Site audit: “Panos pictures”
www.panos.co.uk

By Karine, Virginie and Ekaterina / M2COMMint0506
Master 2 Communication institutionnelle – IEP d'Aix-en-Provence

I. Introduction

Panos is a photojournalism agency based in London, England. We chose to do a web audit of the Panos agency site because of its great interest in the Third World. All the photographs are clearly described with the name of the place and the context of the places where they were taken. Our analysis will be quite general, considering the quantity and the diversity of information and images available on the site.

 II. Complete inventory

A. Form

The main page of the Panos agency site is quite plain, although it does give a very good brief introduction to the areas of focus of its photographers. Once you enter the site, you are immediately invited to view the most recent photo galleries which cover the latest world news events.

It is clear from the beginning that the site does not aim to draw the visitor to its graphics, but to the works of its photographers. The layout is quite simple, but the photos really stand out. Each photo is framed by large white margins and a thin black frame. Underneath each photo, there is the name of the gallery that it is part of in black, the photographers' names in grey and a brief description of the contents the gallery also in grey. This layout style is maintained throughout the site.

At the top of the page there is a menu with ten links. The first one is devoted to photo galleries of recent international news events. The style of the page doesn't change from the previous one, but the focus is still on the images, which are very bold. The photographers link displays a page with the names of all the persons who submit photos to the agency, as well as their city and country of origin. By clicking on the photographer's name, you are immediately taken to pages that uniquely display his photos. The contact us page enables you to e-mail all of the agency headquarters staff. The features section displays eighteen pages of various photo galleries. The lightbox link enables the visitor to sign in to the site in order to be able to download images. The search page provides you the option of search for photo galleries by theme, geographical location, or photographer. The order and account links take the visitor to the sign in page, like the lightbox page. Finally, the help page displays a scroll down menu of different help topics. It is the only page without any images. All other pages contain at least one photograph with a brief description and the photographer's name.

B. Contents
There is a large quantity and diversity of information displayed on this website. We will present it by explaining the contents of the different sections:

•  The news link is where you can find the newest pictures posted on the website. There are currently ten news galleries: Liberian girl, Bosnians exhibition, Earthquake, Faith in chaos, Exhibition in Edinburgh, Creole estate, Living with the bomb, and Eyes wide open.

•  The Photographers page provides an exhaustive list of the photographers who work for the agency. You can also find their original countries and e-mail addresses. By clicking on a photographer's name, you are immediately invited to view his photographs.

•  The Contact us section enables the visitor to contact the fulltime staff of the agency in London. You can also find the names, e-mails and functions of the people working for the site.

•  Features prompts us to explore the different types of photographs to be found on the Panos site. It provides a wide range of photo samples. You will see that most of the photographs deal with Africa or the Third World. Misery, starvation, and war are the most recurrent subjects.

•  Lightbox : This feature enables you store images while you are making your photo selections. It aids in choosing photos so that they can then be purchased. It is like a supermarket, but if you want to access to this feature, you have to sign in.

•  Sign In : It is the way to access the lightbox and account pages . It is very quick and easy. You just have to type basic personal information, like your name, address, and e-mail…and then immediately you can open an account with the agency.

•  Search : it is the way to find a picture with key words. You can enter a lot of parameters: four key words, the colour, the orientation, the year, and the photograph's title.

•  Order: This page displays the list of what you have decided to buy. You can consult it at any time.

•  Account : this is the overview of the order that you have passed.

•  Help : Thanks to this section you can have explanations about lightbox , search tips and about purchasing images. You just have to click on it.

III. Critical Analysis

A. Form  Positive points: The home page presents clearly and briefly the aim of Panos and the different things Internet surfers will find on it. Photos can be consulted according to different modes: •  By a thematic search with keywords •  By photographer names It's really easy to become a member of the website, by clicking on “sign in”. This registration enables the members to upload some photos into a lightbox and to buy them subsequently. The quality of the photos is good and information about the context in which they were taken can be found easily. Negative points: Despite the clear and simple design of the homepage, the links are difficult to access. Indeed, their functions are not well explained and when we first enter the site, we have the impression of going round in circles…

B. Contents

Positive points:

• This website presents different photographers' works. Its contents is really interesting because it enables us to discover the daily life of very different people.
• These photos display very different ways of life from those of the West, using quite dramatic pictures. Each photo is presented with a small text which provides some essential information about it : date, place, economic, social and political context…
• It enables the viewer to be aware of the suffering endured by people in the Third World.

Negative points:

All these photos address the same subject matter - mainly poverty, misery, war and starvation. Consequently, the life of people in Third World countries is presented mainly from a negative point of view. Some of the photos are shocking and present only a fraction of the reality, but perhaps not the complete picture.

C. Form/Contents

The relationship between the form and the contents of the site is quite well balanced. Emphasis is placed on the photography of the agency and not on the agency itself. The simple grey/white/black design compliments the colours of the photographs very well. There is also no superfluous information. Every photograph is accompanied by just the right amount of information. Overall, we think that this website is very well designed and that it is a great way to promote each of the participating photographers' works.

By Karine, Virginie and Ekaterina / M2COMMint0506
Master 2 Communication institutionnelle – IEP d'Aix-en-Provence