Unreality check

Standout features:

• Intensely retro design that harks back to the beginnings of the Internet
• The casual and offbeat tone of voice
• Lightning-fast UX

Unreality Check is a photo retouch studio from the UK whose website, courtesy of Keita Takemura, is a full-on retro delight – which is not saying much because nostalgia design is all the rage at the moment. However, this is taking it to a whole new level.

Simple to the point of ridiculous (in a very good way), Unreality Check recalls the beginnings of the Internet in the early and mid-1990s and its pioneering HTML websites. Even the homepage’s gradient background looks like something from 30 years ago, while three simple, square photographs and Times New Roman font seal the deal.

The only pages – Work, Blog, and Contact – follow the same, equally nostalgic look. Each page’s description is on the left and the content is arranged in rows to the right. Hovering over these rows loads a preview image. Clicking on one opens a page containing the photographs from the studio’s portfolio.

The blog articles are a very fun read, with topics ranging from personal musings on random things to pro tips and advice. The voice and style of these articles are equally offbeat and “unadjusted” as the photographer's website design itself.