30 Awesome 404 Error Pages

404 error pages appear when website users click a broken link, taking them to a page that has been removed or whose address has been changed.  But while the experience itself is a nuisance, a 404 error page doesn’t have to be all bad.  In fact, it’s become a growing trend that 404 pages are where even the most serious of companies and big businesses can have a little fun, poking fun at themselves or the user, or simply the 404 error experience itself.

The following thirty examples show the myriad ways in which 404 error pages can actually be a great outlet for creativity.  The range of options is unlimited.  A 404 error page can consist of computer humor, like 8 bit Peoples or IDZR’s pages, continued website themes, like MoMa or Heinz Ketchup’s, playful accusations, like Cut and Taste or Homestar Runner’s, or even serve as the symbol of an existential crisis, like Spiritual but not Religious or Telltale Games’ pages.  Still otherscontain haikus, cute cartoons, and complex designs.  Some 404 pages even take advantage of themomentary pause to tell their visitors to get off the computer and go outside!

1. 8 Bit Peoples

2. Apartment Home Living

3. Audiko

4. Blippy

5. Brandstack

 

6. Chelmsford Public Library

7. Chris Jennings

8. Cooklet

 

9. Cut and Taste

10. CSS Tricks

11. Frye/Wiles

12. Heinz

13. Homestar Runner

14. Hoot Suite

15. Huwshimi

16. IDZR

17. Limp Fish

18. Local Fitness

19. Jack Fig

20. Jotsai

21. Luminous

22. MoMa

23. Ook

24. Pattern Tap

25. Serene Destiny

26. Spinning Plates

27. Spiritual But Not Religious

28. Telltale Games

29. Urban Outfitters

30. Ziff

Maria Nemenman

Maria Nemenman is a marketing specialist at Wix.com - a user-friendly online tool for the creation of customized Flash websites. Maria enjoys bringing Wix' free and easy tools to those interested in web design, opening up new creative channels by eliminating the need to code.

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14 Responses

  1. Graphiics says:

    Its wonderful….I gonna use them because I am a Web Designer…

  2. JS says:

    Saw this one recently too, who can resist a puppy based 404 page?

    http://make-studio.co/404.php

  3. Aitor says:

    This one is in Spanish, but is nice
    http://www.elcuchitril.es/404
    The guinea pig has eaten the page XD

  4. 9ale7 says:

    i love the :Frye/Wiles

    the Birds say:
    Oops we lost one
    funny!

  5. I saw this one recently also… Good design and Funny!

    http://thereisaspecialplaceinhell.com/404

  6. These are some great ideas that I should incorporate into my web site as well. I like the idea of creative 404 Error pages as I think viewers of the site won’t get so put off by them and will still continue to explore the web site.

  7. Kenny Tan says:

    Amazing that people spend so much effort on a beautiful 404 page.

  8. Hansek says:

    Another 404 but in czech language http://www.coex.cz/404

  9. franck says:

    Our web guy is making a whole lot of them as we speak.
    They our inspired by the old TV color bars:
    http://www.racecar.no/404
    (just press refresh and you will see new ones)

  10. Dave says:

    Nice sample 404 pages, favourite is number 11 – Whoops…
    Like the use of comedy in these, would keep me on the site longer if I hit a funny 404 rather than the default one.

  11. Kathleen says:

    If you’d like, you can check mine out.
    http://www.kbjdesign.net/oops.html

  12. I wonder how much time the webmasters have spent coming up with creative 404 pages? Maybe I should spend a little more time and create a good one as well.

  13. Here is one more creative 404 page template hope you will like it.

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