The Villager website is an online publication that gives thought provoking information about Stevenson University students, faculty, facilities, goings on such as sports and sales in the bookstore, and general information that the authors of the site feel the student body would benefit from knowing. In this rhetorical analysis of Stevenson University’s website, The Villager certain evaluations of modes of communication, affordances that these modes encourage the viewer to have and explore, design choices such as color, font, and design layout will be evaluated. Through the different types of stylistic choices that The Villager uses in its publication it achieves a purpose of informational writing that can be marketed to a group of college students.
The home page of The Villager introduces the viewer to the site by using a moving video containing graphics that give information that is covered in depth if one should decide to click on the image. Additionally, the home page includes a short summary of what the viewer may find on each page of the website if they should decide to visit that page. Pictures that describe the information that can be found on each page are located next to the title of the page. The home page uses the linguistic mode when using text to describe and announce what is happening in each area of the pages offered on the site. The linguistics help provide the reader with information on the topics that they may be interested in learning more about when they visit the site. The visual mode on the home page can be found in the different colors, layout, style, size of words and pictures on the page, perspective, and framing (the way the author sets up the visual so that the viewer will see the visual from the desired perspective of the author).
Specifically, the visual mode is used through the background colors of green and black that are used throughout the website and are featured in the homepage. The layout and style of the website lend themselves to a sleek design that features a balance of white space and a photo so as to give the viewer a break in between viewing and reading of the words and pictures. The size of the words on the page draw the viewers eye to different words that describe the featured content. Colors of the site are also important to note, although the majority of the site lends itself to the black and white of academic writing, there is some green print such as the title that gives the website a distinction. The bold print is used to write the names of titles and thus gives the title some separation from the caption. The perspective of the site, the home page in particular, is designed to be informative in nature. The site is set up to give informative pieces about the college itself and the importance of the activities that are going on around it. The text and pictures are framed in a way that adds separation between pieces. There are thick black lines that separate topics/articles from one another. The spatial mode is also used on the homepage of the site. The pictures are spaced equally apart in a way that gives balance to the publication. The white space is used in such a way that it allows the viewer to have a break in between information. As a result, one may assert that this increases the understanding of the reader because it allows for a short break between processing information.
The site continues to mimic the theme that is set up on the home page. However, pages such as Op/Ed have some differences that are worth mentioning. The visual and linguistic modes are present on this page. On this page the font is strictly black and bold. It is separated into different pieces through the use of black lines on the page. Pictures of people are used on this page as well. Upon further examination of the people on the page and the articles they have written one can surmise that these pictures are of the authors that have written the pieces on the page. This gives the viewer a face to put to the linguistics and an opportunity to reflect on the person and the opinion of said person. This page is also done in an academic, informative style that lends a hand to the college audience that is being sought after.
Due to the use of certain modes in the publication, there are certain affordances that have been made as a result. Some affordances of the visual modes used on the site are as follows: the black and white text choice allows the reader to focus on what is being said, it gives the viewer the distinction that the site is serious and there is work and important issues being discussed. The green font of the title is positive because it makes the distinction between the body of the site and the sites name. Therefore, whenever the viewer is wondering what site they have wondered onto, or forgets the name of the publication they have been browsing, one can simply look to the top left corner and see the title that has been distinguished from the other words and pictures on the site. It has been given a place of honor in the fact that spatially it is located on the top left hand corner of each page of the site. This location further distinguishes it to the viewer as being important and noteworthy. Another affordance given to the visual mode is that of the black lines that are used to divide works on pages. This is a strength of the author because it allows for the articles to easily be distinguished from one another. It adds ease of reading to the site and thus offers it to the viewer.
Another affordance is the layout of the site. The easy layout gives the viewer ease of access when navigating the site. Linguistically there are a few affordances that can also be noted. The language choice that is used is literate, however it is easy to understand. It is not the elevated language that is requested in academic papers. Therefore, people that are not enrolled in Stevenson University, or those who do not have a highly educated background need not worry because they will still be able to understand what is written. Another affordance of the linguistic mode is that the grammar used in the pieces of writing is accurate. The site boasts grammatically correct pieces that are easy to understand for this reason.
The website The Villager is a publication that uses many modes of communication. These modes include visual, linguistic, and spatial. The affordances of these modes are positive in that the modes allow the viewer ease of access and understanding when viewing the site. Ultimately, the publication is seen as being a product of the academic community because of the font choice, style, layout, and colors that the collaborators of the site choose to use. As a result, the website is easy to understand if one is part of the Stevenson community. Surprisingly, upon further evaluation it can be said that the site is informative and direct enough that those who are not part of the Stevenson community could understand it with ease.
References
Stevenson University . (2020). Home. Retrieved from The Villager Stevenson University : https://stevensonvillager.com/