Give me a break.

Ya, the site could be designed better. Is it a Basecamp copy simply because he intelligently uses "above the fold" and then answers a few question in a two-column format below the fold? How many other sites do that? Many! Certainly those that want a modicum of success, and are aware of the home page "design patterns" that are in use today, do.

I plan on using the exact same design pattern for my projects.

I can't even say that 37Signals pioneered the pattern but they might be responsible for popularizing it. It works.

If anything Peldi deserves a little credit for utilizing a well known pattern to get his site up and saving his time for developing his app.

Hi there, the design is mine (and sadly it shows), but when I did design it I was at the peak of my 37signal fanboy phase, so I'm not surprised you see similarities.

I am working on a new design with a graphic designer friend...so there's hope. :)

I'm pretty happy with Balsamiq's successs. He found a design that works for him and his customers. If anything this post is a troll cleverly disguised as a compliment.

And if I do recall, one of the points in "Getting Real" is to copy design of a website that is completely unrelated field.