For my second Favourite Website Design article, I picked Ecoki, an eco-lifestyle community website. I like how the design feels really warm and integrated, and the attention that the designers payed to detail.

Ecoki, The Eco-Lifestyle Community

As I said, my favourite aspect of this website is the warmth of the whole theme, and how that feeling comes across in all the different details that appear throughout the pages. I really like how they managed to create a very clean and simple design, but at the same time, add little bits and pieces so that it doesn’t feel cold.

What I love

1. The clean and clear navigation, and search areas: the links and the search box are where people would expect them to be, you can’t go wrong with that.
   
2. The small details that add to the warmth.
   
3. The clear hierarchy of the type.
   
4. How the ads are integrated with the theme.
   
5. The useful breadcrumbs that point to where the user is on the site.
   
6. The use of icons, but not exaggerated.
   
7. The way the information of an article is displayed at the top.
   

What I would change

1. The title of the featured article looks like the caption of the photo: it took me a few seconds to realize where I had to click to go to that post.
   
2. The footer looks disappointing. I understand that the actual footer is what comes before the Friends & Recommendations links, but that is the final part of the website and it doesn’t look like a powerful ending.
   
3. The Friends & Recommendation links aren’t very clear—where will I go if I click here? (I only know if I hover over the link long enough to see the alt tag description.)
4. The way that tags are displayed is not consistent:
   

Conclusion

Although I pointed some things that I think could be improved on this website, I think these are minor issues and it’s really a great design: it’s engaging, easy to navigate, fun and familiar.

Do you agree? What is your favourite website design today?