Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
luxemosphere:
senses, mood, ambience, emotions, sensations, desires, feel-
ings, atmosphere, character, interaction, impression
and
experience
.
•
Visuals
•
Scent
•
Flavor
•
Sound
•
Movement
Visuals
The visual luxemospheric element is linked to the human sense of sight.
As we know, sight is one of the most important senses that attract and steer
consumers towards a brand. In the physical store, sight may be maneu-
vered through colors, shapes, displays and layouts to create the desired store
effects. This is more challenging to achieve online, particularly on a web-
site that has an integrated e-boutique. To ensure a strong visual impact on a
website, similar elements in the physical store should be applied in a modi-
fied manner tailored to the peculiarities and requirements of the Internet. The
core luxemospheric visual aids are images, colors, text, graphics and shapes,
and the aspects of the website that require the highest attention in terms of
visuals are the welcome page, the homepage, design concept and the display
of the visual elements.
Images
are one of a brand's strongest visual essentials and their influence can-
not be underestimated. They validate a brand's personality, its signature, its
style and render its products or services visible and valuable. Images are one
of the visual elements in the luxemospherics mix whose influence may be felt
without direct dependence on the other sensory elements on a website. Images
render support to other sensory elements like sound and movement which
form part of the online brand experience and are inseparable from the memo-
ries, knowledge and emotions a person links to the brand during and after the
website visit. It may seem obvious to say this but images on a website ought
to be in high resolution and presented in such a way that the message is under-
stood and the brand well represented. Images of products featuring text on the
product or on the packaging should also be sharp enough to be legible and
viewing options should be provided where possible. For example, the skincare
and cosmetics section of Chanel.com has a low visual impact as a result of
the low quality of the images displayed. This is particularly critical for brands
in the beauty and fragrance categories as these products are susceptible to
scrutiny by consumers and they expect to be able to read the text on products.
Appropriate images such as product photos, store interiors, advertisements and
other visuals should be suitably placed on different web pages and these must
be updated accordingly. In addition, the use of images rather than text in the
placeholder of navigational menus ought to be a strategic choice.
Colors
, when appropriately used, provide a powerful first impression and
validate a brand's visual identity and signature. For example, it is natural to
