Key Components of a Great Site

• Ease of Use

Things that should be taken as law in web design many times are not. For instance:

1. Keeping navigation constant on every page so that users of the web site do not have to re-learn menus
2. Contact info at the bottom of every page (not every user enters a site through the front door)
3. An easy to find feedback form. No one wants to call anymore, especially not to leave suggestions. If you want customers to tell you what is wrong and not simply move on, make your feedback form a prominent part of your design.
4. Include a site map. If your site is especially large, you may want to consider a search mechanism of some sort.

Etsy is a virtual treasure trove of kitschy design and decor items.  This week’s finds include a hand painted Spiderman gourd lamp and a 420 friendly coffee/tea cozy. Gallery, prices and links after the jump.

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If you’re going to take our industrial and interior design advice and make your house into a home, you should also take the advice of our friends from HomeownersInsurance.org and protect that home from potential natural disasters. To help you understand your risk, today we take a look at hurricanes in America.

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Twitter can be a great source of information and inspiration, as long as you are getting the right tweets. With over 100 million users worldwide, it is a task in itself to find those follow worthy.  Fortunately for you, if you are interested in design, I’ve done most of the heavy lifting already in creating -  Top 100 Design Tweeters.

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A corporation’s logo doesn’t just tell you about the company.  It tells you about the world the company is living in and how this company is trying to fit in with that world.  Sometimes a logo change can hit the nail on the head…other times it can reveal exactly how dated and hopelessly lost the company really is.  Here’s a look at ten corporate logos, then and now.

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It wasn’t so long ago that starting your own website required a lot more out of a person.  Knowledge of multiple programming languages, for one thing, as well as the ability to present information in a way that was visually coherent and didn’t assault the reader’s eyes.  So a web designer had to be the IT guy, the graphics guy, the provider of content, the SEO guy and the troubleshooter when things went wrong.

Then came Blogger and other early web publishing programs.  Users could actually forget about the design aspect of web publishing and focus on providing content, which has really been the impetus for the explosion of the Internet.  Once the technical jibber jabber was taken out of the equation, anyone could get their stories and ideas and opinions out there for the world to see.

Now the trick is marrying your vision for your website with the best user friendly publisher.  They’re all a little different, and they each give a different message to the reader.

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Bicycle Designers = Rock Stars this summer at Bespoke: The Handbuilt Bicycle exhibition at the Museum of Art and Design, New York, NY.  Celebrating the craftsmanship of forging steel, aluminum and titanium into mobile works of art, Bespoke features work by Mike Flanigan, Alternative Needs Transportation (A.N.T.);  Jeff Jones, Jeff Jones Custom Bicycles; Dario Pegoretti, Pegoretti Cicli; Richard Sachs, Richard Sachs Cycles; Peter Weigle, and Sacha White, Vanilla Bicycles.

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Judging by the multitude of planter designs we’ve seen of late, the design world is far from satisfied with the traditional flower pot, garden and lawn. In the latest, Dutch designer Sander Brouwer hides the pot within the table, providing a minimalist way of housing your favorite greenery. The base of the table, which bears some resemblance to the unmistakable curves of a female nude, doubles as a standard planter. Holes on the table surface allow the plants to be showcased when you need a spot to place your cocktail or cappuccino. The top also features a cup holders and a dish for keeping snacks at ready. The Paradox, as it’s called, seamlessly blends a metal top with porcelein base, creating a beautiful piece for the home. [via The Design Blog]

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Design of the space for the Shanghai World Expo 2010 is underway and this stunning Shanghai Corporate Pavilion by Atelier Feichang Jianzhu is one marvel of green engineering to look forward to. Crafted from plastic tubes made from recycled CD cases, the Pavilion is structured with a grid-like matrix. After the expo is over, the plastic tubes will be recycled once again. The outside appearance of the structure is influenced by multi-colored LED lights that are controlled via computer. Energy will be derived from a 1,600 square-meter solar thermal system installed into the roof, for use during the expo and in day to day operations. A misting system utilizing treated, filtered rainwater will cool down the inside and enhance the overall look and experience. The Pavilion is sure to be one of many highlights of the expo. [via Inhabitat]

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