Project One: Identifying Communication Design
Ineffective Design:
The Zara website is an example of ineffective communication design. Although the site states that there are four articles of clothing per row, there are often three or even two due to the unique layout Zara chooses to present their clothing in, and oftentimes one photo can take up two rows of space. The website often emphasizes certain articles of clothing, going so far as to have multiple links to the clothing info page. In this case, the ‘Jacquard Coat with Fringe’ has appeared three times as three separate links.
When the viewer first enters the site, the first three tabs that appear on the left-hand side are ‘Sale’, ‘New Collection’, and ‘Join Life’. The ‘New Collection’ tab is misleading and makes it inconvenient for the viewer to find Zara’s normal priced selection of clothing, as one would have to select the ‘New Collection’ tab in order to get there.
Effective Design:
The Starbucks menu is an example of effective communication design. The contrast between the black background and the white text allows the viewer to easily browse through the menu and choose their drink of choice. The different drink options are bolded and have lines beside them, drawing the viewer’s eyes to them and allowing people to easily decide what type of drink they would like to order. The prices and calories of each drink are also conveniently arranged into a grid format, allowing people to compare prices between different drinks of the same sizes, or the difference in calories between different drinks of the same sizes. Although the ‘Calories’ and size text could be a little bigger, I believe the menu has a very cohesive design.
