Monday, April 28, 2008

Image in print advertisement

The advertisement has an Image component, which is typically a scene which provides the background for the entire advertisement.

The Image may or may not feature a representation of the product, and the product may or may not be "in use" (for example, imagine an image of a tube of toothpaste as opposed to some toothpaste on a brush, or some beer in a glass as opposed to a bottle of beer). The Image component may be more than just one scene, as is often found in the "before-after" type of advertisement (for example, 69 Allegra), or if there are other symbols or visual features that are superimposed on the original scene (such as 05 Europcar or 15 Dunhill, or, taking an odder example, 23 Max Factor).

The original scene in the Image may lend itself to a variety of interpretations. Look at sunset5a (right), and think about what kind of advertisement you could create, based on this image.

An Image usually has some interpretational component which guides the reader to certain aspects of meaning, possibly in conjunction with the Text. Some examples of this are discussed in the page on Organization.

References:
Sunset image. Ideas for Great Windows and Doors. Sunset Books, Menlo Park, CA. 1996, p. 51.
Allegra, Time, January 28, 2002.
Europcar, Der Spiegel, 2002, p.99.
Dunhill, Rolling Stone, June 20, 2002, p. 16.
MaxFactor, Vogue, September 2002.

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