1998-2000 Web Site (Cont.)

I tried a couple of different navigation schemes that would replace the icon-based left hand navigation. I tried graphical icons of each typeface and many other low-tech options, but in the end I settled on a simple set of text links. Using the text links gave me an added benefit that I didn't have before. In addition to tracking the information, I could change the prominence of the links by bolding the text very easily and therefore ascertain whether this affected which fonts users looked at.

With the addition of the individual font names, the left hand navigation bar was rather long, but since it was implemented in a very standard way using underlined links people should have little trouble using it.

The full-time job that I had taken in 1998 as a creative director for the communications and event company Caribiner International was becoming more and more time-consuming, and by early 1999 I could no longer afford to drop everything on a moment's notice to fill an order or fix a problem.

The biggest thing missing from the site now was any real sense of excitement. The site had changed from a place where I implemented new and exciting technology to a very dry and boring implementation of a typeface company web site. With any other kind of site this might not be an issue, but my customers tend to be designers that are working on a project looking for inspirations for their designs. If I can inspire them while they are on my site they will be more likely to buy from me and possibly stop looking further.

1998-2000 Web Site (Cont.)
Usability: the Site Speaks For Itself
This Site is Off the Air