One article has a different theme: http://www.valeriedaysings.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/na...
from another: http://www.simongarnier.com/images/wordpress/ft_hdr.5.jpg
Well actually, those are title pages, but I've read those articles and I can attest that the different designs set a suitable mood for the topic at hand.
I applaud web publishers for taking up this paradigm and applying what publishing graphic designers have been doing for some time. Of course with most methods of design, it depends if the occasion is suitable. Some online publications can do well with a consistent design: http://www.alistapart.com/
While others do well with differing designs, almost as if each posting of their articles is a treat for their readers: http://trentwalton.com/articles/
just like D.Curtis does, so good on him if he has inspired others to do the same.
In this case quite appropriate, though. Having to scroll down one third of the page before you get to anything resembling a meaningful discussion about the actual content of the article cannot possibly be a good thing. Neither can the sneer and arrogance displayed in this thread.
(I’m kind of aware of the irony of me participating in this thread. Resisting the temptation to be self-righteous on the web is hard.)
This article boils down to "It isn't pretty enough, and I didn't write it." In other words: no actual relevant content. Just a lot of pretty images as text, BIG FONTS, and whining.
“Orange?! U R DUMB!!!!1!” – that’s what I don’t like. Not disagreement with the actual content of the article.
Mine's roughly that; the orange background is only a bit eye-straining for me.
For a lot of people with weaker sight, or outright visual disabilities that fall short of blindness, this would be entirely unreadable without Readability or similar tools.
Something that stops people from getting to content is noteworthy.
Other people thought it was worth talking about with regards to a blog post by a guy who makes a point of giving each post a unique, custom design.
The color choice also hasn't been the only thing criticized - the layout is cluttered and confuses some people. It's overall a much poorer design than many, if not all, of the other posts on that site.
Lose the ego-investment/chip on your shoulder/BS. Nobody's impressed, and this isn't a schoolyard.
Where I "want to go" is exactly what I said. People will talk about the design first: how much they like it, how much they don't like it, whatever. We are not robots, and those of us with normal vision will pick up on color, shape, and arrangement before they read any of the text.
Simple rule: if you're going to be offended at people talking quite a bit about the striking color (or other design element) you used for your web page, whether appreciatively or not, don't use that striking color.