In an absolute tizzy of bad taste, bad layout, questionable design, even more questionable navigation, we are going to give you some examples of some the worst sites on the Web. Sure, there are more, and you will likely even have seen some yourself. The point here is to take notes and remember NOT to be any of the things you will see on some of the sites we point you to.

Many of the sites do have information in it you can still use, if you can find it. Or do make a point or offer a product or service – well – we think they do, but nonetheless, they are great examples of what not to do when you build your website, or have it done for you. Just because you hire someone to design for you does not mean it is going to be great. So, just beware.

Anyhow, the following four sites will just make your day – not!

Diners Club – despite their rather big corporate name, one that is well recognized, their site left something to be desired. Yes, it has been fixed, but you can still learn something from the first crack they made at putting up a web site. Here is where to find the original version of their website (http://web.archive.org/web/20060912195457/www.dinersclub.com/en/
index.html)

Note the doors on the all black background. Not the greatest idea to begin with, but it gets better (well sort of). The doors do not match the nav buttons at the top of the page. And there is no door for Corporate Solutions. Their next version is an improvement.

Shulman Fleming likely started out with a good idea, but somewhere along the line, it bit the dust. Their site has a collection of mysterious icons down the left hand side of the page – where you would typically put the site menu. There is no indication to let you know that this is a working menu to link to their other pages. It lets you guess what you do with the icons. On top of that, their home page makes no sense. They are workforce architects – translation – they find people for organizations. But you'd have to take a wild guess at what they do from seeing the home page. If you have to spend time trying to figure out what the site is trying to accomplish, you have missed the main point of having a clear and easy to read site. Fancy site design does not make a good read.

Crumpler Bags is soooooo bad, you will sit and stare at the screen in disbelief. If you ever do figure out what the site is really about, they you may win an award. If you could possible even envision a site with almost everything wrong about it – this would be the site. Obnoxious music, graphics that suck big time and do not make sense. Floating objects that you are supposed to click and grab on and slap into hand. This obviously is someone's idea of a nightmare on the web that they feel they have to share with others. Thanks, but let us not and say we did.

Gaia Group This site is – is – well it IS and it should not be. How on earth it ever got onto the web the way it is baffles the imagination. We are still trying to figure out just what they do, and we are fairly certain they don't know what they do either, or they would have put up a site that clearly tells people what they do. No navigation aids, layout is - well – where? Some fancy graphics and flash dance thingies, but holy smokes, it’s the essence of bad design in a nutshell. No doubt you will get the point when you try and figure out what to do with the site.

As you have seen, there are some real winners out there in terms of design that really flops on its tukiss. Take heart, we are sure you will do way better that these examples.

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