but they show that it can be an effective path to take. Certainly, this style can be overly used, but, fortunately, the samples here put it to great work and provide some refreshing inspiration.

Texture Based

Another common design element is the use of texture. It would seem that a large number of non-profit site designs tend to rely on this particular style. It’s actually easy to understand why. Considering that most non-profits deal with real life people and tough situations, it’s a fairly relevant theme to use. In a way, it can really help communicate the real life importance of the organization.

Thematic Designs

One thing we don’t find a lot of in non-profit site design is the use of extremely thematic motifs. For example, I didn’t find any extremely conceptual designs based on interacting inside of an actual environment. What we do find in this set is what I consider a more subtle approach to thematic design. In these samples, you will find various themes at work. They drive the overall direction of the sites’ design style. The result is a collection of sites based on standard site layout principles, but with an overall style rooted in a theme.

But wait, there’s more!

If you enjoyed this set of inspiration, you will love the full collection it comes from. Explore 18 more topics and 1,700 design samples to inspire your non-profit design work. Check out the full Non-Profit Collection for more details.