Insights Regarding the Cultural Identity of Different Countries on the Web through Aesthetic Analysis

Perspectives sur l’identité culturelle de différents pays sur le web à travers l’analyse esthétique

Article issu de la 18^e conférence EUTIC: Humanisme numérique et durabilité sociale, MSH Bordeaux, 11-13 octobre 2023 organisée dans le cadre de l’Appel à projets MSHBx 2023 EUTIC2023.

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Aristeidis LAMPROGEORGOS
Department of Audio and Visual Arts – Ionian University, Greece
a18labr[at]ionio.gr

Minas PERGANTIS
Department of Audio and Visual Arts – Ionian University, Greece
a19perg6[at]ionio.gr

Laida LIMNIATI
Digital Account Executive, BrilliantPR, Greece
laida.limniati[at]brilliantpr.gr

Andreas GIANNAKOULOPOULOS
Department of Audio and Visual Arts – Ionian University, Greece
agiannak[at]ionio.gr

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Abstract
An important factor of the cultural identity of a website is its general aesthetics and more specifically the prominent colors of its user interface and how they are combined to produce the final visual result. But these colors may have a different significance depending on the culture of each country. In this research, a systematic analysis of color usage and color combinations is conducted on a series of popular websites from around the globe, in order to outline each website’s aesthetic identity. The study focuses on collecting information concerning primary and secondary colors, color schemes and backdrops, and drawing conclusions based on statistical analysis. Through this process, the study aims to identify emerging trends and patterns regarding website color usage in different regions of the world. This analysis can ultimately lead to a better understanding of how cultural differences shape modern user experience and how globalization affects them.

Keywords: web design, user experience, aesthetic identity, cultural identity, colors.

Résumé
Un facteur important de l’identité culturelle d’un site web est son esthétique générale et plus particulièrement les couleurs dominantes de son interface utilisateur et la manière dont elles sont combinées pour produire le résultat visuel final. Mais ces couleurs peuvent avoir une signification différente selon la culture de chaque pays. Dans cette étude, une analyse systématique de l’utilisation et des combinaisons de couleurs est menée sur une série de sites web populaires du monde entier, afin de définir l’identité esthétique de chacun d’entre eux. L’étude se concentre sur la collecte d’informations concernant les couleurs primaires et secondaires, les combinaisons de couleurs et les toiles de fond, et tire des conclusions basées sur une analyse statistique. Grâce à ce processus, l’étude vise à identifier les tendances et les modèles émergents concernant l’utilisation des couleurs des sites web dans les différentes régions du monde. Cette analyse peut en fin de compte permettre de mieux comprendre comment les différences culturelles façonnent l’expérience moderne des utilisateurs et comment la mondialisation les affecte.

Mots-clés : conception de sites web, expérience utilisateur, identité esthétique, identité culturelle, couleurs.

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Introduction

Color is one of the most important elements that determines aesthetics and has been observed to directly affect the human nervous system and evoke specific emotions. Although it is not easy to associate a color with a person’s response, carefully chosen color combinations can have a very specific effect on mood (Faiola et al., 2011) and it has been observed that more attractive colors are associated with a feeling of trust and satisfaction and directly affect the user’s aesthetic perception (Ou et al., 2018).

The general aesthetics and more specifically the prominent colors of a website’s user interface and how they are combined to produce the final visual result, are important factors of the cultural identity of the website or web application. Colors play a significant role on user experience since they can be used to evoke emotions and affect the audience (Gage, 1999). More specifically, properties of colors such as hue, saturation and brightness can affect the user’s perceptions, physical and emotional reactions (Ou et al., 2018). In addition, how warm or cool a color is can affect the user’s mood (Faiola et al., 2011). It has been observed that people generally tend to find short wavelength colors (blue and green) more pleasant than long wavelength colors (red and yellow) (Hall et al., 2004). Additionally, specifically in interface design they may be used to convey messages and communicate a brand’s identity to its website’s audience (Swasty, 2017).

In addition to colors as units, an important parameter that determines the aesthetics of a website is also the combination of these colors. Ineffective color combinations and colors that are not compatible with each other, based on the color wheel, negatively affect the visitor’s perception of the aesthetics of a website (Ou et al., 2018). Different colors and color combinations, the selection of a dark or light background and other color related variables such as contrast play a significant role in user satisfaction, usability, and accessibility (Eisfeld, 2020). But these factors may have a different significance depending on the culture of each country of the world. Depending on the intended response, web designers and graphic artists from around the globe employ different colors and color combinations to engage with their audience.

In this research, a systematic analysis of color usage and color combinations is conducted on a series of popular websites from around the globe, in order to outline each website’s aesthetic identity. Through this process, the present study aims to identify emerging trends and patterns regarding website color usage in different regions of the world. This analysis can ultimately lead to a better understanding of how cultural differences shape modern user experience and how globalization affects them.

In order to accomplish its goal, this study focuses on collecting information concerning primary and secondary colors used in the design of various popular websites from several countries. Moreover, the detected color schemes are analyzed on the basis of multi-color relations, the number of primary colors as well as the use of dark or light-colored backdrops. The sum of information available can be combined in order to outline a website’s overall visual aesthetics. All information was collected from a series of websites representing a variety of human activities. The criteria for website selection was based on its relevance in the web landscape of each country, as estimated through traffic data.

Using the tools provided by statistical analysis, conclusions can be drawn regarding how and if color usage and combinations can communicate the unique cultural and aesthetic identity of various countries. These conclusions can be used by designers and marketers in order to better understand how to create website designs that resonate with audiences in different countries. Additionally, the study aims to contribute to a greater framework of analyzing color usage in website design, which can be used as a tool for future research.

1. Methodology

The data sample of the study consists of websites from 37 countries from different regions. The sample was populated using open-source traffic data based on a popular search engine indexing information. The main restriction was that the domain must originate from each country. The 10 most popular, in terms of web traffic, websites from each country were collected in a total of 370 websites from 13 regions of the world (table 1).

Table 1 – 37 countries from 13 regions

North America	Central America	South America	Africa	Middle East	South Asia	Southeast Asia
Canada	Mexico Guatemala Nicaragua	Colombia Brazil Argentina	Algeria Nigeria Kenya	Saudi Arabia Bahrain	Pakistan India	Thailand Singapore Malaysia Indonesia
Australasia	East Asia	Southern Europe	Western Europe	Northern Europe	Central and Eastern Europe
Australia New Zealand	Japan	Greece Italy Spain	France United Kingdom Germany Netherlands Denmark Czechia	Norway Finland	Estonia Latvia Lithuania

All the website information was stored in a database and the color information was extracted from a screenshot of the homepage of each website. The first step of the overall process involves the acquisition of this screenshot. In order to achieve this, a two-step sub-process was implemented. The first step involved the development of a web application written in PHP code that collected the website information from the database and created a series of instructions that was inserted into a web browser using a specialized automation plugin. During the second step, the web browser following these instructions loaded each website, acquired a screenshot, and stored it in PNG image format (figure 1).

Figure 1 – Screenshot acquisition process

The next step is the analysis of the screenshot image file in order to extract color information. A second web application was developed in order to analyze the image files. Using PHP image manipulation libraries each file was parsed, and the color of each image pixel was calculated in digital hexadecimal representation. The algorithm, based on the percentage of each color used on the image, can calculate the color used for the backdrop and the colors used for the design of the website’s various elements. In order to have meaningful results regarding the color values it is necessary to be categorized in groups of a few basic colors. In order to achieve this, an algorithm was developed to place each color in the corresponding group using the proximity of its value to the value of the basic color (figure 2).

Figure 2 – Screenshot analysis process

The basic colors were determined using the RYB (Red-Yellow-Blue) color model as it is one of the most popular color models in design (Gage, 1999). The RYB color model is a subtractive model, meaning that when colors are mixed together, they absorb or subtract certain wavelengths of light, resulting in a different perceived color. This is in contrast to additive color models, such as RGB (Red-Green-Blue), which are used in digital displays and involve adding different intensities of light to create colors. The RYB color model may not be as precise or comprehensive as other color models but remains relevant in art and design, particularly in color mixing techniques and provides a foundation for understanding color relationships, harmonies, and contrasts.

Another parameter that can yield insights on the color usage in the design of a website is the way the artist chooses to combine different colors. In order to detect color combinations another algorithm was developed to calculate the relationship between different colors used and determine if and what type of combination is used. The algorithm was designed to detect four different color schemes based in color theory and the color wheel: monochromatic, complementary, analogous, and triadic (figure 3). In the monochromatic color scheme, a single color, and shades of it is used. In the complementary color scheme, the colors combined are situated in opposites sides of the color wheel, in the analogous color scheme the colors are adjacent to each other and in the triadic they are spaced evenly. By calculating the distances between the colors used, the algorithm can determine the color scheme used.

Figure 3 – Color schemes

Al the information extracted using the aforementioned process can be analyzed per country and region in order to gain insights regarding the preferences in terms of color.

2. Results

The first parameter analyzed is the number of colors used in the design of each website. The higher the number of colors the more complex and saturated an interface becomes adding complexity to the design. It is important in cases where many colors are present to ensure that they are properly combined in order to maximize the viewer perceived pleasure (Ou et al., 2018). The data revealed that in most cases no more than one or two colors, besides black and white, is used. This goes along with the modern trend of minimalism in graphic design and reflects the effort of the designers to keep true to a specific brand identity. But this is not without exceptions as depicted in figure 4.

Figure 4 – Number of color (besides black and white) used in each country

In countries like Mexico, India, Nicaragua, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates the designers chose to use more colorful layouts probably in accordance with the local perception of aesthetics. By combining the results in geographic regions, it becomes apparent that in some areas of the world more colors are preferred in the design of a website (figure 5).

Figure 5 – Number of color (besides black and white) used in each region

In South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Central America as well as in Eastern Europe a tendency of using more than 2 colors in designs is detected. In contrast, North and South America, East Asia and in most of Europe more than two extra colors are rarely used.

Another parameter that is important when designing a website or a user web interface is the color of the backdrop, or the background color used. Using Light or dark background can significantly affect the user experience and the perceived aesthetic pleasure. One of the most important color combinations that defines the aesthetics of a website is the one between the color of the text and the background. The change in the appearance of a website is very drastic when changing this combination. It has been observed that the user’s aesthetic perception of text color is associated with ease of reading, so combinations with high contrast between text color and background are characterized as more visually pleasing. Thus, different combinations have a different effect on the aesthetic perception of the user (Hall et al., 2004).

The data shows that the majority of websites used the color white as the background, as depicted in figure 6, with the exception of countries like India, Colombia and New Zealand where dark background colors are used more often than in other countries. What is interesting regarding the use of colors other than white or black is that in some countries, like Venezuela or Norway, the alternative to white is not black but a different color. The selection of this alternative color seems to have some consistency as the data shows that in some countries, like Indonesia or Japan a warm color was selected while in others, like Germany or Argentina, a cool one was selected. Warm colors are red, orange and yellow in the left part of the color wheel and cool colors are green, blue and purple in the right part. Warm colors evoke energy, excitement, and warmth, while cool colors create a sense of calmness and tranquility.

Figure 6 – Background color used in each country

When grouping the data per geographical region the tendency to use cool colors as alternative backgrounds rather than warm ones is apparent (figure 7).

Figure 7 – Background color used in each region

Leaving the color combinations and focusing on the use of colors individually, the data shows that in each region, different colors are preferred when used in web design. As shown in figure 8 the red color is far more popular in Africa and the Middle East while yellow is mostly preferred in Northern Europe. Blue and orange seem to be the most commonly used globally with Australasia, North and South America as well as Southeast Asia preferring shades of blue, while South Asia, Africa and Central America shades of orange. Green and purple seem to be less used with the green color being most popular in Africa and Australasia, while the purple is most used in Central America, Northern Europe, South Asia and the Middle East.

Figure 8 – Colors used in each region

Conclusions regarding the general intentions of the designer can be extracted when analyzing the use of warm versus cool colors as it indicates the attempt of the designer to evoke certain feelings to the visitors. The data shows that there is a relative balance between cool and warm colors with the cool ones being somewhat more popular. Most regions seem to prefer cool colors with the exception of East Asia where warm colors are dominant (figure 9). The majority of designers seem to prefer to keep their visitors calm rather than to evoke excitement.

Figure 9 – Warm versus cool color use

The last parameter analyzed is the color combinations or color schemes used. The algorithm was designed to detect four different color schemes: monochromatic, complementary, analogous, and triadic. The results show that for the most part there is a tendency for designers to make use of harmonic color combinations, although the most common scheme is the monochromatic. There are regions like East Asia or South America where the use of a color scheme is rarer than in others like Northern Europe or Central America where it seems to be common practice (figure 10).

Figure 10 – Color schemes used

Conclusions

The world of web design is constantly evolving, with new trends emerging and spreading across different countries. By examining popular websites from various regions, we can identify design trends and understand how they influence choices regarding colors and color combinations. Analyzing the primary and secondary colors used in the design of popular websites from different countries provides valuable insights into cultural preferences, branding strategies, and design trends.

The data shows that in different countries and regions, designers tend to use colors and color combinations that derive from the cultural background. By understanding the significance of these choices, businesses and designers can make informed decisions to create visually appealing and culturally relevant websites.

Bibliographic references

Eisfeld H. & Kristallovich F. (2020). The Rise of Dark Mode: A qualitative study of an emerging user interface design trend. https://hj.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1464394/FULLTEXT01.pdf

Faiola A., Ho C., Tarrant M.D. & MacDorman K.F. (2011). “The Aesthetic Dimensions of U.S. and South Korean Responses to Web Home Pages: A Cross-Cultural Comparison”. Intl. Journal of Human–Computer Interaction 27:2, 131-150.

Gage J. (1999). Color and meaning: Art, science, and symbolism. Univ of California Press.

Hall R.H. & Hanna P. (2004). “The impact of web page text-background colour combinations on readability, retention, aesthetics and behavioural intention”. Behaviour & Information Technology 23:3, 183-195.

Mithun A. M., Bakar Z. A. & Yafooz W. M. (2019). “The impact of web contents color contrast on human psychology in the lens of HCI”. International Journal of Information Technology and Computer Science 11(10), 27-33.

Ou W. & Mengqiao H. (2018). “Screenshot-based color compatibility assessment and transfer for Web pages”. Multimedia Tools and Applications. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-017-4582-4

Swasty W. & Adriyanto A. R. (2017). “Does color matter on web user interface design”. CommIT (Communication and Information Technology) Journal 11(1), 17-24.

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