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

Submitter’s comments: Their use of hidden text is so confusing. Plus, what’s up with the background? We go to their events and, thank God, their service is better than their website.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: The most important SEO element—as far as anyone can determine—is the text appearing in the home page’s TITLE tag. Unfortunately, this site’s TITLE tag is “index.” Not very helpful.

The problem with using dates on your pages is that people forget to update their site and everyone starts thinking, “These folks are lazy.” Not the impression you want to make. Speaking of dates, Mr. Bottles, the #2 Worst Business Web Site of 2009 proudly states “Last Updated 1/22/10” on their home page.

The mouseover events are just plain scary. You have to see them for yourself.

You can tell the pros from the amateurs by their use of color. TNT’s use of color is atrocious. On the other hand, CSS-Tricks uses a similar color scheme, but it looks fine.

TNT Events

Submitter’s comments: I love this site because the designer chose to randomly scatter the navigation across the home page. They even worked the links to Facebook and Twitter into the confusing and ultra-busy artwork.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: I like the fact the site doesn’t insult your intelligence by making you fill in your birthday before you can enter. We all know that today’s six-year-old is smart enough to make himself look like he’s 21.

I also like the artistic choice of colors, but I hate everything else. Nobody should be forced to scroll horizontally. It took awhile for me to figure it out since I’m not used to trying to figure out where the navigation is located.

If you click on “Find Us,” it’s impossible to get back to the home page. Even hitting the [back] button doesn’t help. The problem with offering News is that you need to update your news. The last news item was from September 22, 2009.

Bear Flag Wine

Submitter’s comments: This site defines Mystery Meat Navigation. Good luck finding ANYTHING on this one

Vincent Flanders’ comments: Just because you’re a great photographer doesn’t mean you have a license to use Mystery Meat Navigation—or any other stupid technique. Yes, I know you’re an artiste, but c’mon. This is pretentious crap.

Oh, and why is the URL “theosbrinkagency.com?”

Davide Cernuschi

Submitter’s comments: We’ve been asked to do a job for a masseuse, and so we’ve been researching their competition, and have come across what is possibly the worst site in the world – ever!

It’s full of every bad thing you can think of – cheesy music, butterflies, seagulls, and swans flapping all over the site, sparkly stars, growing flowers, a mad blue background, and it’s absolutely smothered in crap images.

Vincent Flanders’ comments: Well, at least you can read the text.

It’s a classic example of Mistake #6 from Biggest Mistakes in Web Design 1995-2015 — “Have you ever seen another web site? Really? Doesn’t look like it.“ I call this type of design the “I haven’t taken my antipsychotics in a while school of web design.”

The Serene Experience (Mildly NSWF. Tasteful photos of nude women.)

Submitter’s comments: Look at this website for Allen College. I am especially amused by the green menus that appear when you move the mouse over the headings in the blue section near the top. I wonder who picked out that color?

Vincent Flanders’ comments: Wow! The only possible reason this color exists because it’s the school color. I guess the thinking process was, “Let’s make the sliding menus hard to read so visitors will get frustrated and leave.”

I love how the menu gets blocked by the text. And, of course, there are problems with the contrast of the text on the background. (This site gives a really great visual demonstration of contrast.) If you won’t take my word about the need for contrast, take Alistapart’s. Between the two of us, you’ve got the alpha and omega of web design telling you to wo/man up and make your site readable.

For the final word on contrast, here’s a very good article.

Allen College