chp 7, 8, 9

chp 7:

I thought the BMW "River" and "Peak" ads were interesting because they put a modern twist on classic iconic artwork. The Japanese (I think) landscape artwork is recognizable by almost anyone; they depict a natural setting and almost never feature any modern machinery, instead focusing on the beauty of the natural world. Here, though, BMW placed their cars in the setting within the same style and aesthetic, and it looks strange but catches your eye. Also, it implies a certain dominance over the natural world, because the cars are good off-road vehicles. At the same time, however, these cars aren't depicted destroying the landscape, but instead existing as part of the landscape.

In contrast, the BMW ad above instead attempts to appeal to the viewer's sense of logic and rationale, implying that the safety provided by BMW vehices and motorcycles will help you protect your life-long investment in education. It's a completely different approach from the same company, because, while the composition is still solid and it's an interesting image, the lure is in the appeal to one's safety.

Chp 8:

The Cleveland International Film Festival ads work well to utilize stylistic text to connote a sense of friendliness. The text is light-hearted, without jagged lines, and making use of spacing imperfections. Also, this type of text implies, to me, an artistic and creative sense of assocation to the festival, because the design is tasteful yet very simple.

A similar design choice occurs in the Outside Lands poster above, which is a music festival in San Francisco. The text, while more formal and detailed, also connotes a friendly atmosphere. The bright, flat use of colors also adds to the friendly nature of the poster, which, in combination with the simple, non-realistic depiction of San Francisco, creates an appealing sense of hopsitality about the poster.

chp 9

The Vespa ad titled "Friends Move" is interesting to me mainly because of the jagged "tail" of the vespa which juts out further than any other piece on the machine. In the image, this tail creates a cool composition by drawing the viewer's eye to the most distinctive facet of the image (the tail) and then leading the eye into the beauty of the product itself, namely the flawlessly smooth rear and chic seat design.

The Playstation 9 ad above is also interesting because of the composition; the buildings in the background are cool on their own, as the interweaving metal and whitewash provide a really solid backdrop. In the foreground, the character's body and gestures all lead the viewer's eye to the high-tech orb which represents the future playstation.