PostSecret

At first glimpse the PostSecret page comes off as plain, that's because it is, that's how they meant for it to be. The makers intended for the focus of the website to be the pictures of the postcards and nothing else. The blank black background and the simple fonts chosen draw the attention of the reader away from the surrounding and to the true intention and purpose of the website; the secrets. The site also has a bit of darkness to it, a sense of secrecy and security, as if it was hidden and unknown. While the simplicity of the colors of the fonts allow for the site to stray away from any sort of wildness, thereby drawing in and appealing to a larger audience. Not to mention the fact that the writing is all perfectly legible.
The focus of the website is the people, and their secrets. The postcards are all displayed plainly with no text surrounding them explaining or pertaining to them. This is probably because, for the most part, the post cards are very much self explanatory. When they are not, they are left ambiguous because the people sending them meant for them to be that way.
There are no subcategories to the site, just a string of pictures, one after another in one long column. To the side of the column there are a couple of links but they all lead to different points on the same page, so there’s no type of progression between different pages. Towards the end of the page there are a couple of uplifting reader stories and successes in conquering their depression. There are also a few links to information about different book signings and some background information on Frank Warren, the author’s, PostSecret Books.
The site can definitely be very eye-catching at times, depending on the secrets of the week. The most vivid and dramatic secrets are usually posted at the top, being the first thing you see when you go to the site, they serve the obvious purpose of the attention-grabber, drawing the reader in and keeping them there until the very end. Many a time I’ve found myself getting to the end and thinking “That’s it?”; the site just has a way of becoming very addictive, once you’ve had a taste you just want more. In more ways than one the site is definitely a very successful one; it has established a solid reader base. The website has also lead to more successes for Frank Warren; he has published several books, the profit of which all goes to Hope, the suicide helpline, as well as raising awareness about depression and allowing for the aid of people in need of it.