When me and Jaan Orvet was working on the Orbitsville.com site he kept talking about how he wanted the design to support “leaning back” while viewing the site. I think it was a really good way of describing a design. By letting the visitor lean back away from the screen you will give him or her a more relaxed and positive exerience of you and your product(s). The site/service/product will be less stressful and more “human”.

It’s more about getting peoples attention and make them stick by sorting and editing your message instead of presenting everything you got at once.

What do you do to get that lean back vibe?

- Direct and short texts.
- Large visuals and typography.
- Vertical information instead of linear or layered.
- Embrace space.
- Don’t be afraid of scrolling.

Good examples:

www.culturedcode.com is one of the best examples of a lean back site.

Orbitsville.com has large visual cases.

Orbitsville.com uses large typography.

Apple.com is mostly brilliant in the way they treat design and visuals.