Top and active layout makers [recs]
THIS... TOOK SO MUCH LONGER THAN IT SHOULD HAVE. SJDHJXKJC
Okay, so I'm mainly doing this so that whenever my f-list asks for layout recs, I can just shove this post in their face :P
I tend to be one of those people who changes layouts as regularly as I change out of clothes (ignore the minor fact I've kept my current layout for a couple months now~ hush cats), so this is a rec list of sorts of all of my favourite and top layout makers, along with a list of current layout makers who I recommend you keep an eye out for. This list will be constantly updated so be sure to check back if you're in search of a new layout!
I'm open to recs from my watchers, but I'd like to point out that I won't be adding any communities/journals that don't fitmy guidelines below:
→ TOP MAKERS
minty peach.
Status / closed
Maker(s) / miiiintz
Style(s) / flexible squares
Samples / 1 | 2 | 3
She is what I'd call the Queen of Flexi-Squares. No one can match up to her Flexi designs in my honest opinion. She's created over 90 designs, all vastly different from each other, but with a recognisable 'simple and clean' style. Definetely worth flicking through.
Also made icons, banners, profile codes, and shared Photoshop brushes and MySpace layouts.
thefulcrum.
Status / active
Maker(s) / grrliz
Style(s) / bloggish, mixit, smooth sailing, minimalism, nebula, opal, tranquility, flexible squares
Samples / 1 | 2 | 3
Most original and professional-looking designs I've ever seen. If minty_peach is the Queen of Flexi-Squares, then thefulcrum would be the King.
It's also important to note that it's easy to browse through the community at your leisure, as the layout designs are helpfully organised according to colour scheme, width, themes, etc.
spire.
Status / active
Maker(s) / scythe
Style(s) / smooth sailing, tranquility, opal, nebula, minamilism, expressive, flexible squares... probably more, idk
Samples / 1 | 2 | 3
Formerly known as thrashmetal and active once again after a lengthy hiatus.
If you haven't heard about this community yet, you're missing out. thrashmetal has made some of the most gorgeous Smooth Sailing designs, working near exclusively with the 'rarer' styles that most people bypass in favour of the overrated much-loved Flexible Squares.
Throws out the ocassional profile coding and shares a few helpful tutorials too.
noveltybox.
Status / inactive
Maker(s) / gossymer
Style(s) / bloggish, flexible squares, expressive, component, classic, smooth sailing, dear diary
Samples / 1 | 2 | 3
Again, incredibly professional-looking designs that are gorgeous to look at and use. She's a versatile maker whose designs always look top-notch whatever the style she's using. I have a mad amount of respect for her creativity. Go here for some incredibly unique designs.
Also makes icons and shares tutorials and Dreamwidth layouts.
fruitstyle.
Status / active
Maker(s) / wingweaver22
Style(s) / smooth sailing, nebula, opal, tranquility, minimalism, flexible squares, probably more~
Samples / 1 | 2 | 3
Her layouts are always so inventive and vibrant - you can tell she's not afraid to go all out with the colour. Like thrashmetal, her designs experiment with the 'rarer' S2 styles too, creating some amazing designs. You rarely see makers willing to experiment, rather than stick with what everyone else does, so it's worth browsing through her designs.
Also makes pretty winamp skins, icons, wallpapers and the ocassional profile coding.
milou veronica.
Status / closed
Maker(s) / robot_sky
Style(s) / flexible squares, smooth sailing, mixit, minimalism
Samples / 1 | 2 | 3
If you haven't heard of her, then yeah, you've been missing out a lot. Her designs tend to be classy and elegant in style, sometimes with cute background patterns and lovely pastel colours, making them insanely popular with the vast majority of LiveJournal.
Also made some pretty icons and shared handy tutorials for layout-making at milou_en_avril!
refuted.
Status / inactive
Maker(s) / presents
Style(s) / flexible squares
Samples / 1 | 2 | 3
Clean layouts that aren't overcomplicated. I'm a big fan of how simplistic her layouts are, but how they still managed to look so effortlessly professional. Her choices in colours tend to be light but work brilliantly with the way she lays her designs out.
Also makes icons, mood themes, wallpapers, banners, profile codes, and shares textures, fonts, tutorials and Twitter layouts.
refutare.
Status / active
Maker(s) / stimulus + unoriginal
Style(s) / flexible squares, opal, smooth sailing, nebula
Samples / 1 | 2 | 3
Professional-looking designs that always look so snazzy and clean. Everything is clearly defined in their designs, so I recommend browsing through for some top quality designs. Their designs tend to have either light pastel-colour schemes or dark, monochrome-style colour schemes.
Also makes the ocassional profile coding.
unequally.
Status / closed
Maker(s) / introject
Style(s) / minimalism, smooth sailing, tranquility, flexible squares
Samples / 1 | 2 | 3
This is another maker who's not afraid to experiment with what she can. Her designs are what I'd classify as classy - elegant but not over the top. The fact that she works with other styles besides from Flexi Squares is a nice fat plus too. This is a particularly nice community to browse through for lovely S2 designs.
Also makes pretty Supernatural and Harry Potter icons! \o/
→ ACTIVE & CURRENT MAKERS
novaless.
Maker(s) / encontre
Style(s) / flexible squares
Samples / 1
Clean and simple designs. Cute and easy to customize. Also shares icons.
ohcodey.
Maker(s) / darlingbones
Style(s) / flexible squares
Samples / 1 | 2
Newbie community that showcases some gorgeously sleek and innovative designs. Worth checking out.
ribbonized.
Maker(s) / eunkyung
Style(s) / flexible squares, smooth sailing
Samples / 1 | 2
Simple and lightly-coloured designs. Also makes profile coding and Twitter layouts.
palebird.
Maker(s) / realsoon
Style(s) / flexible squares
Samples / 1 | 2
Pretty and colourful layouts for Flexi-Squares! Also makes profile codes.
mentahelada.
Maker(s) / _yam
Style(s) / flexible squares, smooth sailing, minimalism
Samples / 1 | 2
Always makes inventive and colourful layouts that you'll rarely find elsewhere. Recommended. Also makes icons, headers, profile codes, Dreamwidth layouts, and shares textures and brushes.
visualwit.
Maker(s) / ravenclawbest
Style(s) / flexible squares
Samples / 1 | 2
An incredibly popular community ran by a friend of mine that showcases consistently amazing and colourful designs for the Flexible Squares style. Also shares an array of graphics like icons, profile codes, headers and wallpapers. Worth checking out!
beatcrusher.
Maker(s) / das_porno_uke
Style(s) / flexible squares, smooth sailing, tranquility
Samples / 1 | 2
Another popular community which shares creative and colourful designs. I recommend checking this one out.
estiloamor.
Maker(s) / fuckkcliche + morirvivo + nitrogliceryna
Style(s) / flexible squares
Samples / 1 | 2
Cute and popular layout designs for Flexible Squares. Also makes icons.
velvetb0x.
Maker(s) / cielo_gris
Style(s) / flexible squares
Samples / 1 | 2 | 3
Stylish and sleek layouts that always look gorgeous and top-notch. Also shares resources like textures and Photoshop brushes.
runningrockets.
Maker(s) / evolretsalp
Style(s) / flexible squares
Samples / 1
Cute layouts that tend to be lightly-coloured. Also shares pretty things like icons, wallpapers, headers, banners, tutorials and profile coding.
triclementia.
Maker(s) / erinilliana + elendia + miiscea
Style(s) / flexible squares, tranquility
Samples / 1 | 2
Check this out if you're familiar with mooncreation. Anime and video-game themed layouts that are cute and colourful in style.
robotbabies.
Maker(s) / digifucker
Style(s) / flexible squares, tranquility, smooth sailing
Samples / 1
Moved from reaverix. Clean grey layouts with the emphasis on 'simplistic'. Also shares icons!
reversescollide.
Maker(s) / exiiguity
Style(s) / flexible squares
Samples / 1
Mainly a graphics journal, but has the rare snazzy Flexi Squares design~ up for grabs.
→ STILL WANT MORE? TRY LOOKING HERE!
» mintyapple - practically a library (and a well-organised one at that) of layouts. You can search through the community's tags for specific styles or makers, making it a must-have if you don't already use it.
» toyboxer - an elite layout community that showcases the best. Makers have to apply through an application process, where they're judged on the samples they chose. #1 place to look for the best of the best, so it's worth delving through the entries.
» Last updated @ 13th July 2010
I blame confluents for making this monster. JUST SAYING.
Okay, so I'm mainly doing this so that whenever my f-list asks for layout recs, I can just shove this post in their face :P
I tend to be one of those people who changes layouts as regularly as I change out of clothes (ignore the minor fact I've kept my current layout for a couple months now~ hush cats), so this is a rec list of sorts of all of my favourite and top layout makers, along with a list of current layout makers who I recommend you keep an eye out for. This list will be constantly updated so be sure to check back if you're in search of a new layout!
I'm open to recs from my watchers, but I'd like to point out that I won't be adding any communities/journals that don't fitmy guidelines below:
- It has to be a public community/journal. This is non-negotiable.
- Must have 2 or more layouts posted.
- Must have clear installation instructions.
→ TOP MAKERS
minty peach.
Status / closed
Maker(s) / miiiintz
Style(s) / flexible squares
Samples / 1 | 2 | 3
She is what I'd call the Queen of Flexi-Squares. No one can match up to her Flexi designs in my honest opinion. She's created over 90 designs, all vastly different from each other, but with a recognisable 'simple and clean' style. Definetely worth flicking through.
Also made icons, banners, profile codes, and shared Photoshop brushes and MySpace layouts.
thefulcrum.
Status / active
Maker(s) / grrliz
Style(s) / bloggish, mixit, smooth sailing, minimalism, nebula, opal, tranquility, flexible squares
Samples / 1 | 2 | 3
Most original and professional-looking designs I've ever seen. If minty_peach is the Queen of Flexi-Squares, then thefulcrum would be the King.
It's also important to note that it's easy to browse through the community at your leisure, as the layout designs are helpfully organised according to colour scheme, width, themes, etc.
spire.
Status / active
Maker(s) / scythe
Style(s) / smooth sailing, tranquility, opal, nebula, minamilism, expressive, flexible squares... probably more, idk
Samples / 1 | 2 | 3
Formerly known as thrashmetal and active once again after a lengthy hiatus.
If you haven't heard about this community yet, you're missing out. thrashmetal has made some of the most gorgeous Smooth Sailing designs, working near exclusively with the 'rarer' styles that most people bypass in favour of the overrated much-loved Flexible Squares.
Throws out the ocassional profile coding and shares a few helpful tutorials too.
noveltybox.
Status / inactive
Maker(s) / gossymer
Style(s) / bloggish, flexible squares, expressive, component, classic, smooth sailing, dear diary
Samples / 1 | 2 | 3
Again, incredibly professional-looking designs that are gorgeous to look at and use. She's a versatile maker whose designs always look top-notch whatever the style she's using. I have a mad amount of respect for her creativity. Go here for some incredibly unique designs.
Also makes icons and shares tutorials and Dreamwidth layouts.
fruitstyle.
Status / active
Maker(s) / wingweaver22
Style(s) / smooth sailing, nebula, opal, tranquility, minimalism, flexible squares, probably more~
Samples / 1 | 2 | 3
Her layouts are always so inventive and vibrant - you can tell she's not afraid to go all out with the colour. Like thrashmetal, her designs experiment with the 'rarer' S2 styles too, creating some amazing designs. You rarely see makers willing to experiment, rather than stick with what everyone else does, so it's worth browsing through her designs.
Also makes pretty winamp skins, icons, wallpapers and the ocassional profile coding.
milou veronica.
Status / closed
Maker(s) / robot_sky
Style(s) / flexible squares, smooth sailing, mixit, minimalism
Samples / 1 | 2 | 3
If you haven't heard of her, then yeah, you've been missing out a lot. Her designs tend to be classy and elegant in style, sometimes with cute background patterns and lovely pastel colours, making them insanely popular with the vast majority of LiveJournal.
Also made some pretty icons and shared handy tutorials for layout-making at milou_en_avril!
refuted.
Status / inactive
Maker(s) / presents
Style(s) / flexible squares
Samples / 1 | 2 | 3
Clean layouts that aren't overcomplicated. I'm a big fan of how simplistic her layouts are, but how they still managed to look so effortlessly professional. Her choices in colours tend to be light but work brilliantly with the way she lays her designs out.
Also makes icons, mood themes, wallpapers, banners, profile codes, and shares textures, fonts, tutorials and Twitter layouts.
refutare.
Status / active
Maker(s) / stimulus + unoriginal
Style(s) / flexible squares, opal, smooth sailing, nebula
Samples / 1 | 2 | 3
Professional-looking designs that always look so snazzy and clean. Everything is clearly defined in their designs, so I recommend browsing through for some top quality designs. Their designs tend to have either light pastel-colour schemes or dark, monochrome-style colour schemes.
Also makes the ocassional profile coding.
unequally.
Status / closed
Maker(s) / introject
Style(s) / minimalism, smooth sailing, tranquility, flexible squares
Samples / 1 | 2 | 3
This is another maker who's not afraid to experiment with what she can. Her designs are what I'd classify as classy - elegant but not over the top. The fact that she works with other styles besides from Flexi Squares is a nice fat plus too. This is a particularly nice community to browse through for lovely S2 designs.
Also makes pretty Supernatural and Harry Potter icons! \o/
→ ACTIVE & CURRENT MAKERS
novaless.
Maker(s) / encontre
Style(s) / flexible squares
Samples / 1
Clean and simple designs. Cute and easy to customize. Also shares icons.
ohcodey.
Maker(s) / darlingbones
Style(s) / flexible squares
Samples / 1 | 2
Newbie community that showcases some gorgeously sleek and innovative designs. Worth checking out.
ribbonized.
Maker(s) / eunkyung
Style(s) / flexible squares, smooth sailing
Samples / 1 | 2
Simple and lightly-coloured designs. Also makes profile coding and Twitter layouts.
palebird.
Maker(s) / realsoon
Style(s) / flexible squares
Samples / 1 | 2
Pretty and colourful layouts for Flexi-Squares! Also makes profile codes.
mentahelada.
Maker(s) / _yam
Style(s) / flexible squares, smooth sailing, minimalism
Samples / 1 | 2
Always makes inventive and colourful layouts that you'll rarely find elsewhere. Recommended. Also makes icons, headers, profile codes, Dreamwidth layouts, and shares textures and brushes.
visualwit.
Maker(s) / ravenclawbest
Style(s) / flexible squares
Samples / 1 | 2
An incredibly popular community ran by a friend of mine that showcases consistently amazing and colourful designs for the Flexible Squares style. Also shares an array of graphics like icons, profile codes, headers and wallpapers. Worth checking out!
beatcrusher.
Maker(s) / das_porno_uke
Style(s) / flexible squares, smooth sailing, tranquility
Samples / 1 | 2
Another popular community which shares creative and colourful designs. I recommend checking this one out.
estiloamor.
Maker(s) / fuckkcliche + morirvivo + nitrogliceryna
Style(s) / flexible squares
Samples / 1 | 2
Cute and popular layout designs for Flexible Squares. Also makes icons.
velvetb0x.
Maker(s) / cielo_gris
Style(s) / flexible squares
Samples / 1 | 2 | 3
Stylish and sleek layouts that always look gorgeous and top-notch. Also shares resources like textures and Photoshop brushes.
runningrockets.
Maker(s) / evolretsalp
Style(s) / flexible squares
Samples / 1
Cute layouts that tend to be lightly-coloured. Also shares pretty things like icons, wallpapers, headers, banners, tutorials and profile coding.
triclementia.
Maker(s) / erinilliana + elendia + miiscea
Style(s) / flexible squares, tranquility
Samples / 1 | 2
Check this out if you're familiar with mooncreation. Anime and video-game themed layouts that are cute and colourful in style.
robotbabies.
Maker(s) / digifucker
Style(s) / flexible squares, tranquility, smooth sailing
Samples / 1
Moved from reaverix. Clean grey layouts with the emphasis on 'simplistic'. Also shares icons!
reversescollide.
Maker(s) / exiiguity
Style(s) / flexible squares
Samples / 1
Mainly a graphics journal, but has the rare snazzy Flexi Squares design~ up for grabs.
→ STILL WANT MORE? TRY LOOKING HERE!
» mintyapple - practically a library (and a well-organised one at that) of layouts. You can search through the community's tags for specific styles or makers, making it a must-have if you don't already use it.
» toyboxer - an elite layout community that showcases the best. Makers have to apply through an application process, where they're judged on the samples they chose. #1 place to look for the best of the best, so it's worth delving through the entries.
» Last updated @ 13th July 2010
I blame confluents for making this monster. JUST SAYING.