Mel Rolle's CMS 3710 Project 2 Web Site Analysis:
Dot.Comedy.com
Typography
Dot.comedy primarily relies on print culture's emphasis of consistency. According to Horton and Lynch, “consistency gives polish to a site and encourages visitors to stay by creating an expectation about the structure of a text” (Characteristics of Type on the Web).
Thus, Dot.Comedy uses “verdana” font for the headings, subheadings, and the body of the text (See Figure 4.1). Verdana is a sans serif font “designed specifically for legibility on the computer screen” (Typefaces). The site's font reflects its purpose of entertaining the user. It also conveys the creative and original site design theme.
Figure 4.1
Dot.comedy uses Verdana font for the headings, subheadings, and the body of the text.
Katherine Green—Director of Corporate Communications (Zytex Corporation)—suggests that reversed text is the most efficient way to utilize type. Dot.comedy uses white text and a black background for headings, content, and control buttons on some of the pages. This format also reflects the site's raw and edgy theme (See Figure 4.2). However, Dot.comedy does not use white text effectively. Although, white text works well on a black background, it should not be used for chunks of information, especially if the background is not dark. Additionally, the site’s white text lacks leading and character spacing necessary for legibility.
Figure 4.2
Dot.comedy's designers use white text and a black background for headings, content, and control buttons on some of the pages.
Dot.comedy’s designers use a lot of boldface text to emphasize the bold, comedic character of the site’s content. Boldface also reflects the site's entertainment design theme because it contributes to the raw and edgy atmosphere. Horton and Lynch believe that boldface is useful because it “contrasts in weight from the body text” (Emphasis) . Specifically, subheadings are noticeable when they are set in bold.
A negative aspect of Dot.comedy’s boldface text is the lack of space between bold headings, subheadings and the main content. For example, the boldfaced headings in the “video description” sections are overlooked because they are not separated from the main content (See Figure 4.3). Horton and Lynch assert that “one of the most effective and subtle ways to vary the visual contrast and relative importance of a piece of text is to isolate it or treat it differently from the surrounding text” (Emphasis). Since Dot.comedy's boldfaced heading does not stand out in the description, the user either ignores the heading, or reads the description without remembering the significance of the heading. (See Figure 4.3)
Figure 4.3
The boldfaced heading for the video,Awkward Goodbyes, is not seperated from the videos's description.
...In Relation to Layout
Dot.comedy uses a fixed layout throughout the site that includes a margin and space to provide contrast (Legibility). Horton and Lynch argue that “margins and space can be used to delineate the main text from the other page elements” (Legibility). Margins can “provide unity throughout a site by creating a consistent structure and look to the site pages" (Legibility). Dot.comedy's margin on the right side of the html page is primarily used for NBC Universal advertisements. The margin is secondarily used to showcase videos from other sections of the site (See Figure 4.4).
Figure 4.4
Dot.comedy's margin features NBC Universal advertisements and videos from other sections of the site.
Mel Rolle
CMS 3710
Updated: 20 April 2009