For this year’s Best of Web competition, it was easy to separate the best from the rest. Our three judges—Tim Barber, David Lai, and Christopher Simmons—all noticed the same quality in the standout sites: restraint.

In an age when almost every web designer has the savvy to make websites perform impressive technical tricks, the line between good and great isn’t drawn with visual acrobatics, but with the appropriate use of them. “The best [designers] use technology in a way that helps improve understanding,” says Simmons, principal of MINE in San Francisco. “The worst use technology much more gratuitously.” Most obvious from the 2006 submissions was the notion that Flash has matured—and when used effectively, it can convey emotion. Simmons points to the Wonderbra site (page 98), which utilizes a Flash effect that creates a sensual, yet subtle vibe.

A revolution in user bandwidth resulted in an explosion of webbased video on sites, says Lai, creative director at Hello Design, Los Angeles, especially since viewers can easily upload their own video now. “Designers can focus on making richer experiences since they don’t have to worry about user restrictions,” he says.

But Barber, creative director at odopod in San Francisco, says that while the ability to design for faster connections results in impressive features, it also created a huge rift between the winning and losing sites. “Increased bandwidth has made some sites showcases for creativity,” he says. “The downside is that this kind of work typically costs more to produce. It’s not that a big budget is required to do great work. It just helps, and you can see it.” He points to the exceptionally rich and playful Nestea Ice site (page 94) as “exquisite”—the only site that received votes from all three judges, garnering JUXT Interactive STEP’s grand prize of a one-year subscription to Jupiterimages Unlimited, a $2,500 value.

Beyond animation and video, Lai noticed a trend toward sites that were community-focused, like MySpace, which have gained popularity in recent years, not because of its advanced technology, but because of the way it allows its users to form relationships. This, says Lai, has finally made the web truly interactive. “What makes it so powerful is that you’re connecting with a lot of people, not interacting with a computer interface,” he says.

Each judge was asked to pick their favorite site from the competition, which resulted in an interesting bit of synergy. Simmons and Barber both chose the USA Network “Characters Welcome” site as their favorite (page 90), which happened to be created by third judge Lai and his company Hello Design. Oddly enough, Lai’s pick was created by Barber and his company, odopod: the site for Nike Soccer.

Simmons and Barber were both impressed with Hello’s ability to bring together a great deal of information in a way that is still engaging for users. “Navigating the site is a delight,” says Simmons. “Secondary options are revealed in place with smooth animated effects that actually make the experience more attractive and manageable. At each stage I’m actually encouraged to learn more, rather than being annoyed that irrelevant content is being pushed at me.”

“It’s smartly designed and built,” agrees Barber. “I love the balance between HTML and Flash—it shows great restraint on both fronts. As a result, the personality of the network shines through by letting you focus on all the great USA Network characters that are featured.”

Lai, on the other hand, was drawn to odopod’s unique design aesthetic for the Nike Soccer site. “From a visual language standpoint, it was one of the sites that caught my eye,” he explains, describing the loose, sketched illustrations as an “organic, almost human touch,” which gives the site a “sense of life.” He was most impressed with the way odopod integrated high-tech features into this overall look and feel. “They added components like video, but the interface elements are still all hand-drawn.”

As these sites demonstrate, the web has become more than the information superhighway—it’s now the entertainment superhighway as well. Barber says this places even more pressure on designers to do great work.

“Web design is no longer design-centric,” he says. “It requires a more sophisticated mix of creativity that includes design but also demands great concept-oriented copywriting, live-action production, and art direction. The challenge now is for web designers to take on more responsibility for these activities.”

TIM BARBER is a creative director and designer. For the past 10 years, he has specialized in creating entertainment and marketing productions for new technology platforms. Barber currently serves as a principal and creative director with odopod in San Francisco. Odopod is widely known and has been recognized for its work in software product design and online marketing. Barber’s creative direction draws on a unique combination of technical expertise, entrepreneurial spirit, and critical design sensibility. At odopod he leads creative engagements for clients, including Nike, MTV, Red Bull, Target, Yahoo, and Google.

CHRISTOPHER SIMMONS is a designer, writer, educator, design advocate, and principal of MINE in San Francisco. Since starting his own firm in 2004, Simmons has authored three books on identity design, and is currently at work on his fourth. He teaches courses at the Academy of Art University and the California College of the Arts (CCA), lectures on design issues for numerous colleges, universities, and professional associations, and frequently participates as a judge for major design competitions. For the past two years he has served as president of the San Francisco AIGA, during which time the chapter grew to become the organization’s second-largest. On completion of Simmon’s tenure, Mayor Gavin Newsom declared San Francisco to be a city “where design makes a difference.”

DAVID LAI is the CEO/Creative Director of Hello Design, an interactive design studio which he cofounded in Los Angeles. Clients include Sony, USA Network, Yahoo!, General Mills, National Geographic, Oakley, Toyota, and Nike. A graduate of Cornell University, Lai has won numerous awards for his work, including a Cannes CyberLion, One Show Pencil, ADC Merit, and a Flash Film Festival Award. A former faculty member at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Lai taught and lectured on web design. He is also on the Advisory Board of the AIGA Los Angeles.