Conclusions

As international Internet access grows, so does the importance of understanding different cultural expectations related to visual design. The analysis mechanism presented in this essay can serve as a preliminary means of increasing such levels of understanding. By applying this rhetoric-prototype theory approach when analyzing Web sites, one can learn how to design online marketing sites that better compliment different cultural expectations. This approach, however, is only a first and very basic step in addressing a larger issue of cultural expectations. By taking such a step, marketers and designers can effectively use online media to increase their understanding of and interactions with the members of other cultures.