I have this thing about what I call “spinning Jesus” websites. If you recall, there was an episode of The Simpsons in which Homer learns how to use the internet. He makes a website that has all kinds of rotating graphics circa 1994. It seems to be what children 10 and under might view as cool.
When I see a website that is supposed to be professional but includes anything scrolling on the page, I cringe. It seems to be way behind the times, nevermind tacky and in violation of every idea about graphic design. I’m not going to name every offender, but the City of Hartford Government site is one. They revamped their website recently; however, they still can’t shake that scrolling marquis or the vertical scrolling calendar. Seriously, these two things make the site appear as if a young child or someone whose computer knowledge ceased around 1995 designed it. This is America, where everyone is increasingly impatient and not going to wait for a slowly scrolling calendar. It’d be better to have an actual interactive calendar one can click on to find out what is happening on a given date.
One more thing– instead of having the rotating ad pictures of the mayor as the center of the page, why not make those pictures way at the bottom of the page, the ones of things in Hartford that are not politicians, featured photographs.