Mint Digital

The Click #14

The last few Clicks have been rather serious. I apologise.
Websites should be fun. People want to be entertained. Make
someone smile and you’ve made a connection.

Flashing lights
My bro-in-law (hi, Tim!) sent this email from Australia:

“I came across this website www.ozcableguy.com, and thought you might like it - it is so crammed full of useful information I feel I just have to buy the otherwise pretty commoditised product (a wireless broadband router) from him. For some inexplicable reason I love the van! Normally I hate stuff like that.”

OK, Tim mentions “useful information”. But I bet it is the flashing lights that got him enthused.

Corporate hugs
Last week I interviewed the creative directors at two of the UK’s most on-the-pulse web design companies: Poke and E3.

Both were fascinating guys, coming at web design from different perspectives. A striking similarity was that they were both striving to make sites that are warmer, more communicative and more fun.

Poke’s Webby-winning jamieoliver.com aims for the vibrancy and intimacy of a good homemade site. It’s punchy, fluffy and loveable.

E3’s site is a carnival of colour and
action. How different from the minimalism that used to rule web design (and still does, in some corners… erm, like mintdigital.com… new site in the greenhouse).

A hug from a stranger
Be careful. It’s great to be friendly. But overstep the mark and it feels like a hug from a stranger.

Even neo-bubble darlings get caught out. Anthropolgist Grant McCracken
dissects an email from Flickr:

“Here’s the thing that really struck me, the people at Flickr call themselves Flickroobies and they call us Flickreebies. Suddenly, I feel like I am back at a United Church summer
camp”

The winning hug
For my money you can’t beat Skype. A dry
product (internet telephony) is bought to life by playful animation and excellent text focusing on the product’s stand-out benefit - free global chat. What a loveable site!