CNN (and a little bit about that charming Italian gentlemen)

Say what they will at CNN, the website redesign makes entertainment news the websites centerpiece. The first thing I saw upon opening the site (aside from the obnoxious pop-up ad) was the "Mad Men" story that is front and center. The first bottom section lists "Entertainment" before "Politics" or "Money." I'm a music and movie guy, and I understand CNNs need to cater to an audience that is increasingly more interested in entertainment than news. But when it comes to me personally, I get my movie and music stuff elsewhere. When I visit cnn.com, I'm usually looking for hard news, so the more they shift to entertainment, the less I'll likely go. But, I'm only one man, I suppose.

This is the part of my post where I say I hate the word "infotainment." Moving on...

As far as the layout goes, it sure is prettier. Less text-heavy, less "drudge-reporty," especially on top. The only place where a picture or video doesn't accompany a headline is in the "Latest News" section on the left. I also noticed the site coloring uses three sexy shades of red as opposed to the one shade used on the old site. As far as making the site more customable and video-driven, CNN is probably headed in the right direction, as more and more websites seem to be moving this way. However, It might be a bit more overwhelming for people who were used to using the old site (I remember how pissed off I was when facebook switched to tabs).


I missed the boat on posting about Massimo (are we on a first name basis?) but I'll try to make up for it a little bit here, and even tie CNN in. I thought it was interesting how much he stressed simplicity in design, particularly in fonts. It's awesome that we're using all these spicy HTML tricks, but when it comes down to it, the most popular websites are incredibly simple. Just look at Google or Amazon. Few colors, simple design. CNN appears to have taken a step in a more complex direction using more columns, more colors, and more videos, so we'll see if that pays off.