Homework # 1

1. PRINT: This advertisement uses a spiral structure to focus on the primary product in the center, further highlighted by the light space in the background. The pistachio nuts form a visual bulls eye for the crackers in the middle and create a composition that has optical equilibrium where everything is balanced around the cracker. In the same longitudinal plane as the crackers, the reader’s eye is drawn to the name of the product, “ True North,” which appears in a bold large san serif typeface with the “ N” in “ North” is white in a large brown color block. The N’s negative form within the rest of the title creates a visual contrast and highlights an important aspect of the product pictured bellow the N, that it is “ 100% natural.” In the bottom right of the corner, the product appears as it would in the grocery shelf to familiarize potential consumers with its true visual appearance. In the bottom left corner, the product is further described. The advertisement highlights some aspects of the product, but leaves a little bit of the description in a smaller font in the same color as the brand name to create visual continuity.



2. PRINT: De Beer’s uses a contrast between white lettering and a black backdrop to create a simple and classic advertisement. The lettering, appearing as a bold large serif typeface “ De Beer’s” and in a smaller font for the slogan above it, sandwiches the large diamond ring in the center. The symmetry subtly advertises the product while keeping the focus on the diamond. With the diamond in the center, the composition achieves optical equilibrium. The spotlight on the ring creates a concentric structure around the diamond, further highlighting the product. The spotlight can also be seen as a negative space holding the figure, in contrast to the black ground.


3. ONLINE: The plate forms a concentric structure around the cake. The contrast between the brown cake and brown lettering and the white plate and white background severs to highlight the cake and the message. The lettering is slightly off balance: the second line of “ Get budget-friendly recipes in every email,” is not centered, but appears to the right of the advertisement. Although, “ Kraft Foods” in the upper right corner helps balance, “Philadelphia Double- Chocolate Cheesecake,” the font appears asymmetrical, favoring the right side to create a balance between the cake, which appears in the left-middle foreground of the picture. “Sign Up Now” is also on the right side, further weighing the text to that side. It appears in white against a brown backdrop, in contrast to the rest of the advertisement to highlight its call to buy the product.


4. BILLBOARD: This ad has many components. The billboards as a whole have an informal structure, but the red and white colors and the target symbols create continuity. The two main billboards feature positive and negative space between the girl in red and the man in white. In this case the figures would be the target symbols and the ground would be the models and their accessories. By creating the background in one uniform color, it helps to distinguish the target symbols. There is no lettering because the target symbol is a recognizable symbol for the store.



5. ONLINE: This advertisement features handwritten text. Its glowing white color creates contrast to the rest of the advertisement. The man and the woman mirror each other. They are both flipped around the central axis of the space between the kiss. The advertisement seems to be balanced around that point. There is a haziness to the advertisement that adds dimension and intrigue to the picture. The text of the message seems to be concentrated to the bottom with very little space between the second and third lines. All the information is lumped together to balance the picture at the top.