Final Blog Post

This semester has been an incredible learning experience. I find that I am much more aware of the visual imagery that surrounds me. When I look at a visual representation, I stop and think about what the inherent message is, why the image has been placed  there, and how it fits into the rhetorical situation as a whole. I am much better at describing exactly what I see and picking apart certain elements of an image that make an argument in order to persuade such as layout, colour, tone, or verbal messages.  I also got to use my creative side in the visual articulation project which I enjoyed. I have a better understanding of how art functions in our culture and how there are many different opinions on what counts as art. A very useful skill I improved on was how to build an argument for an essay. I realized that some of my past writing didn't always make a strong case and this got in the way of the clarity of the work.

The photo that most intrigued me was "Tennis Girl" taken my Martin Elliot. I had never seen the photo before and am still confused whether it is art or not! I know that this is a subjective opinion and that everyone will look at it in a slightly different way. I think the significance of this photo is that fact that it has been parodied a lot and has come to be seen as an icon. It definitely straddles the line between art photography and commercial photography in my opinion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TennisGirl_thumb.jpg

Thanks for everything this semester, I enjoyed reading everyone's blog posts. Good luck in the future!

Blog Post #7 - Minimalist Advertisements

I have always liked ads that are simple and visually appealing, but reveal a strong message. The minimalist style works very well for a variety of reasons. Firstly, the eye doesn't have to work hard to find the central image of the ad. In the below ads for Colgate dental floss, the bright coloured fruits are front and centre; you can't miss them. As you can see, all of the seeds from the fruit have been removed to represent the idea that dental floss will remove all off the unnecessary food particles that inhabit our mouths.

Minimalist ads are also effective because they grab the attention of viewers. I am so used to seeing ads in magazines that are full of text such as makeup ads that list reasons why the product is better and what scientific discoveries prove that this product will make you look ten years younger. These ads tend to be too busy and I hardly stop to read the copy. For the ads below, my eye can register what the product is and what is being sold to me. It is visually appealing and also clever. Minimalist ads tend to be witty and smart; you usually take a second to look at the page and figure out what is going on. I think this contributes to the ad being more effective because viewers till tend to look at the ad longer than a typical make-up ad. Viewers might want to know what is going on and why this kiwi has no seeds!

I also like that the product, which is Colgate dental floss, is secondary and much less important than the images of the seedless fruits. Minimalist ads play on the idea that viewers are already aware of the brands and products. I do not think a minimalist ad would work well for an unknown brand unless social media was integrated so that people could link to more information. When I look at this ad, I don not need to know anything else. It is simply dental floss!

Today, with so many visual messages being thrown in my face, I am not as responsive to text-heavy, visually cluttered ads. I prefer a minimalist message that is clear, concise, and with a hint of cleverness.

Both images from this site: http://blog.the-dot.co.uk/tag/minimalist-print-ads/

The Persona of Carrie Bradshaw

For this post, I decided to talk about one of my favourite celebrities, Sarah Jessica Parker, better known as Carrie Bradshaw from HBO's Sex and the City. This is my all-time favourite show and as a result, I became obsessed with the persona of Carrie Bradshaw. In the show, Carrie is a 30-something single woman, constantly hovering between old flames and new relationships. She is shoe-obsessed and is known for her eccentric but glam fashion sense. She has come to be seen as a fashion icon because of her array of stylish, fashion-forward outfits as seen on the show.

Since I began watching, I was in love with everything about Carrie, from her flawless blonde curls, to her fast-paced and glamorous lifestyle. Now, looking back on my love for her, I realize that it was the persona of her that was created on the show that I was drawn to, and not the real person inside. I realized I didn't actually know much about Sarah Jessica Parker. This probably contributed to my love for Carrie as a persona because Sarah Jessica Parker wasn't in the public eye compared to a celebrity like Angelia Jolie; her true personality was unknown to me so I solely identified with Carrie as if she were real. It is interesting to think about television characters and how much people invest in their devotion to them.

Below is a series of images taken from the Sex and the City Movie. Her costumes for the movie were amazing, each outfit looked better than the last. They showcased how her style had evolved and portrayed her as a more grown up, sophisticated woman. Carrie's outfits on the show allowed a large majority of viewers to identify with her unique style. She was always changing it up. Her persona is largely based on her love of all things fashion and of course, shoes. She was best known for popularizing the shoe designer Manolo Blahnik. "Manolos" were granted a certain prestige because of her.

I still adore Carrie Bradshaw, although now I recognize it is her persona that I am drawn to, and not the real person on the inside!

http://www.fashionsteelenyc.com/2011/11/inspired-by-carrie-bradshaw.html

Topic Proposal #4: Research Paper

For this research paper, I wanted to focus on fast food advertising. I stumbled upon an article that was discussing McDonald's newest commercial for kids that advocates healthy eating. In the commercial, a cartoon goat eats everything in sight and it ends up making him feel sick. The "catchy" song playing over the images explains next that the goat must eat a better diet of fruit and dairy. The family takes the goat to McDonalds to eat milk and apple slices. Now the goat is strong! Meanwhile, the other character who is a kid is eating McDonald's Happy Meal of fries and chicken nuggets.

The commercial can be seen by visiting this link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/06/mcdonalds-happy-meal-ads_n_1323809.html

I would like to argue that the commercial makes use of rhetorical strategies to convince young viewers that eating McDonalds is healthy. I will consult academic sources to prove that fast food advertising to children promotes a negative message and an unhealthy diet. I will look back to the specific strategies we've discussed in class to strengthen my argument about the visual messages, such as the idea that the characters in the commercial are from a farm.

For my multimedia component, I would like to create a mock website that critically analyze's the advertising campaign in a more visually appealing way. I will highlight important points from my essay such as nutritional information, rhetorical strategies, and past advertising campaigns.

Any feedback would be helpful! Thanks!

Blog Post #5: Lynching Photograph

For this blog post, I decided to choose a more serious topic. The idea was inspired by a photography and politics class I took in MIT. We studied lynching photographs and asked the question, how can we view these photographs today in a different light? The photo below is a well-known lynching photo from 1930. The two young boys were hanged because they were accused of raping a young white girl.

http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0309/lm18.html

In class, we were first shown only the bottom half of the image with all the spectators. We talked about what we saw. I noticed the young woman in a flowery dress holding a man's hand. It appears as if they are on a date or at least some sort of couple. They look perfectly content. We also talked about the people who seem to be looking straight into the camera, such as the man in the middle with a moustache.  Without seeing the two lynched bodies above, this photo appears as a normal social gathering of people. However, the meaning of the photo drastically changes when we learn what is actually going on. Therefore, the layout and arrangement of the photograph is key to how viewers interpret the image. 

For me, the importance of this photo is that it shows how context can completely change the meaning and purpose of a photograph. Originally, these lynching photos were printed on postcards to disseminate the idea of white supremacy. Now, these photos are shown in textbooks and classrooms to teach a lesson of tolerance. This photo can be used to convey the argument that it is not right to stand by and watch injustice. By showing how easy it is to misinterpret this image, it is revealing how the seemingly innocent spectators are really witnesses to a terrible act of cruelty. Their blank, sometimes smiling faces come off as disturbing when the true photo is shown.

Topic Proposal #3: Visual Articulation Project

For this assignment, I have decided to be creative and do the visual articulation project. I wanted to take a song lyric from one of my favourite musicians John Mayer. His lyrics have always captivated me and I believe there is a lot of meaning behind them. I love how his lyrics make me think beyond the song to relate to life lessons and this will help me to visually articulate what I believe the lyrics represent.

I have two possible lyric choices. One is from the song "No such thing":

"I'd like to think the best of me is still hiding up my sleeve. I'd love to tell you, stay inside the lines. But something's better, on the other side"

The other lyric comes from the song "Bigger than my body":

"Someday I'll fly, someday I'll soar. Someday I'll be, so damn much more. Cause' I'm bigger than my body gives me credit for".


The first lyric is about how society tells us to all be the same and act a certain way, but that it's more fulfilling to be unique and think outside of the box. This stresses the idea of individuality. In terms of visually articulating this lyric, I see the image as having lots of color and brightness. I had the idea of an image with two frames, one frame of something boring and dull, and the other of the same image but made to look vibrant and fun.

The second lyric is about overcoming obstacles and being the best you can be. It's about personal growth and proving people wrong. I see lots of symbols in this image such as the sky and wings. I could do a collage of images that represent reaching higher limits.

I am not sure which quote to choose! I think both could make for an interesting project. Any suggestions on which one will lend me a better overall argument? Thanks so much!

Blog Post #4: The Walden Games

For this blog post, I searched through my personal collection of images and stumbled upon this photo taken from my old summer camp. Every summer, we had a camp-wide competition called Walden Games. The camp was divided into four teams: Holland, Great Britain, Japan, and Greece. For two days, the entire camp wore only yellow, red, green, or blue and competed in various challenges in order to be the ultimate winner of the games.

This image was taken at what we call the "break" of the games. The campers are woken up late at night, and taken to a big field where the opening ceremonies begin. The photo has a "W" which represents Walden, the olympic rings, and the number 31 commemorating the 31st anniversary of the games. The break's purpose is to get all of camp pumped up for the next two days. I think this image represents intensity and strength, two qualities that must be present during the games. Walden wants to promote a competitive, spirited, and high energy environment where every camper feels part of a team and has a desire to succeed and put their physical abilities to the test.

The person in the photograph is one of the team captains and is posing before the fire display with his arms up in the air. His stance looks like a sacrifice, as if he is giving himself over to the games entirely. The powerfulness of this image is the fact that it wasn't staged or constructed in any way. Fire represents power and intensity and definitely set the scene for the games to come. I can see this image being very effective on the camps website or brochure in terms of advertising for the camp. It would show off one of Camp Walden's most intense, fun, competitive and enthusiastic events of the summer.