Yesterday I attended an event in York showcasing the Phoenix Centre, which is an initiative aimed at helping creative and technological startup businesses in the area. The event started with a presentation from some of the businesses based in the centre followed by a tour and networking.

I met some interesting people, and also had a chance to show off our plans and developments, which provoked some interest. The centre offers heavily subsidised office space for a year, with many benefits geared towards helping businesses on our wavelength succeed. Perhaps this could lead to something, who knows.

In this so-called new age of web design, there appears to be an underlying trend in “Web 2.0″ websites. Something about it makes me cringe, because wherever you look, especially in websites showcasing portfolios or whatever, the language style is exactly the same. Informal speak, as if you’re talking to the visitor as a friend, I guess. To me, it’s pure cheese.

HELLO. MY NAME IS BOB SMITH. I MAKE GOOD WEBSITES, AND STUFF.

You know what I’m talking about. The HUGE TEXT THEY USE TO SHOUT AT THE USER ON THE HOMEPAGE. Okay, so why? Well, you could argue it draws in the user’s attention, and that it instantly tells the user what the website is about. Fair enough. But I get bored when browsing CSS design showcases, only to find almost all of them follow this trend. Admittedly, even I fall victim to this nonsense. I get a feeling design showcases discriminate websites that don’t. Perhaps it’s just another internet phase.

My 5 minute browsing results:

http://paiko.de/
http://www.baeck.no/
http://www.sergionoviello.com/
http://nathan-sanders.com/
http://www.shannonmoeller.com/
http://www.jamisonbanham.com/
http://www.jasonreedwebdesign.com/
http://sprawsm.com/
http://www.postmachina.com/

I could go on… Forever.