Site Design: Huge (hugeinc.com)
over 5 years ago from Nic Trent, Lead Designer
over 5 years ago from Nic Trent, Lead Designer
I hate to do this but...eh. I much preferred the big centered H look. This doesn't feel very interesting or new.
The scroll-jacking on the home page is really annoying (which does load quite fast, nice job there), and I found myself constantly fighting it trying to quickly get back to the top.
The content on the home page doesn't really differentiate itself from slide to slide. The photos are fairly blurry on my non-retina iMac, and the photos themselves aren't very interesting or engaging.
I checked out the page for the new design, and the swag shown near the bottom is all really bleh copy filled with commanding language and a dated sound:
SideHustle
Why was this word ever popular?
Make
excusesthings.Fuck you, it's magic.
Binge make.
I was here before it was cool.
Drink coffee. Make stuff. Repeat.
No amount of coffee will prevent the yawn. This sounds like a bunch of tired marketers trying to sound millennial.
The technical execution is excellent (except scroll-jacking), but the feeling it gives me is bland and yucky. I can't claim to be a better copy-writer or designer, so take the critique as you will.
That “dated swag” was around on the last site... Pretty nitpicky critique to pull from literally, one small image on the site.
The entire site feels cleaner with much smoother interactions. The hover on the logo and super-fast page transitions on the menu hovers are very cool interactions.
When the old site launched it was totally innovative, this one doesn't have the same initial impact, and almost feels like a site refresh. Perhaps a certain 'edge' was lost as some of the big players at Huge left to start http://work.co ?
Well it's the page and images that represent the redesign (and oddly seems to focus on swag alone), and I'm familiar with Huge's other work. Also according to that very page it says:
So when we began to redesign our website, it was about more than just putting a new coat of paint on our digital doorstep. We used it as an opportunity to refine all of our collateral—from our business cards and tote bags to our Keynote presentations and business-development materials
So apparently the swag is new.
I do like the hover on the logo and navigation, however I vaguely remember that being there on the last site already?
I definitely feel like some edge was lost.
hows it so goddamn fast??
I checked the code; it seems to be a React app. They've definitely optimized their assets and code though from what I can tell from a cursory glance.
Some nice image compression, but still crisp even on retina
But loads fast for that big images
Looks great, no surprise there. But the scrolling "experience" on the home page is horrible.
I know Huge has justified their scroll jacking in the past, but I feel like if anyone has the resources to get it right, it would be them.
The scroll-jacking is annoying
Does a good job of capturing Huge's personality. I'm sure their clients would recognise what they know & love about the company in it. I fear however few will get past the homepage as the navigation is completely undiscoverable. Bounce rate on the homepage must be sky-high. Have the nav open when landing and collapse on scroll.
Echo the dislike of scroll-jacking, but it makes the kind of big brand impact their clients will want to see. It has a limited target audience who they're trying to wow. Impressive speed!
Case study carrousels? Let me scroll please. One way ticket to ensuring most of your work is never seen.
I like how everything is HUGE :) Looks pretty gorgeous though.
Flatfile?
What the fuck? This site loads SUPER FAST!
i think its flatfile...
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