Even if you don't love Apple computers, you have to love their design initiatives. The website mimics the look and feel of their new line of products, and is easy to use and attractive to the eye, instantly capturing the attention of the user.

A trendy new-age architecture website with well chosen graphics and interactive features.

The #1 news site gets information across to its readers effectively with the help of many interactive features, constantly updated headlines, and other nifty additions such as online polls.

A fantastic company website that fulfills its purpose. Clear presentation, easy navigation, appropriate images, vibrant contrasting colors.

The home of magical Disney fun! This website cleverly mimics a theme park layout, and echoes the familiar Disney image with the use of cartoon-style graphics. Not the most technically impressive site, but it has a message and it is consistent with its chosen theme.

Makes an innovative use of Macromedia Flash to showcase interior design and Ikea products.

The home of Java at Sun Microsystems. An attractive site that is minimalist despite appearing to use more advanced technologies. A masterful use of html to achieve a sophisticated look. Easy navigation and support for text-only browsers.

Another trendy company website that offers a simplistic and stylish design, easy navigation, and a clear statement of purpose on the homepage. Do however notice their use of some dubious images that don't really say much about the company or their products and services.

An excellent MIT site that demonstrates exactly how to continue a chosen metaphor throughout a website. This website also uses image maps very effectively without annoying the user. All images are relevant, and cleverly assembled.

An excellent use of the much-abused Macromedia Flash technology to advertise products effectively in a highly interactive online catalogue.

A simple and elegant website that effectively showcases the work of a talented photographer and graphic designer.

This site speaks its message and has a clear theme - travel. Services are appropriately advertised and the travel theme is cleverly worked into highly functional and interactive webpages.

A wonderful site that showcases new Microsoft gaming products. The navigation bars and graphics that enclose the pages cleverly mimic the design of the Xbox console - with the use of heat vents, and the familiar black and green plastic look. Helpful icons and banners notify visitors of new products. Pages are brief and uncluttered.

A typical example of a misuse of Macromedia Flash. Upon viewing this website ask yourself the following questions: What is the background supposed to be? Why is the window so small? What are the whirling polygons and sliding panels saying about Janet Jackson or her product? What is the little animated graphic in the top-right hand corner supposed to convey? If you are left unsure as to the answer of any of these questions, that is because the website has been designed to be glitzy, and at some point lost sight of its purpose. What is good about the site is the interactive sound features and actual audio and video content, but that's programming and musical talent, not web design.

A lot of effort was clearly put into this website, but why does the user needs to see so many copies of the same images that stream up and down the screen as you move your mouse around? It is actually pretty hard to navigate this website, and even harder to discover the message behind nikelab.com, and what it is actually promoting, other than shoes. Text is far too small in places, and unnecessary information about loading modules is displayed to the user. In an attempt to appear futuristic, these features are more of an annoyance than anything else.

This page serves absolutely no purpose except perhaps to display how the overuse of animated gifs can quickly turn your website very tacky.