Web Design & Marketing Blog

What Makes An Ugly Web Site?

Category: Blog

Written by Estevan Montoya

Do you remember when the internet first started to get popular? I do. I was was in the 6th grade (15+ years ago!) and our teacher just had a computer placed in out literature class. She gathered us around and began to open our minds to the "World Wide Web". It was an amazing thing to "crawl" the web. If I am correct, my first search phrase was "lowrider cars"... things have changed since then. The way we searched and what made up the internet...things have changed to the extreme!

Why meddle about the "good ole' days"? Because a site that looks like the above image was the standard then. Colors and animations everywhere...and that was "cool". Well, as fashion changes, so does the internet. What looked good 10 - 15 years ago will not cut it today. Yet, for some reason, people think that a site made in HTML 1 is still sufficient. Well, it's not. So, if you don't want an ugly web site, then avoid the following elements of an ugly web site.

What Makes An Ugly Web Site?

Too Many Animations

This is one of the biggest things that turn me off to a web site. I have seen sites that have 20 gif images all animating at the same time. Maybe it's just me, but too many animations will give me a head ache that lasts a few hours, depending on the intensity. Look, a little gif animation may be ok here and there, but your entire header or side bar shouldn't be filled with them. One thing about them is that they look like they came from a Windows 3.1 DOS based video game (sorry for the old-school lingo). They may have been cool then, but it shows a lack of class. Please, tone down or turn off the crazy animation

Patterns That Conflict

Ok, I know you know what I am talking about. You find a site with a HUGE beveled border around each content box. The fonts are all different, animations of Bart Simpson saying "Don't have a cow", and you stop and say, "Why does this look horrible?" Despite all the previous horrid examples, I find that I critique sites that have ugly background patterns more than any other ugly site. I like designs to be seamless and smooth. A wood background on yellow text doesn't look smooth. Go ahead and continue with a tie dye tee shirt background site, I'll see you later!

Mutliple Fonts

Having learned from so many good graphic designers in the school of OJT (On The Job Training) I have seen that the best looking designs have a consistent look and feel when it comes to the fonts they use. In fact, I heard a highly qualified designer teach that there should be no more than 3 styles of a font on any design element (web, print, poster...) It causes confusion and a constant readjusting of the mind to figure out what you are reading. Honestly, what do Times Roman, Cursive, and "Tron" styled fonts have in common? NOTHING!

As you look at the above mentioned "issues" I have with ugly websites, doesn't it just bring back the memories of Geo-Cities and Netscape Navigator? Well, they are memories for one reason, they couldn't keep up. Don't let your business and web site become a thing of the past. Let VivaNe2.0, an affordable web design company, take your website to new heights.