Introduction
The rapid growth of information technologies has enabled many businesses to boost their development, improve public image and attract new customers. This paper aims to discuss the use of multimedia elements in the website of such a company as the Maya Hotel that has recently faced a necessity to go online. In particular, it is necessary to explain how the textual, audio, and graphical messages should look like and how they should communicate the main idea to the audience. We also need to illustrate the very process of design and justify the choice of software and file format. Overall, we can argue that in recent years, more and more enterprises give preference to multimedia when they tailor their marketing messages. The thing is that this approach intensifies the effect of the message on the potential client by reaching him/her through several sensory channels at a time (Millard Brown, 2008). Thus, we need to demonstrate how this goal can be attained. In addition, we need to discuss those technical aspects that should be taken into consideration before the creation of multimedia communications.
The use of multimedia elements
Text
The text element usually constitutes the most informative part of a multimedia message. Therefore, it is vital to ensure that this element can be easily found, understood, and memorized. One of the examples, which we can draw, is the hotels logo. The text, itself is placed against a brown and slightly dark background, which helps to make the message more distinctive. Furthermore, the title of the institution is made a bit larger than the other parts of the text; moreover, it is italicized. Overall, the title is sufficiently conspicuous and memorable. Please refer to picture 1 to see to get a better idea of this multimedia element:
The combination of yellow and pink colors helps to draw the viewers attention to the name of the hotel. Different shades of brown are supposed to produce a relaxing effect on the would-be customer. The use of the italic font is also intended to bring out the title of the institution. These techniques make the picture memorable and unobtrusive at the same time.
At this point, we need to discuss the intended impact of the text element. It emphasizes the idea that the Maya Hotel is the place, where people can find comfort, calm, and relaxation, especially the phrase “feels like home”. It aims to appeal to such sentiment as an aspiration for privacy, serenity, and peace. Nonetheless, the text is not the only means of attracting potential clients.
This logo was created in Adobe Flash and stored in SWF format. This software solution has been chosen as the major tool because it enables to combine the text, graphics, and animation. As regards SWF (Shockwave Flash) format, we can say that it occupies very little space on the hard disk, and is compliant with many other programs, used by web designers. All the more, it can function on various platforms like Microsoft or Apple and does not require a high-performance computer. This is one of the reasons why preference has been given to this application.
Sound
The background music that accompanies the video is essential as it makes graphical images more vivid. The key objective was to align it with the text so that they had a similar theme. On the whole, this musical piece produces a very soothing effect and prompts the listener to forget at least for a second about his/her daily troubles. Although sound does not render any command, it enhances the impact of the text. Hypothetically, the audio signal will affect the visitor at a subconscious level. The file, itself has been stored in mp3 format that gives the best ratio of quality and size. Naturally, one may also speak about such format as WAV which offers a better quality of the sound, but under the circumstances, it will hardly be of any avail because this improvement will not be perceptible to a human ear.
Images
The main function, performed by graphical images was to demonstrate the benefits of the Maya Hotel. Again, they have to be put in league with the text or multimedia message. In this particular case, the picture speaks much louder than words as it fully illustrates all the facilities, available in this hotel, but most importantly; this picture shows a beautiful view from the window From a marketing standpoint, it can be the most powerful stimuli for the audience as it contains an aesthetic element. It should be noted that the picture is black and white because monochromic images let the viewer see the precision of lines and shapes. It has to be admitted that this picture is somewhat anachronistic or even old-fashioned but at the same time, it is catchier (Please refer to Picture 2).
The major advantage of this picture is that it encompasses practically the entire room. Moreover, each piece of furniture can be seen. This image also contains a part of the hotels logo. In this way, we have attempted to create an association between the company and the image. The most peculiar thing is that the pink-and-yellow logo is brought out against the monochromic picture. This method forces the user of the website to remember the name of the organization.
The image was modified in Photoshop and saved as a jpeg file. We have employed Photoshop because it offers almost unlimited opportunities for editing graphical images, whereas jpeg format is now very widespread and consistent with numerous web applications. The major benefit of Photoshop is that it provides a wide range of tools for retouching, noise removal, resizing, and so forth. Although this image could have been created in another raster graphics editor, Photoshop seems to be more appropriate because it alternates increased functionality with relative user-friendliness.
Animation
Animation is an inseparable component of this multimedia message. To some extent, it acts as a guide for the would-be client. It gives the viewer a clear idea about the interior design of the Maya Hotel1. They are supposed to appeal to a persons self-respect and self-esteem. Apart from that, these series of pictures tell the viewer that the Maya Hotel brilliantly combines modernity, utility, and luxury. Consequently, this animation can appeal to various customers, who may belong to different social layers. This animation can be presented as the serious of pictures.
These pictures merge into one another, thus, producing a lasting impression on the viewer. They show the foyers of the Maya hotel as well some of its apartments. Bright colors occupy a dominant position because this brightness creates a contrast that brings out every detail in the picture. They demonstrate that the interior design of this Maya Hotel incorporates old-fashioned splendor with minimalistic modernity. These pictures replace one another at an interval of ten-second, and this time is sufficient for the onlooker to get a full view of the rooms.
This animation was created in Adobe Flash and saved as an SWF file. This particular software and file format were preferred over others because with their help one can easily incorporate the animation into the structure of the website. At this point, we should dwell more minutely on the advantages of shockwave flash. First of all, they are based on the use of streaming technologies, in other words, they can be played while being downloaded. So, potential customers will not have to wait for a long time. Moreover, they are scalable, so their size can be modified at no expense to the quality. So, the image will not be blurred. Finally, this format is equally suitable for the users of Windows, Macintosh, and Linux. These are the reason why shockwave flash appears to be the most optimal choice.
Discussion
This analysis illustrates the interplay of multimedia elements. Theoretically, they must inform the recipient and appeal to his or her emotions. Provided that they are combined skillfully, the management of this organization would be able to attract new visitors and make it easier for them to book into the hotel. It should be taken into account that the text, audio signal, and animation must have the same theme, style, and idea. The role of multimedia elements is mostly aesthetic, and they must not prevent the visitor from accessing important data, for instance, prices, services, contact information. They must be unobtrusive; otherwise, they will only irritate the potential client and this will in no way contribute to the popularity of the Maya Hotel. Thus, one has to keep a balance between utility and aesthetics and the design must not prevail over utility. In the previous section, we have also described the technical side of this assignment. It has to be acknowledged that Adobe Flash or Photoshop are not the only tools, applicable for website development. Yet, they possess such properties as time efficiency, user-friendliness, and wide functionality. Yet, other designers can easily choose other tools, which suit them best. Much will depend upon the type of project they work on.
Conclusion
Multimedia technologies have become an inseparable part of website development. The chief elements of multimedia, like text, sound, and graphics have to be aligned with one another to make a desirable impression on the user, who enters the webpage. The model, presented in this paper, is designed to tell the customer about the benefits of the Maya hotel. It is a source of information and an advertising tool at the same time. The indispensable condition for success is that the elements of multimedia communicate the same idea without contradicting one another. Finally, the use of multimedia must not adversely influence the functionality of the website, namely, its download speed.
Reference
Adobe Corporation. (2008). SWF File Format Specifications. Web.
Adobe Corporation(2010). Adobe Flash Platform Blog. Web.
Millard Brown (2008). How to make the most of multimedia advertising. Web.