From time to time, everyone has stumbled upon some questionable website designs. These websites may not be inherently bad, but leave much to be desired. In this post, we will take a look at 5 of the ugliest websites, how to avoid making a website like this, and 5 examples of beautiful websites.
The 5 Ugliest Websites
Craigslist
Craigslist was founded in 1995 as a way to sell things online. Since then, the website’s design has not been updated once. Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist, claims that a simple website is better. He prefers a functional website over an aesthetic one.
Ling’s Cars
Ling’s Cars calls itself “The UK’s craziest car leasing website!” While the services they provide might be good, their website is atrocious. Upon loading up the website for the first time, it isn’t exactly clear what one should be looking at. The website has colorful backgrounds, lots of flashy fonts, animated GIFs, and images all over the place. There’s just too much going on at once!
On the bright side, the website does have some fun games that you can play, including quizzes and karaoke and this strange Scalextric game where we couldn’t figure out what to do.
Hacker News
Hacker News is exactly what it sounds like—a news website about cybersecurity. Made in 2007, it looks like a website from the early 2000s. One of the biggest problems with this website is that news articles open an external website in the same tab. If you link an external website, it should always open in a new tab, to prevent people from leaving your website.
MSN
For a company as big as Microsoft, you’d think that they would put more effort into their web portal MSN as it’s is the default startup page on Microsoft Edge. According to Wikipedia, MSN is the 43rd most visited website, and despite this, it looks like an old web portal from a decade ago.
The World’s Worst Website Ever
The World’s Worst Website Ever has a mission, which is to defy every single rule of modern design. If you ever feel unsure about your website’s design, just check out The World’s Worst Website Ever.
There is lots of content on the webpage that overflows and is only visible when scrolled to or zoomed out—this is a big no. Always make sure that all the information is visible without having a horizontal scroll.
The World’s Worst Website Ever is an example of every single thing that a website should not contain. Thankfully, there is nothing of value on this website anyway!
The 5 Most Beautiful Websites
We featured some of the ugliest websites out there, now we’ll shine light on some of the most well-designed websites on the internet.
National Geographic
National Geographic is an excellent example of simplicity when it’s done right. The website has good aesthetics without distracting you from what’s important: the content. With some of the best photography in the world, National Geographic is bound to leave you in awe.
The Verge
While The Verge’s redesign may have been controversial, we think the abstraction helps make the website look more like a magazine.
Bubly
Bubly’s website is another example of simplicity at its best. The website showcases its products and flavors in bright colors, getting your attention.
Apple
No tech company is better at showcasing its products than Apple. Apple’s website keeps the attention on the iPhone. As you scroll, more features get unveiled to you.
Gilect
Seriously, what’s not to like about our website!