Principles of Web Design - Sample Sites
20 January 2000

Metaphor

AvantGo - A popular web browser for the Palm Pilot, AvantGo is marketed here with design that effectively incorporates the notion of mobility.

Jimtown Store - This site uses a storefront metaphor that gives it a charming, rustic appearance.

Luaka Bop - this record company's site uses innovative metaphor to enhance visual impact, yet navigation remains sensible.

Clarity

Amazon.com - They sell millions of items, and it's easy to find every one of them. (Contrast this with the opening page of Powell's Online, which can be confusing due to its "Search Sections" box.)

Yahoo - It's fast, it's huge, and above all, it's easy to use.

Consistency

Red Meat - This humor site uses a consistent navigational scheme that makes getting from one part of the site to another quite easy.

Salon - Salon's pages have a uniform look that help give it a polished feel.

Orientation

Jeffrey Zeldman Presents - A huge personal site offering tons of free graphics, this page is loosely constructed, but well equipped with navigational clues that make browsing fluid without being frustrating.

ThinkWave - Home page for a software program designed for educators, this site gives plenty of signposts to users.

Navigation

Road Runner - Left margin navigation using frames.

Outback Montana - Right margin navigation with no frames.

CGU Writing Center - Frames-based site with navigational options on the bottom.

Postmodernism is/in Fiction - Navigational options are located on the bottom; no frames are used.

Dean & Deluca - Uses frames in a combination of top and bottom navigation.

Ouch, My Eyes

Web Pages that Suck - Excellent discussion of some common problems to avoid.