TheLen

One of the reasons the Vietnam: Yesterday and Today website forced me to come up with a new project is its excellent design. The timeline was exactly what I had hoped to create content-wise and the clean lines and uncluttered page made the information very easy to identify and access. The rest of the site (bibliographies, student information, etc.) is just as well-organized and the continuity of color and organization makes the site very easy to navigate. Visually, I would prefer the main page to be centered on the screen, but justifying it to the left and top ensures that technological differences do not obscure parts of the page. Because the content of this site is its primary appeal, the visual aspects of design (while pleasing) are less important than how the design facilitates access to the site’s content.

Also, in a completely different vein, I really like the design for the Book of Ratings, Lore Brand Comics, and McSweeneys websites. Although the content of each site is unique, these sites have many design similarities.  The organization of these sites actually facilitates both return visits (as new content is highly visible while archives provide access to past material) and first time visits (as visitors get an immediate sense of the content).  Additionally, since these sites are interested in enteratining — rather than informing — their audience, the rather circuitous organization of the archives and other content encourages visitors to not only look around the site, but to get lost.