Seems Like Architects Are Like Restaurants

Both industries are notoriously bad at websites:

Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan, Herzog & de Meuron Launched Their First Website Today

We’ve complained often about how badly designed architect’s websites often are, and we’re not the only ones. Too many options, too much flash, too many pop-ups, and way, way too much helvetica. Architects tend to be good at designing things other than architecture, but they also tend to forget that websites are not “think pieces.”

Herzog & de Meuron, though, have gotten it right. Theirs is spare, clear, and obvious. The best feature is that your “history” on the site accumulates behind whatever you click on – a kind of visual archive of what you’ve viewed. A useful flourish on a website that’s not trying to compensate for anything.

I guess this is another opportunity for a design pattern to emerge, where the intersection of utility and creativity leads to joy for users.