Of course, back in the old days, people with no design talent channeled their efforts into paint-by-numbers kits, or made clothes for their kids that made their kids sick dreading what was going to happen when their friends saw what their mom made them wear.

Nowadays, everybody’s convinced they can be their own designer, and for people who have acquired a copy of FrontPage or have put together a MySpace profile, the the irresistable draw of having your own Real Website—becoming a Designer—obliterates what little common sense they may have ever had.

Don’t get upset at me. I just have specific standards. I can’t help it. A website should help the viewer find information. It should not hurt your eyes or ears. It should download quickly. The navigation should be intuitive. Text should be readable.

The viewer should not be asking himself, “Huh?” or “Why did they do that?”. The only sites that use MySpace graphics should be on MySpace or in the business of supplying graphics to MySpace users.

So to see if your website sucks, and in what way it might suck, just follow this handy-dandy little flow chart. Click the graphic to visit a full-sized version in its native habitat.

Also visit Websites that suck for an infinite supply of laughingly bad design.

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