Design & development
Maestros I have come across:
Some of these people I know, some I don't. All of them have a great eye for what they do, as well as the technical nous to set it in place.
What's happening:
Overused as the term is, the below reflect the "cutting edge" of the industry.
Great sites 1 - ING Direct 
Damn simple to use. It's a bank ... if I want to apply for a loan / look at ISAs / invest in Moldavian bonds I'll look. Usually I just need to manage my own cash ...
Great sites 2 - Easyjet
Cheap flights almost anywhere in Europe, easy to use and best of all, concise on the site and the HTML email they send after you book.
Great sites 3 - The Sydney Morning Herald 
Comprehensive news from the home city, and one of the few sites I'd pay for if pushed (shhh). Design and layout purely in CSS, incidentally.
Great sites 4 - Norwegian Embassy
Don't visit embassies too often, but when I do the Norwegian is at the top of the list. Immaculate design - typisk Scandinavisk as they say.
Great sites 5 - Soulfood
An escape from your everyday world into somebody else's. The Arctic Technology project reminds me of a certain Star Wars movie ...