Research: Channel 4

Before we start our brief, Ruth and I have decided to carry out some research on some current television channel websites. We already have a rough idea of our target audience - young adults. We are going to research two websites each, one which is suited to all age groups and audiences, and one suited to our target audience. I am going to be researching Channel 4 and BBC3.

LOGO

The Channel 4 logo is unusual, but to the point. It almost looks like an optical illusion, however this does not confuse the audience as it is clear it is a number '4'. The black and white colour scheme keeps it gender/age neutral and simple. It is easily recognisable to people everywhere. The use of a number rather than a word allows it to be understood and recognised by people of different languages. All these contributing aspects of the logo allow it to reach out to a larger audience as possible.

HOMEPAGE

These are two screen shots I have taken of the Channel 4 homepage. As I couldn't fit the whole homepage, I have had to take two shots to allow the whole of the page to be shown.

 The colour scheme, like the logo, is mainly black and white, although the images add colour. There are several features which are in colour; 4SEVEN, PARAMLYMPICS, Scrapbook, WATCH LIVE and the buttons to 'explore'. The use of colour for these links helps them to stand out to the audience, attracting their attention. I feel this design works well, as when I clicked on to the website, I was automatically drawn to those features, to see what they were and if they were of any interest to me. All the coloured links are either turquoise or fuschia, except the 'watch live' link which is orange. The colour scheme is very simple, and relatable to all audiences, as is Channel 4.

Along the menu bar of the webpage are the website's dominant features. The television channel related features are on the left hand side: 4SEVEN, FILM4, MORE4, E4, 4MUSIC, 4oD and PARALYMPICS, and the website features are on the right hand side, just to the left of the search bar: SIGN IN, REGISTER, WHY REGISTER and COOKIES. Being at the top of the page ensures the audience can find them easily, without having to waste time looking around the website. As 4SEVEN and PARALYMPICS are recent, new additions to Channel 4, they have highlighted this fact by using colour. The old, regular features are simply white.

Having a search bar is an extremely beneficial addition to the website, as it gives the audience easy access to find whatever they would like to look for. As with the other features, being placed in the menu bar ensures the audience always know where it is. This is a feature commonly found on most websites now, and from experience I can say this is definitely a helpful feature of a website.

There are only a total of seven images used on the Channel 4 homepage, all of which are images taken from programmes shown on the channel. This reinforces the fact this is Channel 4 only website, and also gives the audience a visual idea of what kinds of shows are available. There is one large image which takes up most of the page, and six smaller images in a row underneath the main image. All have the name of the programme shown, and the time it will be aired.

A main feature of the Channel 4 homepage is the links. Almost everything on the website is a link, from the images to the Terms and Conditions.