I have been experimenting with the website Wix which allows you to create a website for any purpose. I have created a promotional website as part of a music campaign for the artist Sia. I have created a home page for the artist which includes pictures, access to downloads of her latest album, recent interviews and also information about upcoming performances. I created my website without looking at the official website for Sia. I will now be comparing an contrasting between the website I have created and her official website to find similarities and differences between the two.
Here is the link to the website I have created:
http://nancikelham.wix.com/nancitest
Below are some screenshots of the website I have created:
What does your
website and original website have in common?
There are some obvious similarities between the website I have
created and the official website. One of the similarities is that both website
use and black and white colour scheme which makes the artist appear mysterious
and adds to Sia’s iconic hidden look. Another similarity is that fact that both
website use the image that is featured on the new album which shows how both
websites are trying to promote Sia’s new album ‘This is Acting’. Additionally,
another similarity is that both the website I have created and the official website
use videos to promote her music and both website reference Sia’s performances
on The Ellen Show and also the incredible dancing of Maddie Ziegler. This shows
how even though I didn’t look at the official website before creating my own I
was able to use some of the same elements from the official website in my own
website using my knowledge of genre conventions, the ideology of the artist and
also some of my own creative ideas which ended up matching those of the official
website in some cases.
Do you have the same
title font? Layout? Picture design?
I did not use the same font in my website as is used on the official
website. The font I decided to use is much bolder and stronger which contrast
with the font used on the official website which is much more abstract and
dynamic. The connotations behind the arrows used in the official website
symbolise how Sia and her music are on a journey in my opinion whereas the font
I used on my website symbolises how strong Sia is and portrays her as a strong
and well known artist. The layout is quite similar in terms of the information
and videos are displayed vertically and the name of the artist is displayed prominently
at the top of the page. Similarly, the use of the social media symbols is similar
on both websites as well as the use of the different ways of downloading the
songs are similar on both website. However, there is more emphasis on the music
and there are ways of listening to the music on my website whereas in contrast
the official website places more emphasis on videos displaying Sia’s music and
interviews with Sia as well as a lot more information about upcoming tour
dates. The pictures used in each of the website as similar. The same picture is
used in both websites which is the picture used in the album artwork of Sia’s
latest album. My website uses less pictures of Sia and more of related pictures
making her appear more mysterious and hidden. However, the official website
uses more images of Sia and her image is displayed more prominently on the page
than on my website.
What is different
between your website and the original website (be specific)? Why is this?
There are many differences between the two websites as well
and this is predominantly to do with the fact that I created my website on my
own using limited technology and information, whereas in contrast there would
be many people working on Sia’s official website and this is why it looks more
professional and there is a lot more information on the official website and
the layout is a lot more advanced. One of the differences between the two
website is the fact that on my website Sia’s name is placed in the top left
corner and is placed in gold which connotes royalty and wealth. However, in contrast
on the official website Sia’s name is placed in the middle of the website at
the top and is in a less professional and important font and her name is also
written in white with arrows which connotes that she is vulnerable and the arrows
further connote that she is on a creative journey.
On my website Sia’s face does not appear until much later on
in the website which adds to her mysterious image. However, on the official website
the image of Sia’s face is one of the first thing you see as it is very prominent.
This suggest that although Sia is known for her mysterious and hidden image,
the record company has made her website so that the audience can see her face
and recognise the artist before they see anything about the music as this way
it allows the audience to recognise the artist and could suggest that they are
trying to get the audience to buy the music solely based on the fact is it made
by Sia, and not because it is good music. This ties in with Dyer’s star theory.
Another difference between the two website is that the official
website uses a lot more visuals such as photos and videos and places less
importance on informative text about the latest things that Sia has been doing.
On the other hand, my website uses a lot less pictures and videos and contains
a lot more detail and worded information. This is because the official website
has been designed much better than my website as it is appealing to the target
audience of young people and it recognises that people are unlikely to read
reams of information and instead they have made the website a lo more
interactive and visual than my website and this is because the website is for
the fans and therefore it should be intriguing, exciting and enjoyable.
Additionally, my website only contains information about one
upcoming concert which is contrasting the promotion of tonnes of upcoming concerts
used on the official website. This demonstrates how the website is used to
promote lot of upcoming events and concerts and so it is important to let the
target audience and fans know about all of the upcoming concerts at a variety
of venues as this means that the artist is a lot more available and it allows
audiences to find a concert near them which makes them more likely to buy
tickets for the concert.
Is the genre obvious
in both?
I believe that the genre is pretty clear in both of the
website. The website that I created clearly shows that Sia is a pop singer
however it also gives an indie vibe through the use of the background of a
record player and the strip at the bottom of the bridge. The official website
also makes the pop genre obvious however, it could be argued that the font used
and the use of the black background could suggest the genre of rock or punk.
Although, further down the page when there are videos of The Voice as well as
brighter colours being used and funny pictures of the iconic Sia wig being incorporated
into images does suggest that the genre is pop. Therefore the genre is obvious
in both websites.
Do you represent the
same star image? Explain.
Richard Dyer’s star theory states that there are some common
values of music stardom including youthfulness, rebellion, originality,
creativity/ talent as well as success against the odds. The term ‘star’ refers
to the semi-mythological set of meanings constructed around music performers in
order to sell the performer to a large and loyal audience. I believe that both
website represent the same star image but in different ways. In my website I
placed more focus around the music and focused less upon Sia as a person as to
coincide with her mysterious look created by the iconic wig. However, this strongly
contrasted against the extensive use of pictures and videos of Sia’s face used
on the official website as they have used visuals of Sia herself to try and
create a star image of Sia as a person and so they are placing more importance on
Sia as a person rather than her music, which juxtaposed what I used on my website.
The official website has portrayed Sia as a commodity where she has been constructed
by her record label to appeal to her target audience and this has been done through
the use of images of her and videos of her which suggest how the record label
has placed more emphasis upon Sia and less upon her music as they believe that
this will ultimately attract and appeal to their target audience. However, on
the other hand, on y website I have constructed Sia as an ideology and I have
worked upon the idea of Sia placing more importance on her music and less importance
on her appearance as this is what is suggested by her mysterious and hidden
look as she always performs with a wig and never reveals her face to an
audience. From my point of view she does this so that she can be present and
ordinary as suggested by Dyer’s star theory. However, overall it can be argued
that the two website represent different star images as my website constructs
Sia as an ideology and the official website creates her as a commodity.
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