Fancy Packs and Links

I stated before and I will say it again, why do the worst websites get just as much attention as the good ones? Is the The Producers theory? Is it the need for people in society today to make fun of the bad in an attempt to make their own sites look better? What has reality TV done to us?!

My Theory

I have started compiling a list of things that sites do wrong, but regardless of the length of my list I do believe that here is one underlying theory behind all of this. Some people just have less than desirable taste. Bad sites full of color, Flash in thirty different places, and odd peculiar content is the website equivalent to a fanny pack on top of cut off jeans shorts. Black socks and Crocks included.

Back to My List

I did have one more to add… the Over Linkage. So, here we go… The Color Theory, Can You Add Anything Else, What Am I Looking At, All of This Flash is Burning My Eyes, and Over Linkage.

Over Linkage

Over linkage is simply over a dozen random links on one page that redirect you away from the primary site. Typically, when someone puts time and effort into building a site they want you to stay on it. If this doesn’t make sense, review my last post and it will all be crystal clear! J

Went Back for More!

Well, it's true. I decide to go back for more and found something even more complex. The links, of course! It turns out that all of those microscopic images that run down the left side and also down the middle right side are links. Yes, I said links. Those teeny tiny images will actually lead you to other pages on the site, or even better, other pages for other brands.

Go back and take a second to click on any of the random pixilated logos. The Stephen Colbert logo (that is if you can read it) actually takes you to his official home page. The image of John Stewart will take you to the Daily Show home page. There are many others to explore if you have the time. I think I may go back and add “over linkage” to my list of bad design flaws. If you spend the time to make the page and add that much detail, don’t you want the reader to attempt to stay for a while? Just a thought!

I’ll leave you for now to click away and find new places this website can take you. Take the time to review it all and enjoy!

My Beginning List

Most of us spend a good amount of time on the internet. Hopefully, you are one of the lucky ones that haven’t crossed sites as worse as this one. If you are, you might be able to help me add to this list I started on aspects of bad website design. Please let me know if you have anything to add.

The Color Theory: More is Better

Ah, hate to be the one to break this to you, but it is not. Professional web designers spend hours choosing the appropriate colors to use in moderation. The key here is moderation!

Can You Add Anything Else?

Have you ever found a site and you don’t know how they fit all this information on one page? Just like color, content should be clean and simple.

What Am I Looking At?

Have you found a site where the text actually sits on top of other text? How are you suppose to read the site never mind understand what you are looking at?

All of This Flash is Burning My Eyes

Alright, Flash is cool, but in moderation. You might want to catch our attention, but Flash rotating around eight or more spots on the page can burn our retinas and make us nauseous. Sorry, but it’s the truth.

I am sure across my journey of the good, the bad, and the ugly sites I will have more tips to share.

Three Out of Four

After I completed my first four major aspect of downright ugly design, I came across a site that encompassed at least 3 out of my 4 major theories. I will be honest; I didn’t spend much time reading this site. The minute I randomly landed on it, I became overwhelmed and decided it was in my best interest to close the window immediately.

So, if you have clicked on the link (or you are going to click on the link) here are the three major mistakes I saw in my brief encounter. The first would be the color theory. Every color wasn’t represented, but there were enough odd boxes in odd places with odd colors. That is enough for me. Second, can you add anything else?! Come on! I am not sure that any more text could be packed into that single page. I understood that it was a political page mainly due to the imagery, but I had a hard time trying to figure out what the main story was. That is if there was one. This all leads me to, what am I looking at? I could not focus on any single part of this site to understand its purpose or placement on the internet as a whole.

Wow. Please tell me that it is not just me! What do you think?

Seeing Double or Seeing Butterflies?

If you didn’t throw your computer out the window from my last blog I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you back. Now tell me, did you hire Randy Pan to create your website or are you still looking for another well-rounded and seasoned web designer? Green is the new black in case you haven’t heard.

Well, since it has been quite awhile from my last post I would like to pose a new question on the unholy unity. The unholy unity = content and design just in case you forgot. Alright, here is the big question for the day. Is it worse to read bad content or find content that is impossible to read? (Before you answer, maybe you should take a look. Or, should you?)

Hmm… decisions, decisions. Would you rather be entertained by the butterfly as you attempt to navigate through the site or actually be able to read the double-layered text to find out why this site was created in the first place? It’s a question almost as complicated as what came first… the chicken or the egg.

Ponder that for some time and I will bring you another cleaver/odd/misleading website for you to sort through.