From my classmates, I learned the different ways that advertisements use contrast, alignment, and balance to make an ad that will sell their product. I learned that alignment doesn’t always have to be up and down and in the center of the page to get the point across. I also learned that contrast can be used in an array of ways to be effective in an advertisement and I learned that balance plays a big deal in what your eye is drawn to first.
We all like to share our lives with the world on various social media websites. A great party, embarrassing moment, or vulgar language can cause problems.Once you put something on the Internet, it’s no longer in your control. You wouldn’t want potential employers to see you in a negative light. The company Social Intelligence has the authority to run a check on your Internet and Social Media history. Search engines make it very easy for potential employers to find information about you online. Try to publish positive information about yourself or information that you want people to see.
Questions with Discussion
The biggest question that comes to mind when thinking about our professional identity on the Internet is: what’s the right thing to post?
In college years especially, we want to share how much fun we’re having, the parties we go to, even the maybe not so legal thing we may engage in on a Saturday night. What we don’t realize is that employers have access to this and it makes it even easier for them when our accounts are public. Every aspect of our lives doesn’t need to be broadcasted on social media sites. We should always present ourselves in a professional manner through our statuses, tweets, pictures, etc.
Connection to Personal Course Outcomes
I think this is one of the most important concepts to me. Taking this class should use how we can use the digital world to our advantage, but there are many people who are at a disadvantage when using it. They set themselves up for failure by portraying themselves in a negative manner. A bad day full of vulgar ranting on Facebook can hinder your professional career in the future. Many job do utilize this to see if you are the right person for the job.
When I grow up, I want to work in the Public Relations field or I want to work in Special Events Coordination. I want to be in either of these professions because I love being able to represent a product or company. I love setting out a good name for them and making them appeal to the best qualities to get the consumers that they are looking for. As far as special events coordination, I love scheduling, planning, and organizing my time and events. When it’s something that I’m passionate about, it doesn’t seem like work to me and I think that’s something important to have in a career. I have been the Public Relations Chair in an organization that I’m involved in and I loved every aspect of it. I was originally a Marketing major when I first came to college, but I didn’t like the mathematical aspect of it. I switched to Communications with a concentration in PR which allowed me to work in a similar field without having to do the math.
This advertisement is geared towards everyone to encourage them to drink Gatorade. Usually a drink that is geared towards athletes, this ad is also trying to reach those people who aren’t athletes by using the byline “This time Gatorade changes the game off the court.” They are trying to market towards more than just athletes.
Design Analysis:
The ad uses alignment in the way that the words are presented against the shoe. By doing so, they are able to drawn the audience in to the point of your ad. The first thing you notice is the Gatorade symbol in the middle of the ad, then by aligning the text right above it, it causes the audience’s eye to wander up to read the rest of the ad. The font and Gatorade tag also have good contrast against the darkness of the body. Grouping the words together puts all of the relevant information together and makes the message easier to follow. The use of empty space allows us to focus on the product that the ad is trying to sell. The ad also center aligns the text. This supports the rhetorical purpose of the ad because by aligning the text at the top of the page, it is showing that Gatorade is stepping away from the court. If it had of been alignment at the top of the page, where the tiles of the basketball court are, it would have contradicted the message that Gatorade is changing it’s audience.
This advertisement is one of the annual Coca Cola polar bear ads that comes out around Christmas time. The purpose of this ad is to get people to buy Coke. It is geared towards those who buy Coca-Cola and also those who do not currently buy it because they are attempting to draw those people in to buy more of the product. They are also gearing this ad towards people who care about polar bears. They are attempting to get people who so care about polar bears to contribute to the Coca Cola Polar Bear support fund, which partners with Coke for this ad. It makes Coca Cola drinkers and supporters of the polar bear fund seem cool.
Design Analysis:
This advertisement draws in the eye of the audience by successfully using contrast. The white of the snow and polar bear makes the signature red coloring of the Coca Cola bottle stand out more. The bottle should have been bigger to add more contrast to the ad and draw in the audience’s eye more. The dark night sky provides a nice contrast to all of the white that’s in the ad, making sure that it isn’t too washed out. It doe emphasize the Coca Cola brand, by placing it in front of the polar bear, contrasting against the white of the bear.
The advertisement is geared at all shoppers. The ad itself displays men, women, and children showing that the store meets the needs for all shoppers. Being known for being a one-stop-shop, Target is appealing to many different demographics with this advertisement, while also specifically targeting those in the working world by portraying adults in business attire entering the store. By also displaying children in everyday clothes, they are signifying that they are there for the audience any time of the day.
Design Analysis
The advertisement shows balance by evenly spreading out the brand name and the image. The entire space is utilized and the illumination of the image draws the attention of the consumer. The advertisement is symmetrical, evenly distributed on both sides. Contrast is also displayed in this advertisement with the harsh white of the “Target” logo against the illuminated red of the image. It makes the brand name stand out more to the audience’s eye.
Digital Writing is any form of writing that happens digitally. In the world that we live in this form of writing is seen throughout our everyday lives. It is in our emails, our interaction on social media websites, our online newspapers, and even in how we utilize text messaging on our phones. It has truly become the was that we express ourselves to others. We use Facebook to say “what’s on our mind,” Twitter to find out “what’s happening right now, with people and organizations you care about,” and Tumblr to express any and everything else we see fit. Through these mediums, we have begun to change the way that our culture looks at the world. Digital writing has become our norm and participating in this form of writing has changed the culture we live in.
I would like to crop the globe of this picture and add text about the digital world.
I want to use this picture to explain how digital writing enhances the world around us.
I think I’m going to use Gimp. I’m hoping to learn how to use the software all together. I’m not familiar with photo editing software so I’m excited to learn something new and play around with new technologies. I want to gain experience with working with other digital technologies especially since this program is different than Photoshop.
Cropping: the removal of some of the horizontal or vertical edges of a picture
Flopping: changes the direction of the image in a photo from side to side to make it a mirror image of the original
Silhouetted photos: have portions selectively removed (not strictly horizontal or vertical portions as in a cropped image)
Brief Summary
Images are a powerful part of the page designer’s palette. They impact the page by making it more visually appealing and communicating information to the audience. Images can influence mood, be decorative, or communicate information. The type of images you use will be based on your concept and the kind of visuals that are available. Using photographs, illustrations, Clip Art, and Type are especially helpful in drawing the eye of the audience and communicating the message.
Connections to Examples
This Vichy advertisement uses photography and photograhpy enhancing websites very well to commniucate their message to the audience. Although the ad is in French, the image itself still portrays the message that the company is trying to present. They are showing that you can avoid having cracked feet by using their product.
Works Cited
Graham, Lisa. Basics of Design: Layout and Typography for Beginners. Albany, NY: Delmar, 2002. Print.
This advertisement is for Lancome’s Rouge in Love lipstick. The audience for this ad is women or teenage girls who wear and buy makeup. It is more so geared towards teenage girls who are looking for a more formal or sophisticated look, because Lancome chose to use Emma Watson as their spokesperson, a well known child actress to this generation. She is the main emphasis in the advertisement because Lancome is using her celebrity to drawn in their intended audience. As a star of the Harry Potter films, many teenage girls know who she is and look up to her. The primary message of the ad is to get the audience to appeal to the sexual attraction that they desire. The secondary message is about the Lancome products.The image was found on the Huffington Post website. The website itself is geared towards men and women, but this specific ad has women and teenage girls as its specific audience.
Design Analysis
Repetition is a primary element used in this advertisement, mostly through the use of the color red. Through the heart being drawn in red, the re nail polish, and Emma’s lip color and nail being red, Lancome is repetitively using the color to draw the attention of the audience. By pairing it with the repetitive use of Emma’s silver outfit and the silver backdrop the ad, the red stands out more to the eye. By using repetition the audience is drawn to buy red products.
