47 comments

  • Andrew Richardson, over 4 years ago

    This is somewhat beautiful, but also entirely unusable.

    13 points
    • Sacha GreifSacha Greif, over 4 years ago

      "Usability" is relative. A ladder is less "usable" than an elevator, but they have different purposes and use cases.

      I think your critique is totally valid (and I'm not saying that's what you're doing), but I also want to push back against usability as a hammer to beat down any new or weird idea that doesn't conform to established patterns or expectations.

      19 points
      • Andrew C, over 4 years ago

        He’s not comparing ladders to elevators here. He’s comparing websites to websites.

        14 points
        • Stuart McCoyStuart McCoy, over 4 years ago

          Yes, however, an commerce website is going to be less useful than a news website when you want to read up on current events (i.e. ladder vs. elevator)

          2 points
          • Andrew C, over 4 years ago

            And which use case do you think this style would make more usable?

            1 point
            • Corin EdwardsCorin Edwards, over 4 years ago

              A music label whose practice is contextual and experimental.

              A publishing house that combines artists' books, experimentation with printing techniques and web publications.

              1 point
            • Stuart McCoyStuart McCoy, over 4 years ago

              I never said it was usable, I merely suggested that Sacha was not merely comparing websites to websites and offered an example of why the more nuanced comparison of ladders to elevators was appropriate.

              0 points
      • Jan SemlerJan Semler, over 4 years ago

        Nice Analysis. My take on it is that nowdays Usability is just a another term that helps driving conversions. Like User Experience. Thing is that a lot of designers currently designing not neccessary for a better usage as for conversions. But that is just an opinion that i got. So therefore every break in the rule is welcome and might helps us questing ourself if we are still with the user. I think we as designers have a responsibility when we designing products.

        -2 points
        • Andrew C, over 4 years ago

          Usability is about helping users achieve their goals with the least amount of confusion and failure. Sometimes (okay often) that’s conversions. But ”uuuuser” experience is the point.

          0 points
    • Corin EdwardsCorin Edwards, over 4 years ago

      What about it can't be used?

      AAA colour contrast, menu with a text label instead of an obtuse icon, full screen loading bar that doesn't obscure content, dark mode...

      actually seems very useable to me, more so than familiar sites.

      -3 points
      • Daniel GoldenDaniel Golden, over 4 years ago

        Lack of visual hierarchy.

        10 points
        • Corin EdwardsCorin Edwards, over 4 years ago

          It clearly does have a visual heirarchy. Using scale and proximity to organise material.

          What it doesn't do is use weak fading greys to order its information by obfuscation.

          -1 points
      • Adam Fisher-CoxAdam Fisher-Cox, over 4 years ago

        It meets a checklist, that doesn't mean it's good. You have to also look at if it's easy to find what you want, focus on the correct information, etc. I know my eyes go everywhere and nowhere when I look at this site.

        1 point
        • Corin EdwardsCorin Edwards, over 4 years ago

          Your darting eyes are simply more suited to conservative trends. This experience is built for people who want to be challenged by their visual environment.

          It's easy to fall in to the trap of feeling that our own experience is universal. Other people are different to us and want different things.

          -1 points
          • Adam Fisher-CoxAdam Fisher-Cox, over 4 years ago

            Yes, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong or you're right. Liking it is also just your opinion. This website goes against many traditionally accepted rules of good design, but at the end of the day, if this website has a goal beyond experimentation you'd need to verify that it actually achieves that.

            1 point
  • Aaron Wears Many HatsAaron Wears Many Hats, over 4 years ago

    Thanks I hate it

    10 points
  • Jeff T, over 4 years ago

    Wow, I absolutely love this. My first thought was, man I wish I could invert this. Then I clicked the plug in the top right. Even better.

    I’m looking at this on the biggest iPad you can buy landscape, so maybe it’s not so nice elsewhere. To me, especially the dark mode, resembles what a futuristic newspaper could be on paper thin e-ink displays.

    Combined with a sort of futuristic Apple Pencil, something more low key like a bic pen, I would be happy to do some crosswords and just soak it all in while my robot makes me bacon and eggs.

    6 points
  • Antonio Carusone, over 4 years ago

    This is way more interesting to me than the cookie cutter tech websites everyone seem to design nowadays. At least this design is experimenting and doing something different. And just because it doesn't fall into the mainstream style, doesn't make it shit.

    6 points
  • Adam Hayman, over 4 years ago

    The whole brutalism fad is completely lost on me. I don't get the appeal

    4 points
  • Andrew C, over 4 years ago

    IMO Nicky's website outdoes even this brualism: https://nickytes.la/

    3 points
  • Ken Em, over 4 years ago

    As well as a ridiculous, hard to remember and hard to explain URL?

    3 points
  • Ktrn DsrsKtrn Dsrs, over 4 years ago

    On another context than Brutalism, I just learned this morning that this website is running on my favorite CMS: Kirby. I'm so proud because it is probably one of the best CMS out there. The new version (3) just came out and it offers one of the most beautiful admin interfaces i've seen. That seriously makes my day haha :)

    Go try it just in case :)

    https://getkirby.comKirby Screenshot

    1 point
  • Srdjan MarkovicSrdjan Markovic, over 4 years ago

    Like it. It reminds me of Bauhausbucher series books.

    1 point
  • Peiran TanPeiran Tan, over 4 years ago

    So you say you want some meme-fied kitsch?

    1 point
  • Stefano TirloniStefano Tirloni, over 4 years ago

    I like it!

    1 point
  • Personable Man, over 4 years ago

    Love brutalist designs, and this one is actually pretty neat. Couple of things:

    • There's way too much content for a single-color palette. Other brutalist websites I've seen (can't think of any examples now)

    • Don't make any of the content sticky. Right now the home page has 2 sticky sidebar columns AND a sticky top nav header. Again, with a single color palette and tightly-packed content it's hard to scroll without losing your reading position on the page.

    0 points
  • Bill Addison, over 4 years ago

    Very cool! Nice to see traditional graphic design styles finally making their way into UI design now that the tech has caught up.

    0 points
  • Adam SzakalAdam Szakal, over 4 years ago

    I actually like it. I don't understand french, so that might be why I'm not as bothered by the lack of visual hierarchy, but still: it's a clear vision that is well made. Even down to the markup and CSS — super tidy.

    edit: Holy crap, that "Back to top"-button, love it!

    0 points
  • Lee Fuhr, over 4 years ago

    No, I would never say that.

    0 points
  • Danny ArarDanny Arar, over 4 years ago

    holy hell

    0 points
  • Andrew Washuta, over 4 years ago

    I love me some brutalism, but holy information overload.

    0 points
  • Johnnie Gomez AlzagaJohnnie Gomez Alzaga, over 4 years ago

    Holy mother of brutals!

    0 points
  • Chris KeithChris Keith, over 4 years ago

    Brutal tap target sizes: the social icons at the top

    0 points
  • Joey Prijs, over 4 years ago

    Obligatory "this isn't brutalism" comment.

    -2 points
  • Jim SilvermanJim Silverman, over 4 years ago

    please stop this.

    -4 points