I think the new agency site for CP+B is fantastic for three reasons:
- The aggregation concept is a solid approach for companies (@Jowyang points that out) — bringing together all the conversations around a company from across the web fits the paradigm of open and transparent.
- They’ve launched the site in an “open-beta,” the same way Google would. It’s rough around the edges from a functional perspective, but it’s up there and they’ll make it better.
- They have plans to release it open source (see the “developers” link at the bottom of the site).
But despite that, I think the site is weak, because it looks like “beta,” unpolished, un-thought-out, with cliched tabs on the top right hand, and a standard grid layout. Across the web, there is a minimalist aesthetic shows beauty with just a little code. Poccuo is a small design-shop who does it right, among others.
While I’m not one to talk with the look of my blog, I do honestly feel CP+B would have done better had they just coded up an elegant wireframe, with clearer navigation and clickable elements.
