Aesthetics, Designs & Branding

In the land of internet plenty, there are certainly some bad apples (haha.  see what I did?) out there.  Two such websites are TecTorch and a RichSoil post on Raising Chickens.  Lets pick them apart, shall we?

TecTorch, oh TecTorch, how you torture me.  You try, you really do.  Listed down the left are your torches.  Oh look!  There's an American Flag picture above it!  And it MOVES!!  Super distracting.    I think the worst offense for TecTorch is the fact that the page reads flat.  It's impossible to tell what is important and what isn't.  In my opinion this website was created by someone with a minimal knowledge of web design.  They knew what they wanted on the page but have no idea how to make a page visibly pleasing.

When it comes to raising chickens, I know my business.  My parents have had chickens for as long as I can remember.  I knew how to feed them and collect eggs before I knew how to write my name.  Well, not really but it certainly feels that way!  Reading the RichSoil post on Raising Chickens, it's pretty clear that whoever wrote this knows their stuff.  What they don't know is how to build a web page that people actually want to read.  This post is much too long.  It requires multiple scrolls to get to the end and no where did I see an option to go back to the top.  The post should have been split into multiple pages.  The amount of information is overwhelming.  Visually, the website fails.  I would not read this.  No C.R.A.P.H.T.E.D action going on here.

Two absolutely fantastic websites are the Apple website and G Force Race Cars.  Shall we look at what they did right?

Apple's website is simply, clean and efficient.  At no point, does the navigator get lost.  Anything you may want to find is right there, easily found.  Apple is all about branding - who isn't familiar with Apple?  They are all about being ahead of the crowd when it comes to a cellphone or computer and they certainly don't shy away from sticking it in your face every where you go.  They certainly abide by the C.R.A.P.H.T.E.D mentality.

Another such website is the one for G Force Race Cars.  This is a website that even my grandma could navigate!  At the top of every page is their logo complete with contact information.  Where I'm from, working with cars is NOT synonymous with being tech savy so having a good ole fashioned number to call and reach someone is of the utmost importance.  Your big four are right there under the logo - Home, Media, News, Contact.  And on the left side, where a reader's eyes naturally stray are a list of categories for parts.  Not content with that level of ease that someone can order their part, oh no, this website continues on, giving the navigator a picture of the part listed.  Talk about your curb side service!  Another well C.R.A.P.H.T.E.D website!