Design inspiration curated from X

There's a common misconception that award-winning websites don't co... - Huy Nguyen

Published by Huy Nguyen on November 16, 2025.

There's a common misconception that award-winning websites don't convert. That beautiful design = bad business. I call BS. Work that we did earlier this year for OH Architecture (http://oharchitecture.com.au) won Site o...

Design notes

There's a common misconception that award-winning websites don't convert. That beautiful design = bad business. I call BS. Work that we did earlier this year for OH Architecture (http://oharchitecture.com.au) won Site of the Day on Awwwards, FWA, and CSSDA. It also generated $1-3 million AUD in new project work in the first 3 months and saved them 10+ hours every week. Here's why the 'awards vs. results' debate is backwards: 1) Not all websites exist to drive direct sales Some are built to boost brand perception, save time, support campaigns, or attract higher value clients. Awards aren't the enemy, poor execution and strategy is. If your "award-winning" site doesn't generate results, you didn't understand the brief. 2) Beautiful design can absolutely drive business outcomes For Mammoth Murals (http://mammothmurals.com), the team mainly targets enterprise clients, who are time-poor, not tech-savvy. We didn't dumb it down. We made it inspiring and much more intuitive to book a discovery call which led to $100k in pipeline within 30 days. Premium clients don't want soulless websites. They want clarity wrapped in craft. 3) Constraints breed creativity, not compromise Every project has goals, user needs, and problems to solve. Great designers don't ignore those, they create within them. I could've gone wild with animations and complexity for every client project. But context mattered more. The best work isn't unrestricted freedom. It's intentional restraint, knowing when to hold back and knowing when to lean in and channel your creativity into the work. Award-winning design and business results aren't enemies. Bad strategy is. If you want a website that looks exceptional and drives outcomes, the answer isn't choosing between the two. It's working with someone who understands both.

This entry is part of Northlight's curated archive of interface, product, brand, website, and motion design references from public creators on X.

Image rights and licensing remain with Huy Nguyen; use the original X post for source and licensing inquiries.

Reference details

Creator
Huy Nguyen
X handle
@by__huy
Published
November 16, 2025
Media
1 visual reference
Views
13,910
Likes
198
Bookmarks
160