Site Critique: Goth: Dark Glamour

http://www3.fitnyc.edu/museum/gothic/home.html

Much of the Goth subculture's appeal comes from being over the top. I found this site while researching fashion for Project 2. I hoped it would provide factual insight on Goth culture and elegant images for visual inspiration. However, the Fashion Institute of Technology actually took it too far when they designed the site for their Gothic: Dark Glamour exhibit, to the point where content is indistinguishable from layout.

First off, I hate websites with sound. The site gave me a terrible first impression when howling ghosts began leaking through my laptop speakers. The only way to turn it off is to mute the computer. Otherwise, it switches every page. Many people multi-task while online, and this feature would interfere with music players.

Because the entire site consists of under twenty pages, the main navigation is simple, limited to one menu. However, the typography and rollover effects look cheap. For an art school, such fallacies reflect badly on the institution. The option names are also painfully vague. Each header is a noun associated with the Goth aesthetic which I assume are sub-gallery names or clothing lines. Some nonconventional gallery menus work, like Linda Berkvist's color-based one, but those cases are still logical and relevant to the content within. To top it off, the only way to access other pages is through the back button. Also, the only link to the museum itself is a logo on the home page which is not noticeably clickable, so if a viewer wished to see the exhibit in person, he or she would be unable to even find driving directions.


Gallery sites profit from creative, image-heavy layouts, but FIT has gone past the kitsch to annoyance. Good sites push the boundaries on grid layouts, but FIT has gone with whatever is easiest to code – push logo and copy to the left and imagery to the right. The two-column, grid lines are practically visible. I like the use of large images, but many of the pictures actually showcasing the exhibitors’ work have so many Photoshop filters, they are beyond recognition. Several times, I mistook a site graphic for an actual show piece. To access a larger view of a piece, the user must roll over the image and hope for something clickable. I appreciate the attempt at interactivity, but navigation is not the place for hidden object games. This is further exacerbates the cryptic menus. On the other hand, the piece-specific pages are simple and pleasing with just the right amount of description for the artwork.

The color scheme is predominantly black, dotted with hints of red and white. These colors are weighty but used to an advantage to create a creepy feel. The site does a pretty typography is differentiated but small and serif, so readers will get a visual vibration and skip past the interesting information, especially if they are just browsing and not actively seeking information. The large, bold headers contrast well to the simple white copy.

FIT has created an experience that goes into too many directions, with too little guidance, and too many distractions. While I am impressed by the clothing on display, I am displeased by all the junk I have to put up with to get to what I really want to see.