Comments on: You want Styles with That? http://bokardo.com/archives/styles_with_that/ A Blog about Social Web Design Fri, 19 Feb 2010 06:52:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Chuck Aksamit http://bokardo.com/archives/styles_with_that/comment-page-1/#comment-261 Chuck Aksamit Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://bokardocom.siteprotect.net/wordpress/?p=34#comment-261 I feel well-styled but not over-styled content makes for a better UX and adds to the chance that the reader will come back to your site. Take this article for example. If I came to this site and undo.css had been applied I probably would have left the page and not read it at all. Even my RSS Reader (which I used to get here) has a custom stylesheet just to make the content easier to explore. Maybe it's just personal preference but I think whitespace and some light formatting go a long way toward making good content great. I feel well-styled but not over-styled content makes for a better UX and adds to the chance that the reader will come back to your site. Take this article for example. If I came to this site and undo.css had been applied I probably would have left the page and not read it at all. Even my RSS Reader (which I used to get here) has a custom stylesheet just to make the content easier to explore. Maybe it’s just personal preference but I think whitespace and some light formatting go a long way toward making good content great.

]]> By: Ottawa http://bokardo.com/archives/styles_with_that/comment-page-1/#comment-262 Ottawa Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://bokardocom.siteprotect.net/wordpress/?p=34#comment-262 As long as text in the content area is very easy to read, not overloaded with graphics, and placed "above the fold" - readers should be fine imo. Anything else above, below, left or right to the content, you can do whatever you want. As long as text in the content area is very easy to read, not overloaded with graphics, and placed “above the fold” – readers should be fine imo. Anything else above, below, left or right to the content, you can do whatever you want.

]]> By: David Salahi http://bokardo.com/archives/styles_with_that/comment-page-1/#comment-263 David Salahi Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://bokardocom.siteprotect.net/wordpress/?p=34#comment-263 As Chuck mentioned, a certain amount of styling definitely increases the scanability of a page. That's why we have headings. Personally, I've noticed that when I compare text-only versions of email newsletters to the HTML version I almost always prefer the HTML version. Headings, photos, and a well-designed layout make the content quicker to navigate. If it's all just a bunch of the same size text, I have to scan line by line (or at minimum, paragraph by paragraph) to see if there's anything I'm interested in. Scanning the HTML versions is definitely quicker. However, there comes a point when too much styling decreases the scanability. But I think the issue is not really too much styling per se but rather too much busyness. After all, exactly what is too much styling? Too many fonts, too many colors, too elaborate a layout? Clearly, too many fonts or colors can be obnoxious but I don't think that's really what the question is here. Is it? How about some examples of "overly styled" sites? Are these really just overly busy pages? Or something else? As Chuck mentioned, a certain amount of styling definitely increases the scanability of a page. That’s why we have headings.

Personally, I’ve noticed that when I compare text-only versions of email newsletters to the HTML version I almost always prefer the HTML version. Headings, photos, and a well-designed layout make the content quicker to navigate. If it’s all just a bunch of the same size text, I have to scan line by line (or at minimum, paragraph by paragraph) to see if there’s anything I’m interested in. Scanning the HTML versions is definitely quicker.

However, there comes a point when too much styling decreases the scanability. But I think the issue is not really too much styling per se but rather too much busyness. After all, exactly what is too much styling? Too many fonts, too many colors, too elaborate a layout? Clearly, too many fonts or colors can be obnoxious but I don’t think that’s really what the question is here. Is it?

How about some examples of “overly styled” sites? Are these really just overly busy pages? Or something else?

]]> By: Adam Bramwell http://bokardo.com/archives/styles_with_that/comment-page-1/#comment-264 Adam Bramwell Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://bokardocom.siteprotect.net/wordpress/?p=34#comment-264 I'd go for the extra styles, trusting that my supplier wouldn't go over the top on my ass. I’d go for the extra styles, trusting that my supplier wouldn’t go over the top on my ass.

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