The A/E industry is loaded with some amazingly talented designers – in the built environment that is.
However, when it comes to architecture firms and their websites, it can be quite a different story. Try searching for “architecture, websites and suck” in Google. The results ain’t pretty.
Here’s one of my favorite reviews from a very reputable source – Fast Company.
I actually mentioned this particular article in a recent SMPS Chesapeake presentation. My favorite quote from the piece was:
“It’s pretty fun to zip through, too, with the images standing up like little structures themselves, giving me the feeling that I’m swooping down over city blocks like Spiderman. But if I’m visiting your site, it’s a good bet that I’m not Tobey Maguire. I’m probably a wildly wealthy potential client who wants to send one of your past projects to my business partner.”
I think that about sums it up, really. The point is, you should be designing a website for your clients or other members of your target audience. Not for your peers. Additionally, you should be ORGANIZING your site for these people as well.
Launching a new website is just as much about the technology platform, the sitemap, the navigation, the searchability, the content, the social media integration, the features and functionality…as it as about aesthetically pleasing imagery and visual effects. Actually, more so.
If you’re getting ready to launch a new website and your design team, whether it’s in-house or an agency, doesn’t start with the Information Architecture (IA), then stop what you’re doing. You could call Markitecture of course :-), but whatever you do please don’t design a new Flash website with hidden navigation, a long intro movie and every project you’ve ever worked on. I don’t want to see your exciting new website mentioned in any of those Google results.