What is a good site design? [Archive]

slooksterPSV

Nov 7, 2004, 02:36 AM

What kinds of designs do you like sites to have? I mean pinpoint some features you like websites to have. Point me to a website that has some of those good features in them. I need an idea. At school we're making websites and I want one that relaxes the eyes and lets you follow where the focus is. I want it to be entertaining too. Any tips, advice, etc. would be great. Thank you in advance - Post 444.

brap

Nov 7, 2004, 03:06 AM

I love this (http://www.asmallorange.com/), for the simplicity. Text-based websites that look good are one in a million, but they're usually the easiest and most straightforward to use. I also love the way this site (http://w3schools.com/) gets so much across without trying. It's all about grouping the data in a sensible, logical manner.

In contrast... this (http://cartoonnetwork.co.uk/index_uk.html). An abomination. Flash-based websites are sometimes cool, such as this one (http://kraftwerk.com/), but again simplicity is the key. You might think the artsy "try and confuse the user" thing looks great in a website, but trust me - it's just annoying.

I'm sure there's more to add... I'm just too tired now *yawn*. I'll sleep on it.

iElvis

Nov 7, 2004, 04:20 AM

With my own site (http://www.roydongb.com), I've gone through many different layouts. I know my current version has some weaknesses, but I'm slowly working on those.

Another site I've made (http://www.pelicanpropertiesinc.com) is also just a simple site.

Also I've done my best to code both of these using CSS for the layout, and any critisism is more than welcome. Hope this helps give you more ideas.

Blue Velvet

Nov 7, 2004, 04:37 AM

It completely depends on the content.

If it's information-led, then accessibility, clarity, ease of navigation, quick-loading, etc are all paramount.

If it comes from a different perspective (e.g. artistic) then it may have other priorities. Entertaining, mysterious etc.

Here's a site a friend of mine put together.
http://www.voluntarywork.org.uk/

It's not perfect, by any means, and it's not particularly quick-loading but it fulfills the brief for a small community-based website which other employees with little web-knowledge could update.

mintlivedotcom

Nov 7, 2004, 05:21 AM

Here are four sites that I have made in the last few months. Forgive me, because I am new to this.

My Site #1 (http://arizonaed.org/)

My Site #2 (http://hillcrest.dvusd.org/wrestling/index.html) I can't seem to fix the main page random photos so they aren't so narrow. The box doesn't change widths.

My Site #3 (http://hillcrest.dvusd.org)

My Site #4 (http://heroldshangout.com/index.html)

Even though I'm sure this thread topic has come up before, I appreciate it because some people (like me) rarely post and it's good to re-hash ideas sometimes. Please critique away!

brianellisrules

Nov 8, 2004, 09:45 AM

I'm going to have to recommend two excellent sites:

www.brianellisrules.com

and

www.brianellissucks.com

Both are turning the web-design world on its ear.

Josh

Nov 8, 2004, 10:13 AM

I do love the simplicity of A Small Orange's site.

I also love the look, color scheme, and layout of http://drupal.org. (note: for some reason, the corners of the rounded CSS containers are darker in Safari. IE/Moz displays them perfectly).

I also like www.konfabulator.com for some reason. Good webdesign is like art. Somethings will appeal to others while other things won't.

But I like more simplistic sites, rather than cluttered flash-based IN YOUR FACE!! types...such as www.shiver7.com

iGav

Nov 8, 2004, 10:36 AM

Somethings will appeal to others while other things won't.

That's because all design is subjective, if one really wanted to stir one could argue that there is no such thing as 'good' design. ;)

bostonwhaler1

Nov 8, 2004, 12:33 PM

I love this site, especially if I have a hankering for Flash. More Flash then I know what to do with... www.fullsail.com

tech4all

Nov 8, 2004, 02:41 PM

I love this site, especially if I have a hankering for Flash. More Flash then I know what to do with... www.fullsail.com

Thats a neat site. I especially liked that lil "welcome" by that person that talks and walks. :p

kgarner

Nov 8, 2004, 03:09 PM

I do love the simplicity of A Small Orange's site.

I also love the look, color scheme, and layout of http://drupal.org. (note: for some reason, the corners of the rounded CSS containers are darker in Safari. IE/Moz displays them perfectly).
It's because the images are PNGs and Safari applies a gamma correction to them that alters the color just a little bit. you can read about the issue
here (http://www.hut.fi/u/hsivonen/png-gamma.html). If they would have used GIFs the issue would be moot, but they proabably have a more sophisticated alpha channel going on those to get better blending, and then they used a script or something to get IE Win to play nice with them.

slooksterPSV

Nov 8, 2004, 04:09 PM

Wow, thanks you guys, now I have an idea for my website.

slipper

Nov 17, 2004, 11:21 PM

this one is pretty cool (http://google.com)

Yotabyte

Nov 19, 2004, 01:22 PM

oaker

Nov 19, 2004, 01:44 PM

http://www.billyharveymusic.com/

http://www.erikotten.nl/7/

http://www.jeedub.com/

Pixeled_Apple

Nov 23, 2004, 04:52 AM

check out my site http://m.1asphost.com/liquidmedia/

rozwell

Nov 24, 2004, 08:57 AM

i tend to like my site design http://projectc5.com. i also did http://nickistager.com.

Yvan256

Nov 24, 2004, 09:58 AM

I'd say stick with a fixed width site (I prefer my fixed width sites centered) with a width of about 750ish so it is compatable to those evil people that don't deserve net connections, the 800x600 dinosaurs. I've made quite a few fixed width sites, and i've had very few problems with them in different browsers. :)

Indeed. When you go above 1024x768 or 1280x1024, websites that use the whole width start to become annoying to read.

After all, newspaper make columns for a good reason: people hate to read long lines.

Having a fixed width website solves that problem (and if your resolution is at least twice the website's width, then by all mean zoom it to 200%. If you're using Opera, the only browser to understand what "Zoom" means).

Yvan256

Nov 24, 2004, 09:59 AM

i tend to like my site design http://projectc5.com. i also did http://nickistager.com.

Nice white page.

aus_dave

Nov 24, 2004, 05:00 PM

i also did http://nickistager.com.No offence, but the light grey 6 point text on a white background is virtually unreadable :rolleyes:.

Mike Teezie

Dec 15, 2004, 11:30 AM

Here are two I enjoy. Honestly, I mainly like these site's because I like the company's they represent - especially their demo reels!

:eek:

1 (http://www.exopolis.com/site/)

2 (http://www.lobo.cx/)

jeremy.king

Dec 15, 2004, 12:16 PM

Indeed. When you go above 1024x768 or 1280x1024, websites that use the whole width start to become annoying to read.

Quick tip...resize your browser window.

Mechcozmo

Dec 15, 2004, 01:00 PM

Quick tip...resize your browser window.

And then you scroll back and forth reading it.

jeremy.king

Dec 15, 2004, 01:13 PM

And then you scroll back and forth reading it.

I interpreted as if he didn't like pages that span the entire width (using width:100% for example) at 1600x1200, for example. Not as sites that are fixed at 1600x1200, that would be just insane.

decksnap

Dec 15, 2004, 01:29 PM

It's funny how people's ideas of great sites happen to be their own. ;)
No offense, but I think the nickistager.com site posted above is a great example of what not to do from a useability standpoint. Forcing a user to wait for access to buttons while birds fly around, an 'index' page of sorts with no use whatsoever, hard to read type, buttons that don't betray what they do, or even convey 'button'. Admittedly in his case a 'design driven' site is the right choice- but only good up to the point where it starts getting in the way of letting the user see his work.

A good site in my opinion is a balance of functionality, useability and aesthetics, but the priorities among the three can weigh more or less heavily depending on the goal.

railthinner

Dec 15, 2004, 01:43 PM

In my opinion anyone interested in building good, modern websites should be well familiar with the issues they focus on at http://www.alistapart.com

Bow to Zeldman

maya

Dec 15, 2004, 01:45 PM

That's because all design is subjective, if one really wanted to stir one could argue that there is no such thing as 'good' design. ;)

Good design will and regardless of opinion is Form with Function.

Apple products have this given with the iPod, mini, notebooks, and to some extent its PowerMacs. The iMac G5 looses some of this function to captivate with form that is tipping the balance which will gather some people as liking and some disliking it.

Mac OS X.3 is all very close to the iMac G5 line some people like it some do not, hope Tiger falls in the same design sense as Jaguar. :)

Simplicity is bliss to the naked eye. :)

Use the KISS formula. :)

xelterran

Dec 15, 2004, 03:29 PM

http://www.idnet.net
http://www.cocoadevcentral.com
http://www.urbandictionary.com

Simplicity, speed & user-friendliness are the most important things in web design. IMHO Flash is a BIG no-no, especially if its used for an entire site. However it can work for small sections or applications that need it.

MrSugar

Dec 15, 2004, 03:56 PM

www.blogger.com (http://www.blogger.com) -- sooo amazing as far as designs go

www.fluidvision.net (http://www.fluidvision.net) -- :) I had to throw this in

Mike Teezie

Dec 15, 2004, 06:04 PM

Good design will and regardless of opinion is Form with Function.

Apple products have this given with the iPod, mini, notebooks, and to some extent its PowerMacs. The iMac G5 looses some of this function to captivate with form that is tipping the balance which will gather some people as liking and some disliking it.

Mac OS X.3 is all very close to the iMac G5 line some people like it some do not, hope Tiger falls in the same design sense as Jaguar. :)

Simplicity is bliss to the naked eye. :)

Use the KISS formula. :)

Exactly.

As someone who is just getting into web building/design, it gives me pause when I see the crazier/busier/flashier sites. I respect the sheer amount of technical knowledge that some of these designers have, and that they are able to flex and build that knoweldge into functioning interactive things.

Like anything else though, knowing when to use all those "tech chops" is a major factor in getting your point across, which by nature, is the idea of a website.

I like to think of it being akin to 80's hair metal. Some of those dudes could seriously wail on guitar. But were those face-melter solos ever tasteful? Rarely.

Veerrrrrrrrryyyy rarely.

Hoef

Dec 15, 2004, 06:52 PM

Website design minimal to let the subject be of importance: http://www.hedwigejacobs.com/

point665

Dec 17, 2004, 12:41 PM

Im not even gonna go on this one... Design is always the first thing a person reviews (even without knowing it) when they look at a product. So a great design is always key.

panphage

Dec 17, 2004, 12:55 PM

I'm a minimalist (and a fan of A List Apart linked above) and tend to hate flash AND automatic sound on websites, yet I still love http://gaijin.com and have for years.

anonymous161

Dec 17, 2004, 03:44 PM

I think John Pawson (http://www.johnpawson.com) has a site that really represents the essence of his work and does a pretty decent job of using flash animation. I think the organization could be better and the images a little bigger, but overall I think it is inspiring and somewhat itimidating.

scem0

Dec 20, 2004, 09:31 AM

I fancy my new design at EmoOnline.com (http://emoonline.com) :), but I might be a bit biased.

It is an all CSS layout which seems to display perfectly in all browsers I've tried.

scem0

iGav

Dec 20, 2004, 11:01 AM

Good design will and regardless of opinion is Form with Function.

Unfortunately you cannot dismiss opinion from the equation.

mcarvin

Dec 20, 2004, 12:38 PM

Unfortunately you cannot dismiss opinion from the equation.

So true. Any AD or CD here could share tales of woe illustrating that point.

metfoo

Dec 21, 2004, 07:39 AM

this is our website. We service lots of creative firms throughout the metro detroit region, and many of our clients have commented on how they like the site.

http://www.detroitmac.com

monkeydo_jb

Dec 21, 2004, 09:13 AM

http://www.billyharveymusic.com/

This site had my coworkers and I rolling.

Really unique site design. It seems like bands and musicians tend to have surprisingly good
websites.

Dalriada

Dec 21, 2004, 11:04 AM

This (www.imo.org) is quite a cool design (pump up the volume)

iGav

Dec 21, 2004, 12:29 PM

So true. Any AD or CD here could share tales of woe illustrating that point.

Exactly. Good design is subjective.

maya

Jan 3, 2005, 06:18 PM

Look at my site for a prime example of simple yet effective.

Classic. :)

slooksterPSV

Jan 3, 2005, 11:32 PM

m a y a, I'm having trouble with your site. I'm getting a layer on top of certain things and so it hides whats behind it and pushes the text together.

maya

Jan 3, 2005, 11:47 PM

m a y a, I'm having trouble with your site. I'm getting a layer on top of certain things and so it hides whats behind it and pushes the text together.

What browser are you using?

I have it tested with Safari and FireFox. :)

P.S. sorry about some of the coming soon signs, I have to size the videos and so forth most of the content should be up by the end of this week. :)

Vanilla

Jan 5, 2005, 06:38 AM

I designed this one for a friend of mine, with a remit to make it clean, uncluttered etc. with an an overall concept of "standing out from the crowd".

http://www.shoutpm.co.uk

Any comments welcomed!
Vanilla

maya

Jan 5, 2005, 12:08 PM

Vanilla

Jan 5, 2005, 04:54 PM

Center the body of the site and its on key. :)

Thanks for that. I'm not totally convinced by the need to centre the site as certain things, like for example the pink elephant in the About Us section would lose their impact. Still, I'll have a play around, see what it looks like and show it to the client.

BTW, I take it that "on key" is a positive phrase? Apologies for my ignorance but I'm truly not familiar with that phrase :-)

cheers
Vanilla

xelterran

Jan 5, 2005, 05:29 PM

http://www.mintdigital.com/ is nice too..

By the way does anyone know what font is used for headings of each section? Looks a bit like Futura but im not sure..

maya

Jan 5, 2005, 09:56 PM

BTW, I take it that "on key" is a positive phrase?

Ditto. :)

Means the same thing as on the nose. :)

maya

Jan 5, 2005, 09:58 PM

http://www.mintdigital.com/ is nice too..

Why do people use small and (or) skinny fonts on a white background on a web page, it is an eye strain. :(

slooksterPSV

Jan 6, 2005, 07:37 AM

Why do people use small and (or) skinny fonts on a white background on a web page, it is an eye strain. :(
You must do a lot of Web Creation. Most people don't even know those rules (for eye straining).

efoto

Jan 6, 2005, 09:44 AM

Why do people use small and (or) skinny fonts on a white background on a web page, it is an eye strain. :(

Isn't this rumors site essentially those conditions?

I seem to have littel problem using this site and reading for a long while. Perhaps smaller fonts yet and even skinnier ones are what you are referring to....not sure but those would seem to be difficult to read.

What styles should we avoid and what size should be absolute small when using a lot of text on a site?? (for those of us that do not know the rules, like me)

slooksterPSV

Jan 6, 2005, 09:46 AM

Yellow on black. Its over used.

efoto

Jan 6, 2005, 09:51 AM

Yellow on black. Its over used.

I personally do not want a bumble-bee site, so I would have avoided that anyway but thanks. :p

What font sizes work well to still be readable yet compact enough to not take up a huge amount of space when typing a lot (blog like stuff, product descriptions)?

FelixDerKater

Jan 6, 2005, 10:31 AM

A nice sidebar makes navigation much easier.

kettle

Jan 6, 2005, 11:54 AM

This site had my coworkers and I rolling.

Really unique site design. It seems like bands and musicians tend to have surprisingly good
websites.

that's fantastic, that site deserves its own thread.

Billy Harvey Music (http://www.billyharveymusic.com)

decksnap

Jan 6, 2005, 12:54 PM

Why do people use small and (or) skinny fonts on a white background on a web page, it is an eye strain. :(

Because it's better than small fonts on a dark background... much easier on the eyes. It definitely comes back to the balance of design and useability- bigger fonts tend to be uglier and 'clunky' from a design perspective, but are obviously easier to read.

Benjamin

Jan 6, 2005, 10:30 PM

What kinds of designs do you like sites to have? I mean pinpoint some features you like websites to have.

A good site design should be simple yet enough to interest people. Stay away from tacky crap and make sure it has good color use. Fonts are also important. White space use is also very important, consider having negative space for users eyes to rest.

Point me to a website that has some of those good features in them.

Examples of good sites I would say:
http://maya.sphosting.com/
http://paularmstrongdesigns.com/
http://www.organicallydigital.com/
http://www.apple.com/ + Sub pages.

I need an idea. At school we're making websites and I want one that relaxes the eyes and lets you follow where the focus is. I want it to be entertaining too. Any tips, advice, etc. would be great. Thank you in advance - Post 444.

my suggestions for relaxes the eye is again use white space. Anyway seems that i am just adding to the already established answers. good luck have fun (most important part of making a site imo).

atari1356

Jan 7, 2005, 12:46 AM

That Billy Harvey site is great... one of the few Flash based sites I actually like. ;) Too bad his music isn't in the iTunes music store, I was ready to use an iTunes gift card I got for Xmas on it.

I've been doing web design for a long time, and think I've come up with a few good ones (http://lilybits.com/jobsearch/). :)

maya

Jan 7, 2005, 02:26 AM

Because it's better than small fonts on a dark background... much easier on the eyes. It definitely comes back to the balance of design and useability- bigger fonts tend to be uglier and 'clunky' from a design perspective, but are obviously easier to read.

People also tend not to use Anti-Aliasing for they fonts it makes it easy for the eyes to relax and read a lot more text than sharp text. Sharp text used to compose a long story is just a TURN OFF.

People also don't want to read a life story a short description is good enough, we are in the information age and I know many people who will just skimp and skip through long stories. You are not writing a paper for your exams. :)

usually size 9-10 is the lowest one should go anything smaller is a waste of time, a good size is 12 point and Anti-Aliased.

There is too small and too large and then there is just right (perfect) a balance and many people lose out on that just to make the site look hip.

Flash sites are good however many flash sites loose the main focus and try to be a hollywood blockbuster movie where there is so much $$$ in the movie and no story and the acting is just plain bad and to compensate for all this they throw in Sfx.

I see flash sites in the same boat, use it if you need it don't crowd the site with all flash with no focus it is a waste of time for those on a slower connection and many people hate the "loading" message. :)

Vanilla

Jan 7, 2005, 06:20 AM

rozwell

Jan 7, 2005, 08:29 AM

Flash sites are good however many flash sites loose the main focus and try to be a hollywood blockbuster movie where there is so much $$$ in the movie and no story and the acting is just plain bad and to compensate for all this they throw in Sfx.

I see flash sites in the same boat, use it if you need it don't crowd the site with all flash with no focus it is a waste of time for those on a slower connection and many people hate the "loading" message. :)
i agree with you totally. BUT... you can tell the difference between "the men and the boys" by the file sizes of those flash sites. flash files can be very small. i've seen entire flash sites less than 50kb. of course that wouldnt include images for a gallery, or other portfolio pieces like videos and animation, but those things are only loaded if needed.

like you sad, many people go nuts on flash sites, and sometimes it is overkill, but like Billy Harvey, i didnt mind the file size, A. because i have broadband like so many others B. its the great, that i would wait for it to load if i was on dialup.

rozwell

Jan 7, 2005, 08:30 AM

M A Y A : Please don't take offence but I could I possibly ask that you take a little more care with the use of the word "loose"?

It's clear that you actually mean "lose" and I know this comes across as incredibly anal and you are certainly not the only one that has taken to spelling "lose" as "loose" so please don't think I am focusing on yourself because I'm not; your post is simply an example of a widespread and growing misspelling issue that's driving me to distraction!

As a by the by I appreciate and agree with your comments and have certainly taken them on board for my own development projects.
Kind regards
Vanilla
hey... loosen up man :)

edit- one that bugs me the most is ' a lot ' when its spelled the wrong way ' alot '

maya

Jan 29, 2005, 12:37 AM

M A Y A : Please don't take offence but I could I possibly ask that you take a little more care with the use of the word "loose"?

It's clear that you actually mean "lose" and I know this comes across as incredibly anal and you are certainly not the only one that has taken to spelling "lose" as "loose" so please don't think I am focusing on yourself because I'm not; your post is simply an example of a widespread and growing misspelling issue that's driving me to distraction!

As a by the by I appreciate and agree with your comments and have certainly taken them on board for my own development projects.
Kind regards
Vanilla

No offense taken, its just at times I tend to type fast and the keyboard buttons stick, I have tried changing the setting however I am use to applying light pressure on the keys and at times it pisses me off so I get typo's in the process.

I will try to watch my spellings in the future. :)

maya

Jan 29, 2005, 12:38 AM

hey... loosen up man :)

edit- one that bugs me the most is ' a lot ' when its spelled the wrong way ' alot '

I get this result when I do not place enough pressure on the spacebar. :)

dejo

Jan 29, 2005, 01:43 AM

For a site with good advice on what NOT to do, as well as some info on what works well, visit Web Pages That Suck (http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/).

therevolution

Jan 29, 2005, 03:11 AM

edit- one that bugs me the most is ' a lot ' when its spelled the wrong way ' alot '
This one bugs the heck out of me too. How come nobody says "alittle?"

ravenvii

Jan 29, 2005, 04:13 AM

Strangely enough, I love the layout and "concept" of the MacRumors page. The right column is pure genius (the one with the links to forum posts). While the design as a whole is not even in the ballpark of perfect, the layout and concept of the site is damn close.

brianellisrules

Jan 29, 2005, 07:08 AM