A Comparative Analysis of Jamieoliver.com and Nigella.com

Abstract

The form, structure and aesthetics of a website, can impact whether it is perceived as successful or not. This report comparatively analyses jamieoliver.com and nigella.com, with regards to the utilisation of typography, imagery, colour and layout. Research was gathered through a multi-method approach, which involved studying theorists’ concepts about these particular design elements and also an exploration of rhetorical and technical design.  Furthermore, both websites were evaluated using an existing framework, in order to draw conclusions from a personal perspective. The findings first analyse how typography has been used for titles, page tabs and bulk text. Secondly, it discusses the effectiveness of imagery in relation to photography, advertisements and logos. Additionally, a rhetorical analysis of colour scheme is discussed, along with the application of colour for interactive and navigational features. Finally, in terms of layout, how the websites use ‘white space’, scale and position are also considered.  The conclusions confirm that both websites have positive and negative aspects, nevertheless on the whole, they are relatively successful. Parallels are drawn with regards to layout and typography, however imagery is visually more appealing on jamieoliver.com and colour is more considered on nigella.com.