Like most Internet people, I’m amazed at how modern Barack Obama’s websites are. Usually government-related websites have this outdated, narrow (to be compatible with computers from 1998), unrefined “safe” look to them. There are very few graphical elements and the ones that are on there reminds you of clip art. Barack’s sites on the other hand have all of the things that make designers go ga ga over:
- Gradients everywhere.
- A light colored glowing background that radiates outward from the main site, reminding you of angelic hymns.
- Sign up box in the upper right corner to give you email to Barack, making you feel part of his community.
- Buttons with that shiny iPhone look - an arch through the middle of the button with a lighter shade on top and a darker shade on the bottom.
- A giant panel that rotates through 3 or 4 main headline (each with its own giant image).
(clockwise from upper left: whitehouse.gov, change.gov, usaservice.org, barackobama.com - click thumbnail to see what the site looks like on a 1024×768 resolution monitor)
For comparison sake, lets look at some other governmental websites. Here we have the minority leader of the U.S. Senate, Mitch McConnell and the minority leader of the House of Representatives, John Boehner.
