Just push the shiny, candy-like button already!

When I think of the trend Web 2.0 the first thing that comes to mind is "Candy Store."  With all of the pastel colors accented by slightly brighter colors and candy like buttons, it can be easy to classify this trend as "eye candy."  Case in point:

Wired Tree

Box.com

These websites are very clean looking, despite the liberal use of color.  The whole feel of the site makes the user feel that they are in the newest possible environment. But could they be giving a less-than-serious tone to the site?  The first site is Wired Tree; a company that provides VPS hosting.  The second site is Box which allows for document sharing amonst individuals and companies, with ample document storage in their cloud server. Both of these subjects can seem intimidating to the novice internet user so I think the almost-playful look helps the subject matter seem more inviting.

Not all of the Web 2.0 sites have the playroom palette.  Some are dark and some are even flirting with grunge apeal. Such as:

Tea Round App

Tweetdeck

Interestingly enough, the two sites just mentioned are for a game smartphone app and a Twitter smartphone app for "Power Users."  These two sites have a less "innocent" tone and are obviously geared toward the savvy internet entertainment audience.  Had the corporate sites from before used this palette, they could run the risk of scaring their target audience.

What these four sites have in common is a clean, vector appearance, with a clear and easy to navigate grid.  The surprizing aspect of this trend to me is how it seems to have flipped the expectations of what you would fine on a corporate site and what you would see on a less serious site.