huevos con vino

As promised a few months ago, Domaine Drouhin finally has a new Web site.  Now, I’ve been making Web sites for over 11 years.  No joke.  I realize that the Web browser concept is about 15 years old at this point, but the first version of Mosaic came out in September 1993 and the first version of Netscape came out in October 1994.  So when I made a Web site in July 1995 as a rock band fan site, I was at the cusp of the Internet revolution, sort of like Al Gore.

Since then, I have obtained undergrad and grad degrees in Technical Communication (and also in Art History, but only undergrad).  I have spent years studying graphic design, text layout and design, Web site design, etc., etc.  I have also been putting these ideas into practice for many years in many different ways; my Web sites are only one expression of this knowledge and experience.

But why prattle on about my background?  Well, I wanted to provide some context for what will follow in this post and, frankly, for every other post where I talk about visual design and effective communication.  In this case, the appropriate context is that, with regard to design and with all modesty aside, I know what I’m talking about.  In terms of wine tasting, I’ve still got a long way to go.  But in terms of developing a Web site and making it usable, I’m an expert.

So, with that background in mind, here are a few thoughts about the new DDO Web site.

I’m glad they made a new site, although the old one was just fine to be honest…this is one of my biggest pet peeves in the online design world: Why scrap a perfectly useful design?  This isn’t the nightly news; we don’t need a new set every 6-12 months.  But with that concern aside, the general aesthetic is okay.

The site takes much longer to load now because of the inclusion of Flash.  I’m not a huge fan of Flash; you can do some cool stuff with it, but it tends to bog things down and it’s annoying to update compared to straight HTML.

To be honest, I was going to write a lot more about the new site, but I think it’s best for you to go see it and post your thoughts to the Comments section of this entry.  Overall, I do like the site, but I think it’s a little busy and flashy for my taste.  Time will tell, I guess, as to whether the site gains acceptance.  It certainly sets the winery apart!

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 27th, 2006 at 9:43 am and is filed under commentary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.