Upon arrival to the University of Maryland’s (UMD) website, the viewer is immediately immersed into a home page filled with red, white, black, and gold (the colors of the Maryland flag, which is very iconic to residents) text outlines. Within these backdrops lies ‘blocky’ text that is somewhat unattractive and outdated; selecting a font that is easier on the eyes might be something to consider for designers of this web page in the future. The current font is relatively tiny and sort of blah. One of the main focuses of University of Maryland is research. Perhaps they should put some people onto researching the best visual rhetorical methods for making a website memorable. The quality of the website does not directly reflect the quality of the institution, but unfortunately in our fast paced, short attention span, visually charged world, the first glance can determine interest.
Also, it is difficult to tell if the bright red header on the homepage is extremely tough to look at or just the result of our tired student eyes - either way, it is not very pleasant.
When the viewer clicks on one of the options provided by the drop down menus at the top of the page, for example, selecting ‘Academics’ then choosing ‘colleges and schools’, the viewer is transported to another, very bland page with stark red and white design and more tiny font. This layout does not entice the viewer/student to think, man I want to go here!
Unless the viewer is already a student, it is safe to assume that one of the primary goals of this website is to attract prospective students and their parents. For this reason, it comes as no surprise that there is a sizeable part of the home page that is solely dedicated to relaying news about UMD’s recent academic and athletic achievements and accolades. Titled ‘In the News’, this section provides links to articles such as “UMD Honored for Campus Sustainability Efforts by Sierra Magazine & Princeton Review” and “UMD Named a Top 20 Public University by U.S. News & World Report”. Although not a visually appealing part of the home page by any stretch of the imagination, the actual content provided is germane to the one of the main goals of the website itself - to attract interest in UMD from new students and their parents.
When one visits a website like the one for MSU, their main page is very image heavy. Utilizing visual rhetoric and using less text, the website draws the viewer in with pictures of campus, students doing studious things, and the gorgeous land around Bozeman. University of Maryland’s reliance on text and outdated fonts creates a feeling of being overwhelmed for the viewer. All the information displayed is both pertinent and practical, but the delivery needs to be modified significantly in order to portray the University of Maryland as a sophisticated, modern, academic institution.
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