Kottke Critique

Tuesday, June 29, 2004

Jason Kottke recently released the next incarnation of Kottke.org. I must say, even though visually things are very similar to the previous version, Jason has done an excellent job of perfecting his structure and usability.

Jason’s text dominant design reminds us of the power of typography. His subtle choices of font sizes, weights, leading and link color are methodically chosen along with simple dividers to create a harmonious feel. From the looks of things the famous green header has been on the Atkins diet. It may have slimmed up a bit but it’s just enough to remind you, This Is Kottke.

Kottke tweaked the two column layout, widening the left column a bit. I’ve always enjoyed the way Jason nestles his daily links into his blog column. This works exceptionally well from a usability standpoint and gives the links more attention in the hierarchy.

From the comments form (http://www.kottke.org/remainder/04/06/5909.html) to the photo gallery (http://www.kottke.org/photos/highline0204/index.html) and beyond you can tell that a lot of care and thought went into every element of this redesign. Well done Jason, take a bow.