Student No. 1304196
Brief 3 Website analysis
Website - VIZ Media - VIZ.com
VIZ Media is a Japanese owned visual media company that deals strictly with Japanese content, most notably Manga and Anime. The company is designed to be a bridge between the Japanese entertainment industry and the western fan base. Based in America the available media content is distributed for the English speaking audiences from America, Britain and South Africa.
This analysis will look at several aspects of design that make this site a cornerstone for any Anime or Manga fan to visit.
Visual
The VIZ website appears to be mainly based on a visual concept, when considering the target audience and the content being presented this makes sense. The homepage of this site is dominated by a large central slide show of extremely colorful content depicting DVD/Blu-Ray releases and new Manga editions.
There are only five slides in the show so it is not overwhelming and it also does not leave the viewer waiting to see all the content being shown. There are also five dots placed in the center bottom of the slideshow, each dot is linked to a slide that when you place the cursor over the dot the corresponding image appears in the slideshow. The images are of a high definition standard and create a nice visually appealing opening statement about the websites ultimate purpose.
Directly beneath the title and slideshow are multiple images displaying content available for purchase or download. For example, the New print Manga allows the cursor to pass over the image and display the current price of the issue being advertised and a summary of the material. This type of marketing seems to have been designed to emulate a bookstore through which most of the fans would have purchased their favorite medium.
Typeface
The title bar at the very top of the page contains the name of the site which is a subtle combination of white and grey on a darker background which may imply a professional outlook regarding the status of the company as a major contributor world wide. The font of the company name is in two adjoining parts. The first typeface has a modern sans serif look, smooth with curved shape seemingly reminiscent of Japanese Hiragana characters, perhaps to lend the title an authentic feel or a subtle marker to draw attention to the origins of the content. The second typeface is a serif style much like times new roman which seems to represent a certain professional feel to the company's attitude as a first-class provider of Japanese entertainment.
The typeface used on the rest of the page is a sans-serif type and is mostly used for displaying a section of content such as the DVD & Blu Ray product range area. As a visually driven website the amount of text is quite minimalist. This style really works for this site as the main point is the marketing of visual content, furthermore as Wysocki (2004) states, "In addition to type, page and screen composers can make their arguments with shapes, colour, photographs, drawings and paintings, charts and graphs, animations, visual transitions, video and sound". This style of web build is very effective as it simplifies the entire process of searching for specific content.
Links to other pages
Through the pricing window a customer can place an order for any content they so desire, one click will take them to the distributors page i.e. Amazon or Barnes & Noble, then they place the order and await shipment. Warnick (2006) wrote, "as the Web has become more of a commercial platform, it has become more structured and more influenced by commercial forces. Consumers expect to be able to find what they need quickly and easily..." (p 141).
Through links this site gives access to hundreds of Anime shows or Manga comics to read or stream online or to download to own on mobile devices. One major point is the link to iTunes to download an application for streaming of media. The link is attached to the image in the main slideshow, so by clicking the image a new tab opens and the user can access the application download with ease. These applications allow fans to access media anywhere. Through this innovative method they are creating a greatly expanded experience utilizing new technologies.
B. Warnick (2006) explains,
In the period since the public Web sphere began to take shape, hypertext,
website structure, and the technologies of website construction have changed
dramatically. Furthermore, the modalities in which people produce and consume
media content on the Web have moved from the desktop computer and now
include portable computers and cellular phones. (p. 139).
Conclusion
Overall the page is simple to understand and to navigate, it is visually exciting, remains up to date for all released content and with adapting to technological advances. Despite the lack of text onscreen the site is able to convey information to the user through well placed links, images and headings.
References
Warnick, B. (2006). Rhetoric on the web. Digital Media; Transformations in Human Communication, pp 139 - 146.
Wysocki, A. F. (2004). The multiple media of texts: How onscreen and paper texts incorporate words and other media. What writing does and how it does it: An introduction to analyzing texts and textual practices, pp 123-163.
Warnick, B. (2006). Rhetoric on the web. Digital Media; Transformations in Human Communication, pp 139 - 146.
Wysocki, A. F. (2004). The multiple media of texts: How onscreen and paper texts incorporate words and other media. What writing does and how it does it: An introduction to analyzing texts and textual practices, pp 123-163.
