From the people behind Simply Hired comes Simply Fired, a collection of stories and tales from those who’ve all been victim of the pink slip demon. Simply Fired uses some stylish and appropriate graphics, a Digg-like approach to their collection of stories, and a simply grid approach to their design.

We’re seeing more and more of the graphical approach to Web backgrounds these days. I’m not only referring to the graphic patterns of the site’s background, but the graphical landing sections where applicable graphics enhance a design. These graphics might not seem too important to many people, but they are making an impact. By becoming more visually pleasing and engaging, these sites hook users in a much more effective way.

The use of a voting to place emphasis on certain aspects of the sites is also gaining ground on sites today, usually in an attempt to gain page visits through actual Digg-submission integrated into blogs. These types of user-based control allow for more involved experiences, grasping onto visitors and engaging them in the content. It is not so much the approach to using a voting platform to elevate content, but the design that is based around that idea here.

One more thing is the simply grid, which is almost completely consistent on every page template. My favorite part, however, is the colors and the graphical illustrations built right into the design. It’s themed around the office experience and really prospers because of that use of style and design.