Journal Ten

I found that music magazines have an abundance of example with color themes! This example is advertising guitars from Dean Guitars. The ad uses color in a variety of ways, including for the background and the center of interest. The complementary colors of orange and blue are split diagonally across the page in a celestial design for the background. This contrast between the bright twisting colors gives the ad a surreal feeling to it, and implies that this product could be “out of this world,” as cheesy as it sounds. The foreground shows the large guitar with a monotone purple design of different values, ranging from black, to the hue of purple, to white. I think the purple could easily imply the importance of this guitar, since purple has traditionally represented royalty, mystery, and even good judgment.  All of these meanings come in handy when a person is selecting a guitar to choose from. Also, Deans Guitar logo, which is in the upper left corner, has a small spot of red illuminating the back of the logo, much like a shooting star and keeping unity with the background pattern. The red could stand for passion, which is what all great musicians have. Overall, the ad uses four simple colors, but it uses them in very symbolic and contrasting ways, but it makes the ad appealing to the viewers. The different colors draw attention to the ad, much like I was attracted to the picture. The colors are also saturated and vibrant which automatically makes a person feel energized. Something I also noticed about the ad is that it uses colors that are typically seen in light shows, such as at a concert. I think these colors would spark the interest of people who like to attend concerts, which would appeal to the culture of young people who like to have fun at shows. The ad was aided by the use of color by attracting an audience and keeping their attention with the different colors used so it would not be boring to the eye.

Journal Nine

Find three existing logos and explain the color significance.

The first one I chose is the Monster Energy Drink logo. The color chosen for the "m" is a highly saturated green, one of the additive primary colors. I think it is arguable whether this logo is monochromatic or analogous. The color could either be a lighter green from having white added to it, or it could be the hue of yellow, which is right beside green on the color wheel. Whatever the case, it gives a 3-D effect to the logo with the different values acting as shading. The bright green color is also vibrant and exciting, which is well-suited for an energy drink.

The second logo is the Chili's logo. This restaurant can be recognized instantly by the complementary colors green and red, which are also the colors of a traditional pepper or chili. I think this logo used the colors well because the bold, flat, additive primary colors are appealing to everyday people. Whenever someone sees a red chili with a green top, this restaurant is bound to come to mind so it was a great use of ordinary colors.

Lastly, I selected the Ebay logo. This could either be considered double-complementary, though the "a" has more of a yellow hue than an orange, but I think it is more combining both the additive and subtractive primary colors. I think this logo, much like the Google logo, uses different primary colors to show that they are a diverse company, with Ebay being a place anyone can buy or sell just about anything! It is instantly recognizable and the transparent colors overlap each other to give it texture.

Journal Eight

I found this picture in the magazine Photography (September 2008) and Digital Photo, and I could not get the issue because there was a sticker over the date. This Olympus Camera ad takes up two full pages and the denotation is of a very clear picture of a butterfly. We all know how small butterflies are, but this picture magnifies the butterfly into great detail and the focus is centered on it. This initially would attract anyone because of the detail and the bright colors, but it would be focused on more by the target audience: the photographers. Though the butterfly could be a signifier for the myth of beauty and an icon, the photo is also a signifier of great photography. This could follow the myth of beauty, because everyone wants his or her pictures to come out as wonderful and picturesque as possible. This ad almost gives the audience the impression that if they have this camera, their pictures can come out beautiful each time with the great detail and beautiful colors of the butterfly. Along the bottom and right side of the ad are more pictures and information about the camera that took the stunning photo. This appeals to the target audience of photographers because they are very low key with white lettering and smaller photos so they do not take away from the big picture, but add to the message. It is there to aid people who want to know more about this camera, but it does not get in the way of the image. It also has a photographer’s point-of-view about the camera that has only good remarks about this do-all camera. The image can appeal to anyone and grabs the audience’s attention because it has an icon that people see often, but from a different view. You can look at the legs, eyes, and powdery wings right in your hands. Overall, this advertisement was very successful in attaining the audience that it was targeting by having an appealing photograph and supporting details to help aid a person in deciding whether or not to purchase the Olympus camera.

Journal Seven

 

I found the Pro-Mark advertisement in the Modern Drummer (February 2010) and also in the February 2010 issue of Revolver. It was very difficult to find advertisements that were featured in two magazines, and this was one of the ones I found. At first, the denotative picture shows a clam, Buddhist-like man with his legs crossed, dressed in plain black clothes, and without shoes. It looks as if he is meditating, but the connotation reveals so much more. There is a startling yellow color that contrasts vividly with the background, and it is paint dripping down his hands from his drumsticks. The drummer is sitting right in the middle of the symmetrical layout and it brings all focus to him. At first, someone would not really understand the meaning until it is found out that the slogan for the ad is “Feel the color of music.” At that instant, a person can almost feel the cold, wet paint running down their fingers by looking at the magazine. I believe this advertisement is connecting the feeling between a musician and their feel for music by showing the peacefulness on the face of the drummer. The drummer and the colorful drumsticks are signs. The drummer is a sign for the targeted audience: people who play drums and want to feel “one” with their drumsticks. The drumsticks signify the musical instrument while the bright paint dripping off of them would be a symbol for the feel of the drumsticks to the person who is using them. This advertisement would be appealing to the viewers because it has a sense of peace encompassing it. It is playing with the viewer’s emotions by depicting that the musician will feel “one” with their correct drumstick and only feel bliss. This advertisement is very successful because it strikes a musician’s creative interest with the calmly bold advertisement, but it also speaks to the musician because each can relate to the sense of peace a person feels when able to practice art. Overall, the advertisement twisted the ad and the slogan together very well and the simple image got the point across to the target audience.

 

Journal Six

Create a graphic that represents your opinion on a charged topic (birth control).

I ended up using the images to create words, and I am unsure whether that was in the criteria or not, but I really like the image I came up with. There are both birth control pills and condom wrappers, including the illustrated birth control pills used as decorative elements.

Journal Five

In the September 2008 issue of "The New Yorker," the mobile accessories company Jawbone had this two-page advertisement. In it, they are advertising a bluetooth headset and the text says, "Jawbone," and mirrored onto the next page, "People will talk." It has a doctor, dressed in pale blue, on one page, staring in the direction of the facing page. The woman on the other page has obviously had loads of plastic surgery done with her larger-than-normal lips and breasts. If anyone saw her casually walking in the streets, there would be a commotion and "talk" about her. This advertisement seems to be comparing the reaction to the woman to the reaction someone would have to the bluetooth headset.

The advertisement uses many different design concepts to get the message across as well. As mentioned, the doctor page has a pale palette of different tones of blues while the opposite page has the complementing color of shades of red. The two pages together create a symmetrical advertisement with a balanced mirror effect, and either page contrasts one another with the color choice, textures, and the differences between a man and woman.

I am on the fence with how well the metaphor got the message across. The images and concept drew me in very quickly and were interesting, which is definitely a high goal for any advertisement. Once you examine it closer, it is a wonder whether it is a good thing that the headset should stand out like the woman with the made-up body. It caught the audience's attention and had a catchy and well-used text, but the metaphor could have been more precise, perhaps with a drab person vs. a well-maintained individual.