This is the text of an online clothing website, Urban Outfitters. I will be analysing this website and exploring different elements into not only the creation of the site www.urbanoutfitters.com but messages behind the site, and the path the creators took into capturing the viewers attention.
First looking at the website the creator makes their intentions obvious to the viewer. Their intentions of this website are that of making an easy to read and follow website that intrigues the viewer into moving past the homepage and to explore the rest of the site. Wysocki (2004) p.g. 123 states “…sometimes we have to navigate through many pages or screens to gain sense of what the texts; creators hope to achieve. In this case the home page of the Urban Outfitters website is very simple. In intervals of five seconds the home page changes. Each time the home page changes a new product and title is brought to the viewers attention. Being an online clothing website, this idea of change entices the viewer to explore deeper into the website creating a pathway to navigate the viewer to the websites products. If this navigation has been successfully created then the viewer may end up purchasing off the website. Looking at elements used to construct the Urban Outfitters website, initially the element of the changing homepage as talked about above creates the tension of keeping the viewer interested in what the website is all about and the creation of navigation into the Urban Outfitters website.
Colours used throughout the 5 alternating home pages remain fairly similar. White, off-white, black and blue would be the four consistent colours used over the home pages. These colours create brightness and boldness without the need to add bright colours to overpower the item being promoted. The item and title on each page are the only images that hold a bright colour. Through photographs of the actual product, this is where we see the colour bursting through. We also see bright colour used in the title relating to the product on each page.Not forgetting about the four images along the bottom of each homepage screen. These again, like the basic structure do not alter as the home page changes. Each image holds an element of bright colour which stands out of the page as these images are reoccurring to the viewer. These images also create a pathway to navigate into the website by linking each image to the four categories displayed in the top left hand corner.
Framing and vectors have also been used in the construction of this website. There is a thick vector three quarters of the way down each home page. This breaks up each page by distinguishing the top three quarters of the page into the main message, what Urban Outfitters is advertising, and separating the last quarter into four links referring to the four categories of the Urban Outfitters website.
Framing by giving space on each side of the five homepages leaves the website clean cut.
The main viewpoint for this website would be medium close up of the photographed imagery on the focused product. Using a close up the viewer can see the image from either waist up or in some images waist down of what is being shown.
The message of this website is simply to buy Urban Outfitters products. Through the use of elements used in creating the website it is quite clear that the creators intentions have been successful. The pathways set up to navigate the viewer into the Urban Outfitters website have been successful in the sense of every detail. The next step as a viewer to the site would be to advance into viewing the rest of the website. This website is very similar to other websites of this genre of online clothing. Other websites of this kind are similar in being simple and clear cut, use of imagery of the products, colours used throughout the home page, also moving imagery was common with other sites.
“ Consumers have to be made to feel dissatisfied unless they buy a product…” This quote from Goatly (2000) p.g. 186 emphasises on the thinking into constructing a website. This especially in constructing the Urban Outfitter’s webite. The idea behind this website is to not only make the viewer feel the need to explore the website, but to make the viewer want to purchase from this website. This has been achieved on the Urban Outfitters website through changing screens which keeps the viewer interested, creating pathways to navigate the viewer past the home screen, structure of the site, fonts and headings, links, imagery, the use of colours, vectors and framing and not to mention the message behind this all, BUY FROM URBAN OUTFITTERS.
