Website Rethorical Analysis-Nike.com
Introduction
Now at days almost every person, company, or school has a web page which was created with a purpose. For example, FaceBook.com is a page with the purpose of communication, WalMart.com to advertise and sell their products, and Dictionary.com to provide information and the definition of words. All web pages’ goal is to attract the public and make them visit the page therefore when creating a website, there are more things to consider than just the purpose of it to make it more attractive to the human eye. For example, the layout of the page, the font of the letters, the images posted, and the information given make a difference on whether a person wants to visit the page or not and actually buy products from that specific company or not. All these things form part of the logos, pathos, and ethos of a page. Marianna Ponce, Victoria Astorga, and I analyzed the logos, pathos, and ethos of Nike.com to see how the web page was created to make it more attractive to the human eye.
LogosVictoria Astorga analyzed the logos of Nike.com. The first thing she noticed was that the organization was done very well. For example everything has its own main category and it is very easy for anyone to find and use. Some of these categories are women, men, kids, customize, gift cards, and gifts. Within these categories, there are sub pages that are well organized too. Each sub page has its own sections of products such as clothing, shoes, and gear so that people can look deeper into what they are trying to search for. Nike.com has a layout differ from other sports store’s pages which helps it have an easier navigation throughout the page. For example, the layout of the page is designed so that when the cursor of the mouse passes through the category desired, a list is opened up letting the visitor see the entire thing that he or she can choose from. She also noticed that it also provides facts and stories about athletes such as NFL teams and their team’s logo to attract more people into buying their products. It also contains statistics about their products and sells. Since Nike is a sports site, it provides quotes mostly from athletes themselves or experts in sports. For example, on the page there is a quote from the tennis player Selena Williams and when clicked on it, it takes you to another page with information about Selena Williams. The logos of the page also include the reasoning and consistency of the site. The site has a very good consistency on each page since everything is located in the right section and products are not placed all around the site and the layout of the page is the same throughout the different linked pages. The reasoning behind the page is plain and simple, sports. With these reasoning, the message Nike wants to give the public is to stay active and involved, to do things others haven’t, and of course have fun with sports. The logos of a web page involves so much, from the layout of the page to the message and reasoning of the page, that it is a big factor in creating a site.
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PathosMarianna Ponce analyzed the pathos of Nike.com. She emphasizes that the use of a white background is to make the page look simple and clean. With this white background, the bright colors of the shoes help them be very eye catching and the clothing merchandise to appear more pleasing to the eye. The font of the letters used is also a very important thing to consider within pathos. Nike uses a medium size letter with a sporty font which makes it be straight and simple. Sound used in the site is mostly recordings of athletes and their experience and sports music. Marianna also noticed all the different photographs of athletes used by Nike to advertise their products. Characteristics of these photographs are that the people and the background are in a black, white, and grey scale while the merchandise has more color to make it stand out. Obviously, the people in these photographs are physically strong looking people and athletes in order to get people to buy their products and creating a feeling of an athlete. The site also uses quotes and phrases to have an emotional impact on the visitor. For example, “Gear up for greatness (Nike.com, 2012)” gives the audience an emotion of having the ability to be strong and to reach their goals. Also, something as simple as “Top Picks (Nike.com, 2012)” which is located in every linked page makes the shopper feel confident about the products and comfortable with their purchase. Pathos, as well as logos is something important to consider in the process of making a page since it has a big impact of the viewer.
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EthosI, Ana, analyzed the ethos part of Nike.com. Nike has very good reliable information. At the bottom of each page in an easy access, Nike provides their stores location, their contact information, and information about the page, the founders, and sponsors. With these, the web page gains credibility and the customer feel good about the page he or she is visiting. The web page is also updated constantly so that the viewers know that their products are up to date and their stories of athletes and teams are recent and reliable. Also, it provides with the latest sales on accessories. Nike.com gains credibility on the page and products by using pictures of football players to let NFL fans know that they have different teams’ jerseys and accessories that their NFL idols use. Also, by using the Jordan logo on shoes and shirts they attract basketball fans. Using pictures of Athletes wearing Nike products, such as Selena Williams, rises the reputation of Nike products by demonstrating that even the best athletes use those products. Nike.com also uses quotes and stories such as “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world (Nike.com, 2012)” to gain credibility and the reputation that they have confidence in its products and that these will allow people to perform at their best. And well of course, the site has proper grammar in everything.
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Summary
As you can see, creating a page involves a lot of factors such as the logos, pathos, and ethos. My teammates and I learned a lot by analyzing these three factors of just a simple sports page such as Nike.com. We learned how the layout of a page is used, the colors, the different fonts, the pictures to advertise, and all the information of the page itself given by the company. Marianna, Victoria, and I decided to be on the same group again since from the last group project we got along really good and we managed to work well with each other and create a good presentation. We decided to analyze the web page Nike.com because it was something we all had in common with since Victoria likes to shop there, Marianna likes their products, and I am an athlete myself that uses Nike products. We did not have big issues coming up with the final presentation since we decided to split the three different parts among the three of us, each one taking one part, and working on it at home by ourselves. At the end, when they were done with their part, they emailed me their portion of the presentation and I just put it up all together in a PowerPoint presentation. For the actual presentation, each one of us presented their own part and it was a success. We also communicated with each other by text messages and agreed to wear Nike products such as a shirt or a jacket for the presentation. At the end, we came up with a good final project and presentation.