I really like the layout of the Ruby programming language site. It’s very simple and to the point, and has an obvious banana (in other words, it has a clear direction the visitor is meant to take) - Download Ruby. The arrow next to it is the only thing with a 3d effect which adds to its visual weight.
Further down the headers are 3 bold sections to make it easy to scan: Get Started, Explore, and Participate. Of course, these 3 steps represent the path of anybody new to the site and to ruby in general, and represent a structured path to becoming a competent ruby programmer.
Looking back at the main content area of the page, the bold headline “Ruby is…” tells what this site is all about in the 0.2 seconds visitors to the site spend before deciding to stay or hitting the back button. After the quick description of ruby, the code example hammers the point home with it’s famous line: puts “Hello World!”.
Once a person is hooked and ready to learn more, there are pleny of areas to read such as Ruby documentation, community, etc.
All in all, it’s one of the best layed out sites I’ve seen in a long time.