Website Design Classics - Google
If I ask a bunch of students what is their favourite website in terms of design, Google always come out as number one. Why is that?
In the same way that Coke is not the best drink in the World, people often choose it when their are asked “What would you like to drink”. The key to why people choose them is familiarity, consistency and simplicity.
If you look at the screenshot above you can see that:
- Familiarity - The Page hasn’t changed significantly ever. Compare that to Yahoo from 1995 - to 2007
- Consistency - Google.com or Google.fr all keep the same look. Also Google is consistently good. It is hard to love a design if the product lets it down
- Simplicity - Where is the clutter? Links are blue, backgrounds are white and advanced/technical links are hidden away. The site makes use of English phrases i.e. “Search the web” and even the command button “Google Search” has been designed for that new customer who has been recommended to “do a Google Search.”
While I understand why the students like it, it’s not the pinnacle of design by any means:
- It looks too much like a default website
- Where is the design detail or human craft?
- The code is a mile off validation
My favourite album is the The Strokes, Is this It. That album is completely underproduced and while a trained ear will lament the lack of polish, those raw tunes appeal to this uneducated ear.
Brutal, functional and unwilling to conform (to standards). Google - the garage rock of website design!
Posted 16.10.07