Alignment Analysis
ix Visualizing Composition tells us that the way elements line up leads our eyes around the page and through the text presented. Intentional alignment can support the webtext author's rhetorical argument.
On the Tlingit and Haida site, each of the items in the main body is aligned at the left, suggesting that we read the information from top to bottom, left to right, like a book. This suggestion is also supported by the concentric framing in the body of the text. The center alignment of the main menu suggests that no particular menu item is more important than another, so the eye can move through it without determination. Because there are just six main menu items, it is easy then for a visitor to locate a topic of interest.
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes ("CSKT") also use left alignment, again suggesting book-like reading. However, in this case the alignment is also staggered, suggesting that there is a hierarchy to the information. This concept is somewhat confusing because of the mix of underlining, color (including white space), and bullets. As one examines the information in these different areas, it appears that consistency was lost in the design. The main menu is aligned at the center (depending on the width of the viewer's screen), and like the Tlingit site, a visitor can easily pick from the seven main topics presented.
On the Puyallup page the main menu is also aligned at the center, so again it is easy to pick from the six menu choices. This page employs more centering below the scroll; the columns of "About," "Government," and "Departments" are centered, and within those centered columns the contents are left-aligned and they are encouraged to read it top to bottom, left to right, like a book. It appears that the author was interested in letting the audience scan quickly to find topics.
Explore the slideshows below for visual examples of the use of alignment in tribe websites.
