Web Pages That Suck - learn good web design by looking at bad web design

Submitter’s comments: Here’s my ALL-TIME favorite, awesome, architect website.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: I seem to have a fetish for architects’ websites. My initial fascination was over how outlandish and mysterious they were because they seemed to adore Mystery Meat Navigation. I even have a page devoted to architects that I’m revising because so many of the sites I featured have changed. I hope I provided some inspiration and impetus to get them to change.

Today, we have an architectural website anomaly. Instead of an architect’s website that’s “out there” like the old Zaha-Hadid site, we have an architect who is inspired by 1997 website design.

Yes, it’s using some sort of Microsoft-generated theme but it’s doing something I’ve never seen done on a website. I’ve seen websites that tell you that your monitor needs to have a specific resolution, but I’ve never seen one that tells you your monitor’s resolution and then tell you to change it. Cleverly arrogant.

Thank God I can’t tell you the last time I saw a Java-animated logo that ripples when you move your mouse over it. Other elements that are wrong include the marquee, animated GIFs, cheesy navigation buttons and—oh, my God!—I haven’t seen the following two mistakes from Web Design Checklist 1: 156 Mortal Sins That Will Send Your Site to Web Design Hell for a long, long time

Our site has “Download latest browser” text or buttons.

Our site prominently displays what hardware and software was used to create the site.

Tamborra Design Group

Submitter’s comments: I would like to submit the following website for consideration: Sixties Press. When I went to their website I gave an involuntary shudder. The header is barely readable: it looks like something created in Microsoft Paint with every imaginable effect added on. The picture of the editor has this weird effect where it looks like ripples in a pond. There has to be at least 20 different colors on the page with no rhyme or reason. I hope you will agree, this web page really sucks.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: I suspect that everyone except the site owner agrees with you. I suggest the owner read (and as a publisher he has no excuse not to read) about Mistake #6 from Biggest Mistakes in Web Design 1995-2015 — “Have you ever seen another web site? Really? Doesn’t look like it.“ Actually, he should read the whole article along with my series of checklists on bad web design:

Checklist 1 – Fatal Mistakes
Checklist 2 – Big Mistakes
My Site Sucks. What Do I Do Now?

Actually, the home page reminds me of some things I saw back in my college dorm in the 1960’s. Fortunately, the color combinations were much better.

Sixties Press

Submitter’s comments: I came across this, the website of famous British actress Lesley Joseph, and I have to say I think it’s the worst, most pointless website I’ve ever seen.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: It’s really pretty amazing. A small text logo—on the right side, but directly across from a graphic that you think would contain a real logo. I assume the large empty space at the top is for a banner ad, but right now it’s large and empty. It’s also difficult to read her last name because it conflicts with the background.

My favorite part is her comments on the mid-right side:

Do not be fooled, this is the real Lesley Joseph official website. I am an English actress and am starring in The Vagina Monologues!

I wonder if the fake Lesley Joseph has a better-looking unofficial website.

Leslie Joseph

Submitter’s comments: This site is based on the work and experience of Mike Rowe and his Dirty Jobs program. Great idea to help America work for America, but the designers of the site are clearly stuck in 1995 and are fans of MS Bob.

This site’s “navigation” is so counter-intuitive that I couldn’t spend more than 10 seconds mousing over crap objects to figure out what did what.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: Time Magazine called Microsoft Bob one of the 50 Worst Inventions of All Time. Well, at least one person found success with Microsoft Bob.

Yeah, what’s with this layout? I’m thinking it’s more 1997 than 1995. I’ve featured a few of these Bobs in the past: Billy Connolly, Brill Publications and the old BVS Performance Center for Banks come to mind—probably because they burned a hole in my brain. No, wait. That was the subdural hematoma. If my memory serves me well—and it doesn’t always—this type of format seems to be popular with TV, movies and other artistic endeavors. It needs to stop being popular.

Mike Rowe Works

Submitter’s comments: A link on their home page points to a parked domain, so I filled out a contact form to let them know. Their form is a nightmare, by the way–there’s no line wrapping or right margins. Then I click send…

The form becomes a photo of a deer in a gun’s crosshairs! This is next to a list of aaca’s animal cruelty officers!

Vincent Flanders’ comments: Actually, the form has problems that are much worse. I didn’t enter anything into the form. I just hit the SUBMIT button and it sent the form off. Whether they receive it or not is something I don’t know.

I can’t get to the Alabama Humane Federation. I get a message saying the referrer is blocked. Why this is happening I can’t say. At least one link is to an unmarked PDF and there are a couple of links marked with two most frightening words that I know—Click Here. It’s not enough to just say “Click here” (NSFW, perhaps)

I couldn’t find the link to the parked domain.

Alabama Animal Control Association (form)