While reading Baudrillard’s essays, I began to get a sense that the difference between the realities that advertising presented is very different from the actual. Every day the American public is bombarded by advertisements the proclaim they have the answer to make life; easier, faster, bigger and well just better but those common promises fail most of the time. Baudrillard called this fake reality a type of hyper-reality; this reality is an exacerbated view of what is really there. In one of his essays, Baudrillard found that the public pursues this hyper reality in order to get away from the truth, he used families that go to resorts like Disneyland as an example.
Like I said above, advertisements commonly offer promises that they cannot keep. For example, AXE body spray portray an image to a young male that if they wear their product females will be all over them almost to the point that it will just seem natural. This is far from the truth, I have tried AXE and not once have I got jumped on by a hoard of excited girls. Instead of thinking the cologne developed by AXE is no different from any other; males have this idea that it will help them become the quintessential “Chick magnet”. Now this saying, our society always is looking for that one product that could change our life forever. This search is an example of Baudrillard’s idea of hyper-reality at work and it doesn’t just stop here. This idea is used throughout the advertising industry.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Looking at the NFL .com layout
For years I have been an avid NFL fan, particularly the Green Bay Packers. When the assignment came to look at a general design of a website NFL.com came to mind. NFL.com helps to basically present all of the upcoming news throughout the league which means I find myself visiting daily. After reviewing each concept design I found that the homepage consisted of both an “ideal to real” theme while also having much of the tree design too.
The “idea to real” layout goes from top most general to lower. This layout is predominantly a top down structure which means that the most important information (i.e. breaking news) is very close to top of the website. NFL’s website starts off with the general logo placement and tabs but then goes directly into a box that runs through all of the late breaking news. This is then followed by more of the general information that may not be as current.
Another design that I found in NFL’s website was the idea of the tree design. Much like the “Ideal to Real” structure it is built off the top-down structure. This is structural design in seen on the page again by the logo being on top and then breaking down into other subjects. Unlike the “ideal to real”, the tree design allows the website to go to general to more area oriented material. The website starts out with current and then branches off into subjects like analyze/opinion pieces and video. This allows the viewer to pick their selection for more of what they are looking for.
To summarize, it was interesting to see that NFL’s website presented two different designs. By having both structural ideas on the website it allows different types of audience’s direct access to their favorite material.
The “idea to real” layout goes from top most general to lower. This layout is predominantly a top down structure which means that the most important information (i.e. breaking news) is very close to top of the website. NFL’s website starts off with the general logo placement and tabs but then goes directly into a box that runs through all of the late breaking news. This is then followed by more of the general information that may not be as current.
Another design that I found in NFL’s website was the idea of the tree design. Much like the “Ideal to Real” structure it is built off the top-down structure. This is structural design in seen on the page again by the logo being on top and then breaking down into other subjects. Unlike the “ideal to real”, the tree design allows the website to go to general to more area oriented material. The website starts out with current and then branches off into subjects like analyze/opinion pieces and video. This allows the viewer to pick their selection for more of what they are looking for.
To summarize, it was interesting to see that NFL’s website presented two different designs. By having both structural ideas on the website it allows different types of audience’s direct access to their favorite material.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Web site analysis
After looking at a few Web sites, I decided that NBC’s specific Web site for their show “The Office” would be an interesting one to analyze.
Like most Web sites I looked at, the Web site for “The Office” has an ideal and real type of construction. At the very top of the page NBC has specific links for their general Web site, and beneath that there is a row of links to click on specifically for “The Office.” However, after this the Web site’s structure becomes more of a network. The page is meant to look as though the viewer is looking at a bulletin board, and there are a lot of random items posted on this board.
Games, trivia, tweets from the stars and a link to an apparel store all randomly appear on this Web site. While for the most part the page is random, it does somewhat follow the given and new format. The left-hand side contains the categories “latest videos” and “latest episode,” which are both categories that a majority of people who enter the Web site link to. This is given information, or information within categories that viewers are familiar with, while other categories such as games and tweets are likely new to people who don’t visit the Web site often.
While the network construction of the Web site is a little messy, I believe that it fits the theme of the site. The page is supposed to look like a bulletin board someone would see in an office, and bulletin boards are not usually organized. Also, “The Office” is a fun show, and the lack of order and types of categories (games, trivia) make the Web site more fun and interactive. Despite the disarrayed look, the Web site is still pleasing to the eye. The information is not too cluttered; the designers used an adequate amount of white space. Overall, the design of the Web site fits its purpose as a fun page for fans of the show.
Like most Web sites I looked at, the Web site for “The Office” has an ideal and real type of construction. At the very top of the page NBC has specific links for their general Web site, and beneath that there is a row of links to click on specifically for “The Office.” However, after this the Web site’s structure becomes more of a network. The page is meant to look as though the viewer is looking at a bulletin board, and there are a lot of random items posted on this board.
Games, trivia, tweets from the stars and a link to an apparel store all randomly appear on this Web site. While for the most part the page is random, it does somewhat follow the given and new format. The left-hand side contains the categories “latest videos” and “latest episode,” which are both categories that a majority of people who enter the Web site link to. This is given information, or information within categories that viewers are familiar with, while other categories such as games and tweets are likely new to people who don’t visit the Web site often.
While the network construction of the Web site is a little messy, I believe that it fits the theme of the site. The page is supposed to look like a bulletin board someone would see in an office, and bulletin boards are not usually organized. Also, “The Office” is a fun show, and the lack of order and types of categories (games, trivia) make the Web site more fun and interactive. Despite the disarrayed look, the Web site is still pleasing to the eye. The information is not too cluttered; the designers used an adequate amount of white space. Overall, the design of the Web site fits its purpose as a fun page for fans of the show.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Website Elements
I looked at a few websites, and finally landed on the National Geographic Website. I would say that there is a tree type of element, however there is also a top-down structure that is evident. The tree element comes into play when the title "National Geographic" is at the top of the page in the left corner, but very present. As your eye moves to the next line on the web page, you see the tool bar, which have links you can click on that take you to the various subject headings found on the website. The information is broken down on the main page, with smaller headings such as "Editor's Pick" and "Featured Videos."
In addition to the tree format, as your eyes move down the page, you go up-down, however in most of the lines, there are headings that go across the page in an almost given and new format, displaying the left-right design elements. Being that it is a news-related website, the news is always changing which means that it is hard to display old with the new. The content is always changing while the format stays the same and the titles never change on the top of the page. There is always a big video slide show playing when you open the website, causing your eyes to look there first and maybe find more stories that are of interest to them.
There is a smaller side bar that seems less important only because the pictures and words are smaller than the rest of the section headings mentioned in the middle and the column to the right once you get a little further down.
I think this is a good use of design elements. It is almost as if you're reading an actual newspaper, maybe not so much a magazine, which National Geographic actually is in print. There are links to the stories under the different headings that will help you to navigate exactly what you want to read and where you want to go. You can go back after entering a link fairly easy, making the design user-friendly. It is also appealing with the yellow markers in front of the subject headings so you know what they are in a simple way that doesn't involved bolding them.
In addition to the tree format, as your eyes move down the page, you go up-down, however in most of the lines, there are headings that go across the page in an almost given and new format, displaying the left-right design elements. Being that it is a news-related website, the news is always changing which means that it is hard to display old with the new. The content is always changing while the format stays the same and the titles never change on the top of the page. There is always a big video slide show playing when you open the website, causing your eyes to look there first and maybe find more stories that are of interest to them.
There is a smaller side bar that seems less important only because the pictures and words are smaller than the rest of the section headings mentioned in the middle and the column to the right once you get a little further down.
I think this is a good use of design elements. It is almost as if you're reading an actual newspaper, maybe not so much a magazine, which National Geographic actually is in print. There are links to the stories under the different headings that will help you to navigate exactly what you want to read and where you want to go. You can go back after entering a link fairly easy, making the design user-friendly. It is also appealing with the yellow markers in front of the subject headings so you know what they are in a simple way that doesn't involved bolding them.
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