While other people may have chosen to analyse a well-known and popular website for this assessment, I've chosen something a little closer to home. As a professional singer, Louise runs a performing business from her Auckland home. She is paid to do singing gigs at weddings, funerals, rest homes, and pretty much any other event that requires a performance. http://www.louisesings.co.nz/ is her website, through which people can book her, contact her, view photographs, read the set list of repetoire, and read feedback from previous customers. Although this site doesn't have a large following, I find that it has been made to be both professional, eye-catching, and inviting. It has been desgined to also be simple and easy to navigate, allowing for basic access to all the information a customer might want to know regarding what Louise offers. I have mainly focused on the homepage of the website, as well as looking at some of the other features of the site, and why they work to make 'louisesings' an appealing business to use for performances from a beautiful lady.
THE USE OF WORDING
The first thing, when scan reading the page, that the audience will read is the sentence 'LOUISE SINGS!'. This is not only the name of the business, but also a proclaiming statement and an introduction to the talent herself. By this first sentence that the eye is drawn to, the audience can see that there is a woman names Louise who sings, as simple as that. The exclamation mark following the two words implies excitement, and provokes interest in the 'product'. Following this, there is a larger segement of writing that is supposedly written by the talent, introducing herself and what she is offering, aswell as an invitation to browse the website when the text states: "Check out my testimonials page to see what one of the brides had to say!" This use of first person vernacular voice allows the audience to feel that they are being directly spoken to and addressed, and that the invitation to look at feedback is an outreach to them personally. This also shows that Louise has a performing history and did a superb enough job of the gig to get positive feedback that can be put up on her advertising site.
THE USE OF COLOURS AND PHOTOGRAPHS
There are two photographs on the homepage of the site- one of Louise, and one of a microphone stand on a plain background lit up by a spotlight. These photographs are shown below:
Appearance is an important aspect of perfomance, so it is crucial that any prospective customers have a chance to look at the talent that they may choose to hire. The photograpgh shows Louise dressed in a beautiful and bright, pink gown. The bright colour of the dress brings a contrast to the grey and silver theme of the background of the website. The talent is attractive and well-groomed, indicating that if she takes such great pride in her own appearance, her performance should inevitably be top of the line also. The photograph of the microphone stand reiterates the fact that she is a singer, and the spotlight indicates that she is used to being on stage and that she is willing to be on show while she performs. I feel that both of these photographs give a clear portrayal of the high standard that the talent will be at. The use of metallic colours, and flourishes of the feminine and classical pink, show professionalism and class.
THE USE OF LINKS AND TABS
In terms of navigation, clearly labelled tabs across the top of the web page make it easy to find your way around. There is a tab- 'home'- to get back to the home page. There is a tab- 'About Louise'- that will take you to a page of background information about the performer. There is a tab- 'Perfomance Details'- that takes you to the current playlist that she has songs from. And then, there are tabs for 'Media', 'Testimonials', and 'Contact & Prices'. These tabs make booking simple, and allow easy access to further information about the talent and what she offers. These links, or tabs, are found across the top of the webpage, clearly labeled and in a thin grey strip. This makes them stand out from the darker grey background, and the boldness of the font allows for them to be easily read. The links take you directly to the other areas of the webpage quickly, and the information loads as soon as you click. Under the media tab, there are also videos of her prior performances, and voice clips of her singing various songs from various events.
OVERALL EFFECT
Overall, the website is very easy to navigate, and is inviting. There is a fair and attractive representation of the signer (Louise), and her singing and performing talents. The colour scheme of the site is professional and not overdone or fussy. The dark tones in the colour scheme allow for the occasional bright colours, including in a photograph of Louise, to pop. The creator of the website ordered perfectly the information about Louise herself, and her professional resume, perfectly in order to attract the attention of prospective event runners and others who may be interested in hiring the talent for an event of their own.
