Too Much of a Good Thing

While I was saddened to hear of the shuttering of Conde Nast's Domino back in January, I knew I was partly to blame. While I admired the DIY shelter magazine, I had pledged my subscription years before to Real Simple, only reading Domino for free when killing time over coffee at Barnes & Noble.

Still, I had cause to regret my lack of loyalty once again when I decided to check out Real Simple's newly redesigned website. Real Simple has always had a function over form approach to their online experience, looking more like an overstuffed closet filled with buried treasures. In short, it was a pain to search for anything, but there was "gold in them thar hills." I'm pretty sure my number one go-to recipe, tuna noodle casserole (don't judge - sometimes I sub in salmon and gruyere to make it fancy) came from the site.

Yet, the new site looks a little sparse. When compared with the vibrant look of Domino (I'll provide the link, but no doubt the site will be down very soon) it just doesn't speak to me. Sure, they have added a section of how-to videos which is very helpful, but the site itself doesn't really read like the magazine, drawing me from topic to topic like Domino's does. I've put screen grabs of their front pages for you to judge for yourself.






For the sheer amount of information that's available, Real Simple can't be beat, but couldn't they at least make the experience more pleasant? Oh, and now that Domino is done for, why not incorporate/shamelessly steal their style? They could also take tips from the queen of Omnimedia, Martha Stewart. MarthaStewart.com, though also packed to the gills with information, still remembers to add a little color here and there.

That's about all I have to say on this topic, but now for your enjoyment, I give you "How-To: Slice & Dice an Avocado." It's absolutely riveting.