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

Universal Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities | Vol 5, Issue 1

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