404 Error Pages for Your Viewing Pleasure
No one likes seeing the dreaded error page on a website. It usually occurs when a link is bad. Error pages, also known by their street name as 404 pages, are depressing. They make you feel sad and confused and angry at the web designer. Perhaps all of this is irrational, but it happens. As a way to defuse any ill feelings, many web designers came up with a simple yet smart solution– customizing a 404 error page. As simple as it may seem, a customized error page will make a visitor feel like you care about their user experience on your website.
Error pages are easy to create, so there’s no excuse to avoid them. Even with the most solid website, you never know when someone might mis-spell a URL link and hit a page that doesn’t exist. Be prepared when that happens to you, even if by no fault of your own. Let these great error pages be your inspiration to creating your own.
Do you know of any cool 404 pages we’re missing?
About the Author
Related Posts
Here's some other articles that you will definitely find useful.
50 Inspiring iPhone Application Websites
A Showcase of Website Navigations with Serious Click Appeal
The Principle of Contrast in Web Design
50 Inspiring Portfolio Designs
Interview with Jeff Finley
Oct 14, 2009
Coll list! Take a Look at My Personal 4o4 Error Page:
http://www.xtraboy.com/404.php
Oct 14, 2009
There are some really good ways to show an error 404 page int his collection. They are all very inspiring and have a massive impact. Some of the pages are almost too good, that you would want to accidentally stumble across them so you can view them. Definetly something to take into consideration when making a 404 page…
Oct 14, 2009
I Love this Collection. And this is my ERROR 404 Page
http://www.jazzdrummerworld.com/404.php
for Drummer
!!
Oct 14, 2009
Some good and amusing examples here, I am currently trying to change my employers 404 page to something more meaningful than ‘Page not found’, so I will show them this!
Here is one of my 404 pages; http://trubru.co.uk/404
Oct 14, 2009
Hi,
Excellent collection. Few things are really inspiring. Came in a real good time, when i revamp my site. May be i should also put something like this to hold the people hitting broken links
Thanks a lot
sathish sampath
Oct 14, 2009
I dont know where you’d find it, but Playmobil used to have the Mexican kid in Devil Halloween fancy dress as theirs (apparently!)
http://www.millionaireplayboy.com/mpb/wp-content/gallery/7playmobil/newdevil.jpg
Oct 14, 2009
Nice list, but smashing mag already has most of these listed.
Checkout mine http://www.blogfullbliss.com/404
Oct 14, 2009
Did anyone else notice the Goatse 404? I almost fell out of my friggen chair!! Nothing like hiding some sicko pr0n in your typography. Now THAT’S class!
Oct 14, 2009
Here’s a cool Elvis 404 from a music lessons company: http://takelessons.com/error
Oct 14, 2009
I’ve always loved the illustration on the mica.edu website’s: http://www.mica.edu/404
Oct 14, 2009
A full game in a 404 page: https://thcnet.net/zork/index.php
You can even save/restore if you are a member of the site.
Oct 14, 2009
does mine qualify?
http://tutsaz.com/404
Oct 14, 2009
I am partial to wefollow.com’s 404 page because of its back to the future reference. That will win every time in my book.
http://wefollow.com/404
Oct 14, 2009
may i add my own?
http://www.alexgamela.com/blog/404
Oct 14, 2009
Ours even has a haiku about 404 pages:
http://www.arsgrafik.com/404.php
Oct 14, 2009
These are great! I just did a custom 404 page for my wife’s store… it was fun. http://unleashedpetshop.com/404.html
Oct 14, 2009
Google has a handy search widget for 404 pages to help visitors find what they were looking for: http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2008/08/make-your-404-pages-more-useful.html
Oct 14, 2009
The 404 goat ftw..
And of course, the obligatory ‘i made a 404 page too and i like it’ link: http://www.mattnortham.com/404.php
Oct 14, 2009
This is also good http://keremsuer.com/404
Oct 14, 2009
Holy crab!!
These are wonderful. Fresh ideas out there huh.
Oct 14, 2009
Nice collection here my 404
http://www.factormetal.com/404
Oct 15, 2009
Great list!
Here is our 404 page:
http://www.puntoexeinformatica.it/404
Oct 15, 2009
really latest and amazing collection for better design idea. thanks
Oct 15, 2009
hackles.org
in that comic pig is the l33t hax0r1ng ski113d guy therefore he appears on 404 error
http://www.hackles.org/xyxyx
Oct 15, 2009
haha, some of these made me chuckle. I’ve got to say though, you must have spent a huge amount of time finding these 404’s. Great compilation!
Oct 15, 2009
Have you seen the 404 of the company i work for?
It’s in Dutch…
Discription: A cartoon made by a famous Dutch cartoonist dissing insurance companies… and we are an insurance broker! Some self-criticism isn’t quite bad!?
http://www.klap.com/ooohps
Oct 15, 2009
Oh wow, thanks for listing my 404 design in your collection (”Hang in there”, iStockphoto.com – 7th down from top). Lots of great page designs in there with humorous messaging.
Oct 16, 2009
Gotta love a good 404
Here’s mine
http://www.kamikazemusic.com/404
Oct 16, 2009
I really would love my 404 page to be included in one of these posts. I thought I was being quite smart, given it is a photo site
http://www.flixelpix.com/404
David
Oct 20, 2009
Hehe, the uh oh spaghettio one was by far my favourite, almost fell off my chair. I’m surprised there isn’t a ‘you’ve been rick rolld 404′.
Some very creative stuff though, has inspired me to invent one myself
Oct 21, 2009
Great collection! I love a good 404 page. Here’s my 404: http://www.paws-and-effect.com/404
Oct 26, 2009
Great!
Nov 10, 2009
A friend of mine sent it: 404 page of Blizzard: http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/us/
Nov 10, 2009
http://www.traxor-designs.com/not-found/
Not amazing, I know. But it could be worse.
Nov 10, 2009
While not nearly as creative as some of these I like it.
http://gwipdesign.com/wp-content/themes/FREEmium/404.html
Although my blog does too good of a job redirecting messed up url’s so no one will probably ever see it.
Nov 12, 2009
Quote”Do you know of any cool 404 pages we’re missing?”
http://tysonsean.com/four-o-four
Nov 16, 2009
There are some really great 404 page examples here but I noticed on a number of them, despite their novelty, it wasn’t immediately clear why you aren’t at the page you expected to be at, and how to find your way to somewhere else on the website. I think it is vital to make it clear how to get to the rest of the website as well as clear that the page can’t be found so that a novice user understands.
Nov 16, 2009
my page «error 404» — http://dadako.net.ru/error-404 (refresh image)
Nov 17, 2009
more cool & inspiring 404 error pages
http://www.w3planting.com/2009/10/30-creative-404-pages-for-your-inspiration-w3planting/
Nov 26, 2009
Creative indeed…..LOL!!!! How would you react to a 404 message that says: “What the…?” or “You’re Screwed”….I liked the chicken ones also….And I would enjoy an error message that says: “You Broke the Internet” (Wish i could really break it. LOL!!)
Dec 10, 2009
Another funny one, with sound.
http://www.tatuarte.org/404.htm
Dec 11, 2009
superb collection…..
Dec 12, 2009
Some really cool error 404 pages here, check mine out: http://www.future-webs.com/error
Jan 3, 2010
Love the 404 post.
I think my error page is quite fun as well :
http://martaspendowska.com/blog/404.php