This is one problem I have always had with sporting web sites (i.com) is that the site's design is blurred between actual content and advertising. It seems like web page designers create graphics for sports stories that run above the headlines on the front page's right side. But thanks to crazy color schemes and different type styles, these web designers end up creating boxes that look like ads. So when those boxes contained information fans were looking for (i.e. the scores of last night's game) fans like myself would not find it easy on the eyes because people like myself have learned to avoid ads at all cost if you want to look for something fast. .
I feel a strong brand image is critical on the Internet. However, CNNSI has battled with the challenge of combining two powerful brand names in a single logo.
With the CNNSI design the colors are limited and are given special features with the same style and graphics as the Sportsillustrated.cnn.com logo. The Sportsillustrated.cnn.com logo is combined with special feature promotions this makes sure that features are clearly identified as editorial. The current logo reinforces the Sports Illustrated presence on the site. They're now promoted just as aggressively but are better associated with the site's own style and editorial offerings.
Even the sites own logo became lost under a box with internal promotions and sat beneath a banner ad across the top that was far more eye-catching.
The best Web designs demonstrate a keen understanding of who uses the site and then take the simplest approach to giving them what they want--and need. It's no wonder that a multifarious and fractious sports world can wrench a site's design off track.
To speed up page loads, the top box loads first.
Visitors can read those stories and look at those elements as the second half of the page is downloading. In the site's previous design, text loaded first, then graphics, for the whole page.