Oblig. 1

Multimodal Analysis

Introduction

This assignment will be a multimodal analysis of the homepage of Norwegian political Venstre(http://www.venstre.no). Multimodality is “the use of several semiotic modes in the design of a semotic product or event, together with the particular way in which these modes are combined”(Kress&Van Leeuwen, 2001:20). As the internet expands, it opens for use of different modes to be combined, such as video, sound, colour and text. These modes can be in reference to each other, or have their provenance from other cultures, social groups etc(Ibid:20-23). Colour can act as part of the discourse in the sense that it can carry semiotic meaning, as when a specific colour offers association with other materials or cultural aspects, among other things(Ibid:25-27). This assignment will try to describe how different modes interact with the user of Venstre’s homepage. The first thing which will be described is how the page it self is set up.

Venstre.no

Venstre.no is an example of a webpage which uses different modes of expression. It has a light green background colour, and as the page appears, there is an animation of their logo in the main horizontal frame. There are also four pictures with text in this frame, which are links to the party’s four main causes. On the right vertical frame, there are links to different information, such as how to become a member, a news archive, contact information and a video part of the page. The latest news from the archive is also displayed on the main page, under a part where different quotes from prominent party members are displayed. These quotes also reflect the four main causes on the top of the page. The right part of the page consists of four parts, with a vote section, a search function, local news from Venstre and a blog section, which links to about 40 different blogs from members of Venstre. The green colour is prominent throughout the page, although it shifts in tone. The absolute top of the page consists of a grey line with green small links to different parts, such as the member-only parts of the page, an English version of the site and a map of the entire page.

Navigation

The navigation on Venstre’s homepage is pretty simple to follow, though there are a lot of different topics on the front page. The different sections of the front page are divided by headings and marked with the same colour. The user can easily go back to the front page by clicking the logo in the left corner, and the left-, top- and far-right frame follows the user throughout the site. The top frame with the animated logo and the four pictures are also sort of essential to the site.

Pictures

The four pictures with their main causes is what hits you when you look at the page. The pictures reflect the text included in the link, such as the picture of a hand holding the planet earth, with the text “Miljø” over it. This is sort of a metaphor for the fact that we all have the ability to change the environment, and at the same time that Venstre takes the environmental changes seriously. The picture of a child holding his head in his hands with the text “Sosialt ansvar” reflects Venstre’s support for the weaker side of society, such as children and poor people. The picture of the school girl with her hand raised, with the text “Skole”, shows how Venstre is concerned about the education system in Norway. The red apple on her desk is also a metaphor, in the sense that she is a good student, and that is what Venstre wants.

By using the mode of pictures which relate to the text, the user gets a clearer idea about Venstre’s political stands, and their four main causes stand out on the page in a more prominent way than if it just had been words there. The placement of the animation is probably no coincidence, as it gets the users attention by being the only animation on the page, and the pictures are right beside the animation. There are also pictures to illustrate the different news articles they have on their site.

Colour

The colour green normally connotates nature, harmony and safety, among other things(http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html). In relation to the other modes of the page, it relates to one of their main causes, the environment, among other tings. Green is also associated with social liberalism, which is Venstre’s political ideology. The colour has been used by Venstre since they where formed in 1884.

Video

There is a video section of the website, which contains an archive of different Venstre-related videos, produced both internally and externally. Here the user gets a chance to se how Venstre is represented in this medium, as well as their internally produced videos.

Conclusion

A political website is meant to capture the attention of many different types of viewers. In some ways, it should try to enlist new members, and it should present the party’s main causes and opinions for the users. People who agree or disagree and people who are just curios should be taken into consideration when constructing these types of pages. In other words, there have to be a lot of information on these pages, but it also has to present the different topics in short, and navigation should be simple. On Venstre’s site this is done partly with the four pictures, symbolizing their four main causes, as the user gets a brief introduction to Venstre’s politics just by looking at these pictures. The navigation is fairly simple, though there is a lot of information on the front page, and the colour is consistent. Pictures are being utilized to illustrate the different articles, and the video part of the site offers a variety of different videos.

References

- Color Wheel Pro: Color Meaning http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html (Last checked: 19.02.2008).

- Kress, Gunther & Theo Van Leeuwen(2001): Multimodal discourse, Hodder Arnold, London.