rocknbil - 11:08 am on Jul 4, 2007 (gmt 0)

with that said, it is a shame that some will go to an 'ugly' design, thats really making our interent ugly, and one day that ugly site will be competing with an elegent site that delt with all the unseen "design" issues the ugly site missed when it was improved; and adventually will win.

No, it won't. If the "elegant" site overlooks the prime directive, to provide the most serious and comprehensive solution to the customer's problems, the "ugly site" will still win.

Look at craigslist. Plain text, zero graphic adornment, intentional "ee cummings" non-use of capitalization, it can easily be named as one of the "ugliest" sites on the Internet - but has what, 500K views per day? Why would such a dry presentation equate to outstanding success? What about the big G? And why do neither appear to have any intention of providing an ego-boosting "facelift" at any time in the near future?

It's simple: people crave content, not pretty graphics. They want to make a purchase online without feeling stupid because they can't navigate through Mystery Meat. They want to gather information, get free stuff, self-educate, collect pictures of their hobby stuff, share ideas, connect with other people - do you see "look at pretty websites" anywhere in this list? :-)

I would bet BMW's would sell just as well with no adorment at all on their site. Flashy car sites do more to massage the egos of corporate managers than the end user. Honestly, if you want a BMW, what are you going to their website for? (lawman, chime in here! :-) ) Flash demos? More pictures of what you already know about BMW? Maybe functional features that allow you to customize your ride, pricing and contact numbers - none of which has to do with visual design.