Genre Analysis Report

Safwan Alhawsawi

ENG 107

Dr. Violet Anna

10/13/2021

Website genre

Introduction

Websites are a form of service, which are is provided to the public, so as to assist in improving sharing of information of within certain discourse communities. Website selection is influenced by the persuasiveness of the content of the website (Xia, S. A., 2020). As such, I choose chose to analyze the business website of an organization called West Elm based in Brooklyn, New York. for my genre . West Elm is a high-end home decor and furniture organization, which is known for modern and trendy designs. This organization is among top companies, which provide contemporary as well as simplistic modern home furnishings. The goal for this organization is to make it simple for individuals to express their personal styles at home using affordable, unique, authentic as well as responsible products; all of this , which is well achievedcan be achieved through their the website (Bhargava, R., 2018). West Elm’s website supplements the company’s print catalogue which directs the customers to their website. The website itself is a successful part of the organization’s functioning, as it is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and as well as the website strongly relates to the general style of the organizations and its production. In addition, from an advertising perspective the company is an example of good or best branding as well as adue to its consistent image; ge, from an advertising perspective. tThis is because the organization’s different marketing materials display the same design and style.Okay, here you need to tell me what are the elements/features of this website that you’ll be discussing in your essay. Comment by Chabko, Violet Anna - (wchabko): Italicize everywhere else Comment by Chabko, Violet Anna - (wchabko): This adjective has a negative connotation, you should found a diff one

Other than that, this is a great intro!

Their website is a secondary source, which supplements the catalog that they have and directs their customers to the site. However, the reason for choosing West Elm website is because it has a successful site since it is visually appealing, easy to navigate as well as the website strongly relates to the general style of the organizations and its production..

Genre analysis

Audiences Comment by Chabko, Violet Anna - (wchabko): good

The company has various or different users and audiences, who potentially visit their business website often. First, the primary audience. The organizations seem to target the upper-class and middle-class individuals, who are homeowners. This is because the majority of people that own a home are most likely to purchase home furnishings. In fact, people, who do not own a home, are less likely to make large purchases for expensive home furnishings, until they buy or become homeowners. Therefore, since the products that the company offers are kind of expensive, the primary target is upper-class and middle-class people. Second, the secondary audience includes individuals who simply browse the site, perhaps with a view to keeping up to date with the trends and knowing what is out there. These audiences can include interior designers, people looking for ideas for future decoration and home design, or perhaps competitors in the same industry. Comment by Chabko, Violet Anna - (wchabko): give an example

Their website is arranged effectively in terms of audience conveniences. For instance, the menu bar at the top in the website, presents different products categories and for each category has subcategories, which allow customers to locate desired products easily. In addition, the website can easily be searched as well as bookmarked. Comment by Chabko, Violet Anna - (wchabko): should be the same para Comment by Chabko, Violet Anna - (wchabko): need examples for these features

Organization and format

The website format is very convectional conventional and it is comparable to pottery Barn company website. However, the website has some traditional design features such as the search option for products is in the upper right corner and their logo is displayed at the upper left-hand corner. The website also has some unique and specific aspects such as providing the viewer with various or different navigation means, which is important because it not only appeals to the analytical user but also visuals. There are a lot of whites and minimal tests, making the website easier to navigate. Visuals are also important for their audience because the audience is able to see their desired products as well as how the products will transform their home or spaces. Comment by Chabko, Violet Anna - (wchabko): can be compared to other home design websites or something like this and then, you can give pottery barn as an example Comment by Chabko, Violet Anna - (wchabko): unclear – we probably need some examples here

The developers and writers Comment by Chabko, Violet Anna - (wchabko): For now, this needs to go somewhere else in the paper, it doesn’t work as a self-contained para

The website is not attributed to any development team or specific writer. This means in this genre, writing and design not the emphasis but the emphasis is on the product designs. Moreover, the audience are more concerned with the products rather than the site designer or the writer of product description thus acknowledging the writers and developers is unnecessary.

Images and visual cues

The products images have clean lines that relate to website grid structure. However, the site is a highly visual website because the customers need to view the products in order to sell buy them. Some visual cues used include bolding some subheading with grey and white type against a box that has a grey setting. Well, tThe visuals and the images draw the attention of the user or consumer into specific products due to much white spaces. For example, “Customers can rent furniture from other retailers through a Feather subscription. (Feather)” image of West Elm by (Carefoot, H., 2019). Comment by Chabko, Violet Anna - (wchabko): Example Comment by Chabko, Violet Anna - (wchabko): Okay, this is really unclear, we need to talk about this

Formality level

The company’s website is more similar to others that are within the same genre, and it is achieved through website layout that is arranged through use of tables, use of visuals that are professional and formal thus giving the site an appearance that is formal. Besides, it is important to convey a certain formality with a middle-aged audience, which will appeal to them. Comment by Chabko, Violet Anna - (wchabko): In comparison to what? Comment by Chabko, Violet Anna - (wchabko): This para needs to be built upon but it’s a good start

Contrast range

By When comparing name of the website with other websites that are within this genre, there are few differences in terms of content layout, because of audience similarity and same goal, which is selling their products. All their sites have more product pictures and less text. As such, through comparison with other sites within this genre, most of them possess and display features that are the same but a little bit different for the audience competing and due to different furnishings style. Comment by Chabko, Violet Anna - (wchabko): Unclear Comment by Chabko, Violet Anna - (wchabko): Their site is dominated by the pictures of the products instead of their descriptions. Comment by Chabko, Violet Anna - (wchabko): You need to show us other sites then.

In conclusion, by analyzing this genre, an individual is able to understand the general methods of designs that are used in this industry and how companies organize their information, methods that are used to give consumers desired information and web strategies in creating similar websites. Comment by Chabko, Violet Anna - (wchabko): I am not sure how much of this we actually saw in your analysis so far.

Reference

Bhargava, R. (2018). Looking beyond the obvious. Company Director, 34(11), 48-53.

Carefoot, H. (2019). Can’t afford that West Elm sofa? Rent it instead. The Washington post.

Xia, S. A. (2020). Genre analysis in the digital era: Developments and challenges. ESP Today, 8(1), 141-159.