Final Project

Regardless of the product or service, creating an ad for someone else is easy compared to something a little more personal... say, YOU! You're the product. Or service. Whichever fits best. Come up with the headline, the body copy, the visual, the whole thing. Sell you like you’ve never been sold before!


Inspired by 1967 Bonnie MacLean Poster for Yardbirds, The Doors, James Cotton Blue Band, and Richie Havens at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco:


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You will design 2 posters, all by hand. No computer printouts.

+ You must use your own images (illustrations, photo collage, etc.)

Your Ads Must Contain:
+ Text and Image
+ A Headline and/or Slogan
+ Body Copy (At least 20 Words)

Journal #19

Find an advertisement that is using myth. Explain the ad. What is connotative value of the ad? What about the denotative? Why does it work? Or doesn’t it? What is it trying to sell / say?



In a roundabout way, this ad is saying that men deserve the best, including being waited on hand and foot by women. It is also saying that men of the past were given this respect that they deserve, and men today are not. The ad works in the sense that it is making this manly drink seem manlier and that the audience is probably saying "yeah that's right, that's how it should be!" It is trying to sell not only the whiskey, but also the idea that the world is changing and it's not in man's favor.

Journal #18

Find an advertisement that is using Frank Jefkins' three basic principles of effective advertisement writing. Explain the ad. Why does it work? What is it trying to sell / say?


This is an ad for a Swiss Army knife that appeals to the technological age we are in. It is not only the Swiss Army knife you remember from your past, it also is a USB drive and a laser pointer.


1. The advertisement should be of interest and value to the reader.
The ad is in Wired magazine, so therefore the features the Swiss Army knife features are already of interest and value to the reader.

2. The advertisement should be precise, that is get to the point asap.
The ad is fairly precise, it doesn't initially say "this is a Swiss Army knife with a USB drive and a laser pointer" instead it appeals to the emotional side of the reader saying "You have memories of your first pocket knife. Now it has one of its own."

3. The advertisement should be concise, that is using the least amount of words.
With 30+ words, this ad could have been much more precise, but at the same time it is not overly verbous. The choices of the words appeals to the computer orineted and the emotional side of the reader, so making it anymore precise would probably eliminate the emotional aspect.

The ad is trying to sell a high tech version of the original swiss army knife, it is saying that this new gadget will be there for you for all of your needs.

Journal #17

Find 2 full-page advertisements from a magazine. How does the advertisement use color? Is there a reason for certain color elements? Does the advertisement use color harmony? If so, which one, and how? How does color help/ruin the advertisement?


This Gucci ad uses a very minimal color palette. The main colors used are blue and white, however there is some green in the palm trees on the left hand side. I think the reasoning behind the color choice is two fold, first the white against the blue is very eye catching, second, the use of all white clothing in a beach setting has a feeling of richness, which appeals to Gucci's audience. There really is no color harmony since white is not a color. I think the use of color (or lack thereof) helps this ad because it feels clean and rich.


This Liberty of London ad also uses a very minimal color palette. The main colors are monochromatic pinks, and some greens. There is also black and white in the ad, however those are not technically colors. I think the reasoning behind the colors is to evoke a feeling of spring, which is when this ad was ran. The color harmony, as previously stated, is monochromatic. I think the color choice helps the ad because it is eye catching, has a feeling of care free fun, and is girly, so it appeals to the company's target audience.

Journal #16

Find 3 existing logos. Why do they use the color choices they use for their
identity? Does it have a particular meaning? What type of color harmony does the logo use? Monochromatic, Complimentary, Split-Complimentary, etc?


I think the company that created this logo (Benchworks) chose these colors for numerous reasons. The colors can represent many ideas that are associated with the Bahamas. They can represent the colorfulness of the flora and fauna there, the diversity of the people that live there, and the experiences you will have there. While two of the colors (blue and yellow) are present in the Bahamas' flag, I do not think that the other colors have specific meanings behind them. The top half of the logo uses warm colors, and the bottom half uses cool colors, however they are complimentary (yellow has purple, orange has blue, and red has green).


The Obama 2008 election logo uses the colors red, white and blue. It is obvious why these colors where chosen, the represent America.


The Burger King logo uses the colors red, yellow and blue. The color red enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure. Yellow produces a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity, and generates muscle energy. Yellow is often associated with food. The color blue symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. When these definitions are seen together, it is easy to see the reasoning behind the color choices. This logo should make people hungry, happy and evoke the sense of trust. Red and yellow are both warm colors, while blue is a cool color, but because of the amount of the colors used, combining them works out well.

Journal #15

Find images of Connotation & Denotation for EACH of the abstract ideas below.

RAGE
Connotation:
When I think of the word "rage" I think of the band Rage Against the Machine.

Denotation:
The definition of rage is "a feeling of intense anger" and the above picture illustrates someone that has that feeling.

ORDER
Connotation:When I think of the word order I envision a judge banging his gavel in a court room and yelling "order"

Denotation:Order is defined as "bring into conformity with rules or principles or usage". The above image shows a closet put into order by color.

JUSTICE
Connotation & Denotation:
I feel that this image represents both the connotation and the denotation of the word justice. Justice is defined as "Justice is the concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, fairness, or equity". Since it is a concept I do not feel there is a better image to illustrate the definition of it.

EVIL
Connotation:
When I think of the world "evil" I think of the movie Evil Dead starring Bruce Campbell (really awesome guy by the way, I met him once)

Denotation:
Evil is defined as "morally bad or wrong". The above image represents what many people feel is the sum of all evil, the Devil. However, this is a concept which has no basis other than an individual's ideas, therefore I do not feel that the image truly is a representation of the denotation of evil.

PEACE
Connotation & Denotation:
I feel that the idea of peace cannot be represented in any better way than this. The definition of peace is "harmonious relations; freedom from disputes" and while there are images that show that, the peace sign is a universally known image that represents both the connotation and denotation of the word.

GOD
Connotation:
I personally am agnostic, meaning I do not know whether or not there is a God in the sense that someone created the world we inhabit, however, I do believe in Mother Nature, and thus that is what comes to my mind for the word "God".

Denotation:
I do not feel it is right to assign a specific image to define God, since the idea of God is unique to each and every person.

HISTORY
Connotation:
When I think of the word "history" I think of the movie American History X.

Denotation:
History is defined as "the aggregate of past events" and thus I feel it is impossible to have an image that represents that wholly. History is unique to everyone.

PAIN
Connotation:
When I think of the word "pain" I think of one of the worst pains I have ever experienced, being tattooed.

Denotation:
Pain, can be defined as "physical or emotional distress; a fundamental feeling that people try to avoid" and the above image represents a little girl in some kind of physical or emotion distress.

SMART
Connotation:
When I think of the word "smart" I think of someone who is smart and thus a brain.

Denotation:
I do not think smart can have an image assigned to it's definition since the idea of being smart is in the eye of the beholder.

Journal #14

1. What cultural myths are invoked in the ad?
That a busy business traveler can never get good rest.

2. What relationship do you see between those myths and the target
audience for the product? How is the myth conveyed or hinted at?
The myth is hinted at in the tag line of the ad.

3. How do the characters in the ad function as signs?
The character of the man laying down represents the audience or busy travelers who have experienced that situation. The trees above him represent the hotel line Double Tree, and how you can always get rest at their locations.

4. What story does this ad tell about how happiness is achieved?
Happiness is achieved by being a busy traveler but being able to get rest when you need it.

5. How does the ad play off its audience's desires and/or fears?
The ad plays off its audience's desire to find a good place to stay at when they are traveling.