Penguin Books Website
Penguin Books has been a recognisable brand for over 70 years, to both professionals and consumers alike. Today Penguin is renowned for their selection of contemporary and classic titles and with such widespread popularity, their online presence should accurately reflect the reputation of their publishing house.
Initial Impressions
The website initially overwhelms the browser with a number of different features either beyond or entirely unrelated to books, such as Penguin Dating and Podcasting. However, the colours used on the homepage are directly connected to the Penguin logo and as complimentary and subtle shades; they provide the website with a calm appearance. To contrast the background the site uses bright segments of orange to guide the reader’s eye around the page, but at times it is difficult to choose whether to move through the information horizontally or vertically. The site has a great amount to offer on a number of different topics, providing the impression that Penguin Books is a relevant and informed publishing house. The site continually re-enforces the Penguin brand by incorporating the company name into each element, such as “Penguin Recommends” and “Penguin Politics.”
The Purpose
The site is primarily designed to inform the browser about a variety of topics, from author interviews and book events to local workshops and reading groups. The intention of these features is to generate interest for new and old titles, but also to attract a broad demographic concerned with different aspects and methods of interacting with books. For example the website is clearly up to date with the current social media available, offering RSS feeds, as well as Twitter and Facebook pages; appealing to a younger audience, already familiar with the internet and its popular features. The site does not target young children, but browsers are able to connect to Puffin Books through the Children’s tab at the top of the homepage. However, the tab takes the browser to a “Penguin Children” section, remaining within the adult website and browsers are required to select an alternate link from this page to reach the website for Puffin Books. The “Penguin Children” section does have a number of convenient links that directly connects to popular characters such as, Spot and Peter Rabbit.
The Products Available
The site also offers a number of products that initially appear to be unconnected to books; such as mugs, espresso cups, pencils, tea towels and deck chairs. The range of products shows how Penguin applies their brand to objects incorporated within homes, emphasizing their status as one of the biggest publishing houses in the world. The site does attempt to relate each of the products to reading by quoting individuals who suggest that reading has a natural affinity with coffee or tea-drinking, making a line of mugs printed with Penguin Classic titles an original combination. The language also plays on literary connections with phrases, such as “drawing on inspiration” for their pencil collection and “a literary lifestyle” for their deck chairs; each of these products is connected back to reading or writing, in an attempt to create a literary relevance for these products and make them appear desirable to book lovers.
Overall Review
The Penguin Books website does communicate elements of their mandate as a publisher of quality contemporary and classic fiction; however, the homepage could be designed to have a much cleaner and classic appearance, providing more links and tabs rather than condensed information throughout the page. The links and tabs would also give the browser the option to choose which information to access, so that new and old release titles could be displayed more prominently. Similarly certain content such as Penguin Dating, Podcasting could be placed at the bottom of the page, with the alternate Penguin group and brand sites being moved towards the top for easier access. A direct link to Puffin Books should be displayed next to the “Children” tab, so that browsers are able to distinguish between the two houses and locate titles more efficiently. If Penguin Books would like to encourage more readers to buy online the shopping trolley symbol should appear on the homepage and more offers and discounts should be available on the website. The current website could be more directly concerned with books, with alternate information about unrelated topics being given less space or even displayed on an independent website with an advertising link. Penguin Books is an established and respected publisher, but their website could be improved upon to better reflect their reputation.
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