The symbolic nature of the design elements used on federal law enforcement officer’s badges provides an additional incentive for adopting these motifs into the design of a website. The customizability of the Parallax Pro Genesis child theme found at WorkForce, is an ideal platform to harness the symbolic nature of symbols and colors as they exist in badges. The Parallax Pro theme has many layout options (sources: source-keywords) which can help a theme designer create rich layouts that are emotionally impactful as explained in: about-what-parallax-effect-means. These layouts can be strategically positioned on a website based upon offsetting with margins using work described in link-one and link-two.
Unlike typical badge designs, the parallax effect can also be utilized to add more layers of depth to your site than a flat graphic symbol would offer. This more realistic effect can be augmented as noted above with the emblematic symbolic aspects of a badge by using the reference link above. The hues of a badge for example partition the overall surface, with an effect of highlighting specific features in every layer. Subtle changes of colors from bright white to matte black can make a significant impact on the symbolic aspects of even the most complicated graphics. This is a typical, real-world layout characterized by color layers and dramatic depth.
Using background images in the parallax layers of a WordPress Website with the Parallax Pro Genesis Child Theme allows a designer to capture the very essence of the dimensional impact of a badge (e.g. link-three). As an added benefit, integrating Social Media features like buttons or icons into the layers creates a clickable surface that is visually appealing (link-four). Positioning these buttons in layers spaced like a badge requires knowledge of the available dispositions of buttons on the Genesis framework (e.g. link-five). This application is seen in the blue layer of the Army badge insignia that provides a backdrop for the eagle atop a shield.
These observations show that, when incorporating these design principles and even specific features of the badges used by federal law enforcement of your choice into a theme like Parallax Pro, there is an immediacy in engagement with a reader that cannot be achieved in a flat, pre-designed site. Using this layout and the color symbolism of federal law enforcement badges, we can build a website that captures the trust and authority of a badge. The 2D aspect of a website however, does not support the volume of a badge in use. But the prominent placement of important features and the use of fourth dimension affect in transition effects are accessible via web design techniques outlined above with the LayerSlider plugin.