Fashion: Which Website Wore it Better? [Acadmeic Assignment]

With technology booming in this era online shopping has become a new phenomenon. Shoppers can find all the latest designs from all over the world just one click away. But what makes a website more appealing than going to the actual store; is it the color scheme, or the visuals that the designer gives us? The two websites that will be compared are those of Forever 21 and H & M. Both of these websites promote affordable fashion for all shapes and sizes. Their key audiences are adolescences and young adults. Catering to their audience, these sites use celebrities and other well-known musical artists to help draw more attention. While both of these stores sites promote cheap prices and good quality clothing, their ultimate goal is to make money and promote their store in a positive way.

The attraction to these sites comes from the desire to dress and look a certain way, and the way the designer placed every individual item on the website makes it easier for the costumers to find what they are looking for. When you log onto the H & M website the first thing that pops up is a huge red box that reads “Midseason Sale” and a tab underneath saying, “Find your nearest store.” Most likely the costumers will click on the sale tab and see things they like which will make them curious and start browsing the rest of the website.  This is one of the strategies the designer uses to meet the goals of the website, which is to make money and promote their store.

On the other hand, when you log onto Forever 21’s website you are greeted with a slideshow full of soft pastels and the seasons hottest looks and must haves. Although this website doesn’t welcome you with a giant red ”SALE” sign, the bright colors of each ad tend to draw costumers in. Each color the designer chose evokes a different emotion in the buyers for different reasons. For example, the color blue is used a lot on the website. When web searching color meanings in psychology, blue is said to mean trust and peace. It also “can suggest loyalty and integrity as well as conservatism and frigidity” (Color Psychology). The color indigo is said to mean “the color of intuition” as well as idealism, structure, ritualistic, and addictive (Color Psychology). And turquoise means communication and clarity of mind and also on the negative side, “impractical and idealistic” (Color Psychology). Just like the red sale sign, these distinctive shades of blue on the website causes the purchasers to feel a certain way and want to continue browsing the site.

Another noteworthy item on the Forever 21 website are the tabs at the top of the page. The tabs say things like, “New Arrivals, Beauty, Women, Men, Plus Sizes, and Sale.” Once you click on these words they give you a drop down menu of more items within that category. Having these distinctive tabs at the top of the page makes it easier for the consumers to find exactly what they are looking for without having to search for long periods of time. Likewise, the H & M website also has tabs at the top that say, “H & M Life, Ladies, Men, and Kids.” These also have drop down list of options that continue to a more thorough search of each. Unlike the Forever 21 site, when you scroll down the page on the H & M site there are nine boxes with pictures of different fashion styles. By clicking on this picture you are automatically taken to a slideshow of pictures with prices of each item. This design choice gives H & M costumers more visual options over the Forever 21 costumers.

While the H & M costumers get better visual options, they are not given a “search bar.” When reading Ensha’s New York Times article, “10 Ways to Design a Good Web Site” he states that a good website should “make sure to include a smart search box” (Ensha). He also states that a website should not have a cluttered home page, “Make sure your home page is clean and not overrun with links. The goal is to provide the reader with enough information to enter your site, not to scare them away” (Ensha). As stated above, when logging onto the H & M website you immediately see a giant red “Midseason Sale” sign. When you continue scrolling there is picture after picture. The front page seems extremely cluttered and overrun with these colors and images. However, the Forever 21 website includes a search bar in the top left corner. They also have enough information on their front page to make it interesting but not too cluttered.

On both the Forever 21 website and H & M website, the designer chose to use pictures for each clothing item. Not only did the designer just use pictures for the individual items but they also put each piece of clothing in a whole outfit. This graphic choice gives every one a chance to see what the article of clothing would look like on an every day basis. Furthering this topic, once clicking on the picture itself you can zoom in and get a better look at the singular piece. This also might make the costumer want to search for the whole outfit pictured, helping the website and store reach their ultimate goal of making money. The way the designer chose to include pictures also appeals to the audience they are trying to reach. Most women like to have visuals and being able to see an outfit in its full potential. Both websites give images that are appealing to the audience, assuming the audience is young adult and adolescent women. 

The designer also uses language to help sell/promote each product that the site is trying to sell. For example, on the H & M website they are promoting “New Looks Spring Break” on their front page. Once you click on this hyper length it takes you to another picture that says, “attitude, personality and style for all spring break destinations. Fashion kudos guaranteed!” The way these words are used conjures up emotions in the buyer making them want to look more into the products they are selling. Forever 21 does this throughout their website as well.

Both the Forever 21 and H & M website do an excellent job of promoting their stores through their sites. They are colorful and full of the latest women’s fashion. H & M appears to do a better job of showing off their clothes in a way that women will want to buy them, with detailed imagery and zoom lenses. The H & M site also tends to look more cluttered and overwhelming from the front page. Forever 21’s site is easier to access and more organized with a search bar and straightforward tabs at the top of the page. Both websites serve their purpose by informing women about their stores latest fashions and sales. The websites and stores are alike in many ways, especially in the clothing styles they carry. One site is obviously cheaper than the other and when sticking to a budget while maintaining a cute and sophisticated look, Forever 21 is the better site.

Works Cited

Ensha, Azadeh. "10 Ways to Design a Good Web Site - NYTimes.com." Weblog post. Electronics and Gadgets - Gadgetwise Blog - NYTimes.com. New York Times, 1 May 2009. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. <http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/01/10-ways-to-design-a-good-web-site/>.

"Forever 21 - Shop Fashionable Clothing for Women, Plus, Girls, Men." Forever 21 - Shop Fashionable Clothing for Women, Plus, Girls, Men. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2013.

"H&M | H&M US." H&M | H&M US. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2013.

"Understanding the Meaning of Colors in Color Psychology." Meaning of Color in Color Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2013.