A Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis of the Online Brand Identity Construction of National Museums

Table 2.

Multimodal realizations of the interactivemeaning on the museums’ websites

Interactive Meaning BM Homepage NMC Homepage

Contact Demand buttons with contrastive colors to guide visitors; imperative sentences to give instructions buttons of booking visits (for visitors) or applying for holding exhibitions (for organizations)

Offer photos of relics; introductory texts with photos photos of relics; photos of activities; announcements, news, notices

Demand & Offer virtual tours; folding menu & social media icons, leading to dynamic interaction 3D exhibit display; QR codes of social media or APPs, expanding the interaction

Distance Close user-guides or campaign promotions in close-up, enhancing affinity smiling characters in educational activities, attracting family audiences & shortening psychological distance

Social pictures of exhibits & exhibitions using medium-long shot photos of relics & posters of exhibitions at social distance

Impersonal supplementary information sections of news & academic research

Perspective Horizontal Frontal exploring collections & museum shops photos of exhibits, exhibition posters, creative art works

Oblique cooperative projects, online & offline visits social communication, international connections

Vertical High angle viewing visitors from above, showing the grandness of the museum photos of communicative activities & processes of making cultural products, taken from the high angle, providing an overview

Eyelevel main images taken at eye level, implying an equal relationship photos of exhibits taken at eye level angle, reflecting the equal audience-relics dialogue

Low angle majestic architectural dome taken at low angle, emphasizing the grandeur of the building magnificent facade of museum photographed from the low angle, symbolizing the authority of the national culture

Modality High pictures against black/white color, foreground with high color saturation main colors (red, gold & white) reinforcing the national symbol color, with high color saturation enhancing credibility & solemnity

Low museum building as background, greyish blue; promotional content using bright colors to lower modality & appeal to family visitors bright colors (such as light blue & orange) used in children’s zones or temporary exhibitions to reduce seriousness & attract young audience