Research: Website Design and Branding: HAYNES FORD MAIDSTONE

The first thing I've already noticed when looking at the front page of the HAYNES FORD website is the wildly different use of colour from that of the TESLA website. Instead of the industrial feel of the Tesla website, Ford goes for a brighter palette with different shades of bright blue and white across the page. This kind of design also reflects on the style and colour of racing cars and stadiums, giving an overall feel that appears more interested in promoting the motoring side of car dealership.

Upon looking at the different types of cars and how they are laid out, I have found that, although the display of their products is laid out in a similar sort of way to the Tesla website, there is far more variation. each car is of a different shape depending on what type of car they are as well as all showing varied colours. The colour palette on the advertising is much more eye-catching and bright compared to the dull muted colours of the Tesla cars that were on show. This makes the advertised vehicle more likely to draw the customers eye.

In terms of branding, the Ford logo is almost immediately noticeable as it is placed near the centre of the screen with a telephone number and another Ford-related advertisement next to it. The Haynes logo is also visible hovering above the Ford logo. This would suggest that Ford and Haynes are proud of their namesake (being a well-known company for several decades) and appear to put their name forward as a hopeful indication of reliability. It is also worthy to note that despite whichever page you click on, the same logos and advertisements stay at the top of every page.

Using this more bold type of design for our own TV news report might be a better option to draw the viewer's eye. However, this shouldn't be so much that the viewer is distracted from the other elements appearing on screen. The Tesla design certainly reflects more on the futuristic aspect of the subject matter of the electric car (something that Haynes Ford is also trying to advertise, though it is not at the forefront like it is with Tesla). I feel that we would need to make a compromise between both stylistic design choices to reflect on both the motoring as well as the futuristic aspects of our own news show.