This is something I should expand on sometime on my DesignPrintBlog!, but I’ll just do a quick comment here on the topic.

Take a look at iVillage and AskMen.com. You’ll notice that iVillage uses softer colors, while AskMen.com has bolder colors. In addition, note that iVillage has a lot of curves in the design, while AskMen.com is more linear.

Men like squares and women like circles. 90° angles vs. curves.

Mind you, of course, that these things are done more in trends than in absolutes. Some men may prefer the look of iVillage and some women may prefer the look of AskMen.com. That’s not necessarily anything to do with their sexuality, but more a matter of their own personal likes and dislikes. I also read that male designers tend toward feminine designs and female designers tend toward masculine designs.

At any rate, here are a few places where you can read more (until I do my own post on the subject!). They are older links, but I didn’t find anything newer. Granted, I didn’t spend a whole lot of time searching–I’m still a bit busy!

“Girls Prefer Circles: Gender Bias and Web Design Esthetics”

“Gender Bias in Web Site Design”

“Designing for a Girl“