It is worth noting a 2016 study on the impacts of aesthetics in user’s first interaction with websites (Jiang, Wang, Tan & Yu, 2016) where results confirmed the effects of users’ perceived quality of the five model design elements (unity, complexity, intensity, novelty, and interactivity) on the perception of website aesthetics. Findings also show that users’ perception of aesthetics has significant impacts on perceived utility and their attitudes toward the website, which further affects the corporate image exhibited by the organization behind the website.

Pondering on the above study, VMC Analytiks has revved up its online presence this 2025 through a redesigned Digital Journal Philippines (DJP) journal website. After a year of successful penetration in the research publication industry, VMC Analytiks elevated its presence through a well-thought website design aiming to promote visually compelling graphics while increasing user satisfaction. As the redesign is rolled out in three phases, the first phase mainly focused on the website’s homepage underscoring a number of graphic and visual design presentations as well as the introduction of new features.

The new homepage design commences with a banner abstract picture of a human face with asymmetrical dimensions and with scatterings of living and dead trees. The abstraction projects the idea that, indeed, knowledge grows asymmetrically. That is, on one side, research findings may find its way to be very essential to users, thus, propagating their value and use (e.g., utilization, citation, replication, recommendation, etc.). This, therefore, is a projection of a robust growth – an endless propagation of knowledge to empower humanity. On the other side, research papers may have found their way in library shelves, room cabinets and other areas where they become stagnant, stale and unused, hence, a dead end of their existence. A seeming comparison of a dead tree where no roots, trunks, twigs, leaves, flowers and fruits are expected to grow. This analogy inspired us to make the asymmetrical face our homepage banner graphic to illustrate the importance of disseminating research findings through publication. We aim to nurture the robust side of the face through careful curation and exponential exposure of research articles; while we encourage authors and other scientific paper creators to make value of their research findings by publishing their papers in any of our seven curated journals.