John McAnally
a10jmm1@nirvana.acs.niu.edu
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DESIGNING FOR THE WORLD WIDE WEB
Because most Web users tend to be North American, many Web designers are
oblivious to the subtle cultural connotations that language, colors and
design can take on in a foreign setting. Companies wishing to
internationalize their sites should be particularly sensitive to language
(no colloquialisms, such as using "wicked" to mean "good"), colors (white
denotes purity in Western countries, but death in many Asian nations), and
the gestures made by models (showing the palms, as in a wave, is considered
an insult in some Mediterranean countries). "Color takes on enormously
different overtones from one country to the next," says one corporate
globalization consultant. "That doesn't mean you can't use those colors.
It just means you want to rethink what the visuals look like on your pages
and on your links." (CIO Web Business 1 Dec 97)