They Are Cute!

Before I begin my second part of the design review I do have the say the dogs are cute! Not exactly the type of dogs you see everyday, but I can see how some people might become passionate as these types of dogs. I guess some people like boxers and some people like these. Personally, I think these dogs are cuter when they are puppies. :)

In some design cases, less is more, but I am not sure this applies to this page. The clean white background creates a stark and almost boring background to the many, many images and not so exciting brown text. Again, I can't image that this designer put a great deal of time or energy into these pages. All that is present are links, texts, and images. These three combine in an almost awkward way that forces you to continue to scroll down and down to see the same design mistakes over and over again.

Here is a question... if you were online researching and shopping for any type of dog what would you hope to see? Are the many pictures and lack of information working for you or are you looking for something more?

Here Doggie, Doggie!

Alright, here we go... so I will be the first to tell you that I didn't stumble on this one on my own. A good friend was actually kind enough (or not so kind enough) to send this along. How he stumbled upon this I have no idea, but I don't think he was trying to buy Komar Afghan Hound.

In any case we sit here finding our selves looking at this. Yep, I wasn't sure what to call it except this. Lets spend some time exploring the obvious here. This website didn't exactly take a long time to build. I image, a couple of links, and of course the every favorite "visitor counter" is on the bottom. As a designer I wonder how long this could take?

The dogs seem amazing, but to me the blue color is an odd choice. The gradient always gets to me too. At what point does any website owner stop and say hey, I really need to update these pages. How much should I invest and will be it worth my initial investment. Of course there are many variable to that questions, but at some point it has be asked.

And the Embarrassment Sets In

Well, apparently Blogger outsmarted me this month and I will be the first to hang my head in embarrassment. I was under the impression that I shared a few posts with you last week that I just recently realized were sitting comfortably in the "draft" state instead of published. Go ahead and feel free to make fun of me. I am already blushing in embarrassment and feel no better than an inexperienced designer adding animated gifs to a nean background page.

As my embarrassment subsides I hope you catch up with me where I thought we had left off. I found this very interesting site and did a two part review of it for your (and of course my) entertainment. Your posts have been really helpful and insightful so I look forward to hearing what you have to say this week. Seriously, thanks! So many friends have shared new UGLY sites and I really appreciate it.

Just please keep the Blogger tips to yourselves! Yes, I know how to hit "publish post" or at least I thought I knew how too. And, here we go. Signs of a Bad Site Continues with some published posts. ;)

Bad Design vs. Bad Wine

Bad design is like a bad wine. They both can make your cringe. Let's be honest... I am not the first to review ugly sites and I will be far from the last. Like the plague they continue to spread like wild fire across the web and there is really no indication that it will ever stop. Sure, we can hope, but the likely hood of every site being is wonderful is far from a reality.

So, a simple "search" online could populate many options that feature ugly design. Some completed by actual designers to try to prove a point and other published by bored individuals across the world trying to grab people's attention. Are they selling something, saying something, or just added little bits of their daily lives to the web? Who knows and at some point you wonder who cares.

If a site is that hard to shop from can't you simply visit another site that offers clean design and an easy to purchase atmosphere? Sure you can, but them it takes away from some of the fun of exploring this ugly specimens. Well, I guess I just answered one of my questions. I am one of the people that looks at these sites and cares to some extent. Guess I should go find one!

Fast & Cheap or Good & Pricey

Our constant reviews of ugly websites have added to the great debate surrounding poor design and the questions still remain. Is ugly design a result of fast and cheap labor? Better yet, can you only obtain a well-done and intelligent sign at a high cost?

If you are a company struggling to find your niche on the web what amount of money should you be willing to shell out? While I refuse to give you one price to compare among all designers you should know that in many cases quick, cheap work does come with many ugly design techniques. It is an inevitable part of the process. When you review potential designers take into consideration their experience, their prior work, and their cost. Just like with everything else in the world all designers are not created equal. There will always be the good, the bad, and everything in between.

Escaping ugly website design is a good thing and your business (and consumers) just might thank you for it.

Two Word Combinations

We tend to use many two word combinations in our daily life. Grande latte, tuna sandwich, smart phone... but there are a few words that should stop being combined immediately. These two words are animated gifs. Of course, there many be other noteworthy combinations, but for today we will focus on these gifs that continue to plague the internet and irritate our eyes.

Animated gifs went out of style along with the fanny pack, yet we still keep seeing a reappearance of both. Stop for a moment and think how many times you have seen an animated gif during the hours you spend on the web? Then, stop and think how many of those sites feature other elements of horrible design. One could easily conclude that animated gifs and other horrible design features go hand-in-hand.

And, yes we can expect to see animated gifs lingering out there for years. The moving arrows, borders, rotating discs, and Santa's popping out of chimneys are just a few of the eye soars we are subjected to daily. Before you realize it, you might begin to notice more than ever before. So, next time you see an animated gif brace yourself for the other ugly design features soon to follow.