Flashing/Animated Graphics

Please don't. The spinning email icon may look cute to you, but it's not, it's distracting and annoying. Flash icons are a little more tolerable, but don't over do it. If you figure you just have to have an animated icon, here's what I suggest:
Step 1: Apply non animated icons to your web site.
Step 2: Drink a bottle of Gin.
Step 3: Look at your web site while spinning around in your chair. Voilà! Animated icons.

Music

Boy does that cheesy midi song sound cheesy. If people want music while they surf they will put in a real CD. They do not want to listen to Candle in the Wind sounding like it's being played on a Casio keyboard. Trust me on this.

Splash Page

Unless your splash page is for language selection, there's no good reason to have one. Go ahead and make it using Flash, and make sure it takes two minutes to load, and then say "Look how cool I am". I assure you. No one else will think you're cool. "But..." you say? But nothing...I said no already.

Dark Background with dark text

I guess if you don't want any visitors to your site this is O.K. Black and Dark Gray looks great when it's on a T-shirt...not when it's on a web site.

Disable the right mouse button

You're so clever. Do you think I can't figure out a way to copy your precious picture or text? All you're doing is really ticking off the people who browse with their mouse. If you like, I'll teach you a way to print "You are stupid" all across the screen using BASIC. That should amuse you for hours.

Business sites that look like cat ass

For the love of Pete people...have a professional design your business web site! I can't count the number of times I've not purchased something from an online business because their site looked like it was designed for the price of a bottle of Mountain Dew. This includes brick and mortar stores with a web site. I will not purchase things in your store if your web site looks like ass. I'm not the only one.

Thanks goes to Christian for getting me started.

Labels: Web Design