Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Final Question 4
The above image is an advertisement (or rather the cover of a magazine) which is used to undermine the credibility (and in this case, the masculinity) of Richard Nixon using visual associations. In this image, the implication is that because Nixon did not wear make up on camera during his campaign, and people did not respond well to that or his 5 o'clock shadow, he had one last chance to "get it right."
The image also undermines his masculinity, with the overall pink hue to the image, numerous cosmetic products, and multiple persons applying the makeup, as if he were a supermodel. This image also portrays the idea of the shallowness of the American people, because they will not accept him unless he does wear makeup and shaves before public appearances.
This cover of the New Yorker shows an image of Sarah Palin looking out from the window of her home at Russia off in the distance. This is making fun of a statement she made during the campaign, stating that she could see Russia from Alaska. The implied idea is that based off of that statement, she is lacking intelligence, and therefore, her credibility as a political figure is undermined.
Comparing this image to the image of Nixon above, one can say that the undermining of the credibility of the political figure applies in both situations. Both images use a high level of non-verbal communication, using implications based off of commonly known information. The image of Nixon is bashing how he looks and how the American people view him because of it, but the image of Palin is bashing her intelligence. The second image also lacks multiple levels of meaning, whereas the first contains three.
Final Question 1
Herbert Bayer Great Ideas |
Bayer's "Great Ideas" advertisement associates corruption, gambling, and excess, with women, implying a negative correlation between the two. Compared to advertisements now, there is certainly an association between women and corruption, but it has a more positive implication than Bayer's ad. In many of the ads I found online, there were many pictures of scantily clad women, and although in most cases the idea of excess was not portrayed, the idea of sexual corruption was very strong throughout. In the ad below, you can see how the idea that "sex sells" is strongly tied to a large portion of advertisements today.
Many contemporary ads, portray this corruption in a positive way, unlike Bayer's ad. In terms of changing, the correlation of corruption and women is not really different, it's focus has just shifted. You can still find advertisements showing women associated with excess as well, such as the one below.
Excess is portrayed here in a positive light as well, and using women to emphasize corruption in a positive way is also present.
Generally, what I found was that compared to Bayer's ad, the actual content of contemporary ads has shifted in the direction of sex and corruption, and more importantly, the idea that corruption and excess are negative things has switched completely to the opposite end of the spectrum.
My Lester Beall Influenced Tornado Relief Poster
My design relates to Beall's Rural Electrification Administration work in several ways. I incorporated the red, white, and blue color scheme he used in order to evoke a strong sense of patriotism. I also used a strong graphic element on the top left region, using diagonal arrows not only to bring more attention to the can, but to encourage the idea of positivity and moving forward. I tried to make the type relatively close to what Beall used in most of his posters, and the placement of the text at the bottom is reminiscent of Beall's REA posters as well. I used an image of a woman preparing food for victims of the tornado to show that people are happily willing to contribute to aiding people in need, portraying a positive message about American identity. Lastly the text 'Donate Hope' adds to the positive identity of America, and brings another level of meaning to the poster.
Edit
Here are links to places I've posted it online:
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=fe04rp&s=7
http://www.flickr.com/photos/49489368@N06/5707965733/in/photostream
http://s1138.photobucket.com/albums/n539/poraykoc/?action=view¤t=beallposter.jpg
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