11 Horizontal Scrolling Examples that Challenge the Norm

Scrolling up and down a web page is so last decade. We’re ready to move in a new direction with horizontal scrolling.

Vertical scrolling is something that we’re all used to. The countless websites we’ve experienced have conditioned us to automatically move from the top down. So what happens when a webpage shakes up what we’re familiar with and forces us to take a different path?

Designers use horizontal scrolling to wake us up from the monotony of conventional user experiences. Journeying sideways calls on us to pay attention to what we’re doing in a way that’s often missing on regular websites.

Horizontal Scrolling Leaves More Room for Content

If you’re working on a web design that is becoming a seemingly infinite scroll, horizontal scrolling can help you maximize space and keep your page short and impactful. Having more than a single axis to lay out text and visuals gives you more room to work with and allows you to break out information or other content that you want to highlight.

Though many websites will mix horizontal and vertical scrolling, for those wanting to push the boundaries even further, making a website completely horizontal is a different user experience that will set it apart from the multitudes of websites out there. No-code and low-code platforms like Vev make this easy to do.

The Benefits of Horizontal Scrolling

Horizontal scrolling lets you tell stories in ways that are more engaging. Along with optimizing screen space, they offer interactive user experiences that are new and unique compared to what we’re used to.

Instead of rolling out everything at once, horizontal scrolling provides a more measured distribution of content. Text and visuals can be served one slice at a time, making for a more patient user experience where visitors can fully absorb what you’re putting in front of them.

How to Use Horizontal Scrolling in Web Design

There are many ways that designers use horizontal scrolling in optimizing screen space. They work really well for portfolios, allowing you to roll out one project at a time, making sure that potential clients see all of the examples of the work you want them to see.

Horizontal scrolling also functions well for galleries and carousels. Instead of having square grids of visuals we’ve become accustomed to, horizontal scrolling lets you reveal images piece by piece. This works perfectly for photo galleries, featured products, or other related visuals you want to display.

Finally, let’s not forget their role in displaying content. From long-form web editorials to visual storytelling, horizontal scrolling gives you a dedicated space to communicate a set of related information like statistics, data, and other pieces of information that you want to highlight.

11 Striking Horizontal Scrolling Examples

There are so many ways to take your designs in a sideways direction. Let’s take a look at several different horizontal scrolling examples that all use this design technique in unique and inventive ways.

WWF: Priority Threat Management

The Canadian branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) dedicates its Vev-built website to raising awareness about environmental issues facing the country, addressing solutions, and gathering support.

Horizontal scrolling is put into action in explaining what Priority Threat Management (PTM) of ecosystems is all about. The first section answers the question “How does it work?”, with the next panel going deeper into the importance of biodiversity. This horizontal scrolling example breaks up the vertical scrolling convention to call attention to major points that you would need to understand before reading the rest of the content concerning the PTM work performed in the Wolastoq/Saint John River watershed in New Brunswick.

Horizontal scrolling is an effective way to show visitors information you don’t want them to skim over and the WWF uses it to give visitors important facts that they would need to know before moving further through the page.

Audento Digital

Featuring a dark background of deep space purples, this horizontal scrolling example from agency Audento Digital dazzles visitors with brilliant colors, smooth animations, and lively interactions.

The first part communicates the core values of who they are. Scrolling further brings you to a portfolio of featured projects. There’s a fluid hover effect that reveals images from each of these. There isn’t a single space in this sideways user experience that doesn’t have some sort of graphic, animation or micro-interaction to keep things interesting.

We always enjoy seeing horizontal website examples that aren’t afraid to take chances by having an entirely sideways user experience. For agencies and design studios especially, pulling off something bolder and more imaginative is a great way to show potential clients what you’re capable of.

Eidsiva

Eidsiva is a Norwegian company focused on renewable energy. This 2021 annual report is full of interactions, scrollytelling elements, text effects, and other brilliant visuals all put together with Vev.

This horizontal scrolling example communicates the key figures and data related to their commitment to sustainability and the environment. Scrolling reveals several panels that relate to their major accomplishments.

When you have something lengthy like an annual report, you need to keep it from getting too dense with information. This is one of the better horizontal scrolling examples we came across that optimizes screen space through a mix of horizontal and vertical scrolling and successfully delivers data in an engaging and concise way.

Okey Studio

Horizontal scrolling and photo galleries are a perfect match. Not only does Okey Studio show off a stunning array of photos, but they’re made even more artistic by the design surrounding them. The featured photos don’t sit still on the screen but are touched by effects like parallax, zoom, and other types of motion that make for a dynamic user experience.

Horizontal scrolling is an ideal layout choice for a series of large images. It maximizes the number of visuals you can display and enhances the flow and cohesiveness of the content being presented.

This is Revere

This horizontal scrolling example from Revere, a B2B marketing firm, offers an eye-catching website full of glowing neon, starry skies, and other luminescent visuals set over dark backgrounds. This Vev-built design takes advantage of our ready-made scroll-triggered animations, preset text effects, and horizontal scrolling for a colorful and mesmerizing user experience that shows off their creative flair.

Annonsørinnhold

This horizontal scrolling example built with Vev for the film North Sea relies on videos and photos to build excitement about this movie. There’s no lack of attention-grabbing visuals, with images and videos showing scenes like oil rigs on fire, helicopters buzzing, and other death-defying actions on the open sea.

Along with dramatic visuals, there’s also a timeline that’s laid out in a horizontally scrolled block. Horizontal scrolling works so well in showing chronological events, and this element gives a bit of context and backstory.

Ata Ergir

Some of our favorite horizontal scrolling examples are the simplest. Ata Ergir takes a minimal approach in this design portfolio with huge expanses of white, black text, and straight lines. There are several intriguing animations like the paint-like streaks that drip down signaling the change from one page to the next, as well as text effects that move and scale the words on screen. Though it’s a minimalist-inspired design, it’s full of visuals that guide you through it.

Horizontal scrolling is utilized in describing Ata Ergir’s skills in design and development, with crisp icons accompanying each piece of information. Splitting up this content into two panels makes it easy to read all of these important points.

This is another one of the horizontal scrolling examples we found that’s an effective hybrid of horizontal and vertical scrolling, combining the two in delivering its content in a way that is concise and efficient.

Art of Buying a Car

Polestar, a luxury line of automobiles, has an ingenious marketing campaign where those with valuable art can trade it in for one of their vehicles. This horizontal scrolling example, built with Vev, explains how their business model works, while also showing off the sophistication of their namesake automobiles.

A horizontal carousel of photos shows both interior and exterior shots, displaying the smooth lines and elegant details of these vehicles, before dropping you back into the main body of the page. Here more text and images further communicate the beauty of these high-end vehicles. Polestar uses horizontal scrolling to carve out just a bit more screen space in showing what makes their automobiles special.

Mirrows

Doing away with vertical scroll entirely is a daring move, but in this horizontal scrolling example, it pays off. Startups and brands dealing with new technologies need to take chances in order to capture people’s attention. Mirrows, a company involved in the emerging field of NFTs, takes an adventurous approach with this 100% horizontally-navigated design.

Within its horizontal layout, each space is filled with wonderful and offbeat visuals. A ballerina toy revolves, marquees of text scroll vertically, and other graphic elements spin and swing across the screen as you move through it.

We’re fans of horizontal scrolling examples that push the boundaries of web design. Mirrows aren’t afraid of taking risks in capturing people’s attention with this delightfully strange and surreal user experience.

Sari Broda

If you have small children who have problems sleeping, you’re probably feeling pretty tired yourself. Luckily, Sari Broda offers sleep programs for children, which in turn, helps out sleep-deprived parents.

This horizontal scrolling example has a gentle feel, with a soothing color palette of pink and purple, paper-like background textures, and delicate typography. This design feels lightweight, and the horizontal section covering Sari’s different programs helps keep it from getting bogged down with too much vertical content.

Little Pricks

Full disclosure, Little Pricks isn’t an actual website with a cheeky name dedicated to gardening. It’s true that we’re fans of plants, but most importantly we love showing designers what makes Vev such a fun and effective tool for building websites, so we created this fun little horizontal scrolling example.

When you want to include testimonials, having them in a horizontally scrolled carousel lets you share reviews in a way that doesn’t clutter your web page.

Add Horizontal Scrolling to Your Project

Inspired by the horizontal scrolling examples above? Add horizontal scrolling to your project effortlessly using Vev's pre-coded horizontal scroll component. Play and customize your web design on a free-roaming canvas to create stunning digital experiences with complete creative and technical freedom. You can then publish your content directly to the web when you’re ready—either hosting on us, or embedding it within your existing CMS.