Visual & Graphical Elements of the Baderman Island Website Analysis

We selected the Baderman Island website as the focus for our team project. We felt the website had a number of photos and graphics that had some complexity to them. This provided a wealth of images for much discussion and analysis. Although the website does well in some areas to convey the beauty and atmosphere of Baderman Island, it also falls short in other areas and fails to show consistency. This paper will examine the use of colors, photographs, graphics and text and image composition with a particular emphasis on the subject of composition; we will provide analysis of these areas and provide recommendations for improvements.

Use of Color

Generally, the website for Baderman Island relies on key colors to convey a certain mood. These colors are blue, green, purple and brown set against the dark gray side banner. These varying tones and hues of these colors provoke a sense of royalty, freedom, luxury, and serenity. Although these colors are shown throughout parts of the website, there is some inconsistency in the use of colors some opportunity for improvement. On the other hand, certain pages on the site use colors sensibly and appropriately to communicate all that Baderman Island has to offer.

Instances in which color is not used to its potential can be seen on the home page, hotel reservation page, history page and transportation page. On the home page, the colors of the lobby do not mesh with the refreshing blues of the rest of the page. The photo of the lobby is too dark which causes detail to be lost. The lobby appears to be rich and beautiful but the poor levels of light fail to relay this impression. Better exposure and lighting of the lobby would greatly enhance this photo and would blend better with the colors of the page. On the hotel reservation page, the color of the sky seems unrealistic and detracts from the white building. The lighting seems to wash out some of the detail of the white building. The photo could be improved upon with a more realistic, pleasing sky. On the other hand, the photo of the hotel room is very clean, sharp and serene and seems to mesh well with the colors used in the page design. The black and white photos of the history page work well to convey a sense of times past. The images could be improved upon with betting lighting and without the grainy effect. The image of the couple on the history page uses soft colors to provoke a natural, serene mood. Although a pleasing on its own, it appears too bright when compared with the darker tones of the other two photos. A more even tone of colors among the three images would improve the look of the banner.

On some areas of the Baderman Island website, there is a shift to colors that may be more attractive to a child than to an adult. The fairway tour of golf page, weather forecast and virtual tour pages use bright, playful colors that are a bit amateurish compared to the rich, elegant mature colors used in other parts of the website. These pages can be improved upon by using colors that are consistent with rest of the website that is the blues, purples and greens. This would allow the pages would flow together in a cohesive way.

Several pages of the Baderman website provide good examples of colors that work well together and that use the key colors. The photos and colors of the spa page give a sense of calmness and purity. The purple butterfly, although very simple, is a nice touch and compliments the purple theme throughout the website, such as the purple text of “Baderman Island” which is on every page. On the visitor center page, the pleasant blues on the couple compliments the blue, white and green of the Meredith Visitor Center photo. The colors on this page blend well and are flattering against one another although a better background of the couple in the banner would greatly improve the page.

The Use of Photographs

The Baderman Island website does not make effective use of photos throughout the site. In some cases, the site has used images to depict the serene, luxurious, and fun atmosphere that they are selling, but this usage is not consistent through the site. In addition, the photos appear to have been selected from a limited set of photographs, rather than from actual snapshots of the Baderman Island property. The beauty of the island should capture the viewers and draw them into the site.

Some basic techniques in the photographs do not adequately measure up to professional standards. Some of the photos tend to be distracting and do not show a quality representation of Baderman Island. In addition, some of the collages of images do not transition well from one to another. For example, the banner on the Visitor Island page seems to be lacking something. Although this is a nice photo of the couple, the background with the dark lines is distracting. Given the luxurious nature of the island, the designer could have used a simpler, more elegant background. Another example is the banner on the transportation page. In this case, the three photos meshed together are distracting and busy, making it too difficult to the eye to focus on what is going on.

On the positive side, some photographs do work well. The photos on the Spa page and the Gardens page are simple, yet convey serenity. It makes the viewer want to jump into the page and be there. Moreover, the photo of the room on the Accommodation page is clean and crisp, and once again offers appeal to the viewer. There are areas where drop shadows and stylized corners look wonderful and add interest and appeal. The integration of more relevant photos could carry that appeal even further.

There are areas where the photos could really hit the viewer, but end up as just average. In today's competition, average will not attract viewers to choose the island over other destinations. In order for the site to be more effective, it is necessary to use photos of a higher quality and, preferably, be actual pictures of the island. At the very least, the designer should have chosen close approximations from a high-quality stock photo source.

Use of Graphics and Text

The authors were satisfied with the overall appeal of the use of graphics and text across the entire site. In particular, the text, font and the Baderman Island logo, found on nearly every page, provides a sense of richness and elegance. In addition, the team found the fleur-de-lis graphic that is interspersed throughout the site to add a touch of elegance to the site. Further observations determined that the Baderman Island website uses a sophisticated palate of colors and graphics to create the feeling of a luxury getaway location. By using elements such as stylized swirls and subtle purples and blues, the designers