Web Crawl: Hellmann Worldwide Logistics
The image above is your landing page when you type and click on the UR: https://www.hellmann.com/en
A scenic highway somewhere in the western world: a single Scania tractor-trailer (or is it rigid?) plastered with Hellmann in red on the visible side. On an empty carriageway. Why no other vehicle? Photo shoot for the company’s promotional purpose, perhaps. Lovely natural light. Sure, a bit of photoshopping to enhance the image quality.
Why Scania?
Given Hellman’s European roots, dating back to 1871, its affinity for a native brand is inescapable. One may ask: why not other equally renowned European truckers such as Volvo, Man, Mercedes Benz, etc. A rhetorical question. Maybe Hellmann boses may have a response.
Hi, Hellmannians, do you have one? Waiting to hear.
I am a sucker for highways and hence this lovely landscape stuck on me. Did I travel in Scania? Yes and No. A decade ago, Scania India held a roadshow for one of its babies in Chennai transport hub (Madhavaram) and I was part of that. Plus, had the pleasure of visiting Scania plant in Hoskote, near Bengaluru around that time.
Enough about Scania. … Back to Hellmann Worldwide Logistics web gateway
“THINKING AHEAD — MOVING FORWARD” plops on your screen.
For fleeting seconds…5–6 seconds.
Then the truck vanishes along with the black-brownish hillocks at the backgrond and clear blue sky.
In all, it takes approx. 15 counts (1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10–11–12–13–14–15) before the screen image changes.
A warehouse interior emerges stacked with colored items on shelves.
Nice contrast to the first image. That Scania truck on the highway was in the open space with a lot of natural light. Here, the the lighting cannot be that bright. Artificial lighting is resorted to, giving one the innards of a well-stacked warehouse.
Before I forget, the Landing/Opening Page is pleasant.
One of the key elements of user-friendly web page is easy-on-the-eye color palette.
The entire lettering/wording on the Landing Page is ALL WHITE.
White adds value when the background is not cluttered and simple.
All I can recollect is the bold white caption, “THINKING AHEAD — MOVING FORWARD” in two lines centralized on the screen.
No distractions.
Of course, there are some more elements are on the same page.
I deliberately focus on the big messages what this global logistics and supply chain company is trying to tell visitors to its homepage on the cyber way.
By the way, the visitors are not general public. They are in the know of things pertaining to logistics and supply chain. Not skimming-through types. No window shopping types.
Either they know of Hellmann’s existence. Or someone referred.
They are here on business. To transact. Explore its offerings before executing whatever they desire.
Cleverly , the designers have kept the lettering/words constant. They remain unchanged. Static. But the image changes after 10 seconds or so.
If both image and lettering/wording were to keep changing, that would have been a distraction.
As we saw, the main image is that of a Hellmann rigid truck. Next, the warehouse interiors. Then comes the air cargo loading.
Once again, out in the open. Natural lighting.
The gantry on the seashore with multiple containers lined up and ready for lift up next.
Finally, another warehouse interior shot. A different one this time. No repetition.
Given my grooming in the laboratory of Macmillan (1977–80), a globally renowned book publisher, my interest in typeface/font remains in tact. Which font is the Hellmann logo which is sanserif, a bit curvy and bold plastered on the extreme left top corner? And what about the geese trapped inside a circle as part of the company logo?
We will examine that in the next dispatch.
(To be continued)
