Journal # 12 Handwritten

I think this advertisement works very well. The hand written text here is the "letter" that some one wrote in order to touch that person. which is why is showing the man as the letter hugging the girl. The hand written text works, because that is what is focusing on. The ad is saying that a person should write a letter in order to be in touch with somebody, and the handwriting text of the letter  is all over the background and the main focus of what the ad is trying to say. I think this was a very creative ad, and I really like it, plus the slogan at the bottom complements the ad completely.

Journal # 11 Myth

Here we four buffed, "sexy" men, one of which is on top of the woman, who is also "sexy" looking. I put "sexy" like this, because this is message that media gives as to what is "sexy". The connotative value of the ad is showing sex appeal. The ad is saying that if you buy Dolce & Gabbana  products, you can be as sexy as those people. Guys can have any "sexy" girl, and girls can be so "sexy" that more that one "sexy" guy will be after you. The denotative value of the ad is a picture of four guys and a girl. In these case the ad does not work for me, I do not like what it is saying. However for others it might work, I believe it depends on the group or person. 

Journal # 10 Metaphor

Here the metaphor for the ad is that the notebook is as light as paper, since you see the notebook being picked up by the wind like all the other paper. I think the metaphor works well for the ad, because is clear and easy to see.

Journal # 9 Logos

Cartoon Network uses a black and white color scheme with light blue to show emphasis on the shadows. They also use the method of leaving some parts unfinished so the eye completes it. The logo works well because it is easy to understand and read.

 

Nickelodeon uses white and orange for their color schemes. It works well because the white stands out from the orange and is clear to read. I think nickelodeon uses this color because it is bright and eye catching, and the design is simple enough.

Disney uses a monochromatic light blue, black, and white. I think they use this because the black background makes the blue castle really stand out, more than is it had been a white background. Also white is a sharp contrast for black, since they are opposites, thus the lettering really stand out as well. 

Journal # 8 Facial Expression

Anger (top left)- For anger I choose these pictures because to me they all represented anger. All of them have their eyebrows furrowed together and the little kid and the big mans's face have their lips crunch up as well. The girl at the top has more of a passive anger face, which is with what I relate to.  Her eyebrows are furrowed as well but her face is not as crunched up, same with the kids on the bottom.

Sadness (top right)- For sadness i choose these pictures because all of the are crying, or look like they are about to cry like the guy on the top right. Also the little girl with the clown make up specially grab my attention because she is looking down and her make up is smeared from crying, same goes for the other girl. She is also looking down, and her make up is a little smeared.. The guy in the middle is using his hand to cover his face, as if he was ashamed of being so sad and crying. The little boy is rubbing his tears away and he has a pouting lip.

Joyous (Middle)- All these pictures represent joy to me, because the people in them are smiling. In one case the girl is even jumping from joy. Another one is winking, because she is happy to have all that cash. The guy in the sand has his fists in a yes! position and is smiling and looking up. The little girl on the right, is also smiling and has her hands up happily. The other girl has her hands to her face, like she cannot believe she is so happy, she is also smiling. 

Uninspired (Bottom Left)- All these people have a "meh" look to their face. They are neither smiling, nor frowning or crying or big-eyed.  The adult male on top is resting his face on his hands and has a blank look on him. Then there is the guy laying on the bed, with the same blank look. He does not seem like he is going to get up. The three little girls, and the other little girl also are resting their heads on their hands, and seem bored out of their minds. Finally the last girl she is laying her arm and head on her desk, and does not seem to want to get up or do anything.

Scared (Bottom Right- All the people here have the eyes wide in fear. Their eyebrows are also raised, and they are not smiling at all. Like the girl on top, she is hiding behind her hands. Shaggy has a trembling lip, and is frozen in fear. The girl in the bottom is gritting her teeth, and the other two guys seem to be looking behind them or to the side, waiting to see what is coming. 

Journal # 4 Lead the Way

 

Before this assignment I had never noticed and really paid attention to arrows, but now I can just see them everywhere. Even as I type this I can see a multitude of arrows in my keyboard, like the tab, shift, enter, backspace, and the up, down, left, right, arrows. As mentioned in the article, arrows were first used as a method for killing, be it hunting or warfare that was the main reason for arrows. A person would point a shoot, and the arrow would follow in the direction it was shot. However today, we use arrows for guidance, so that we follow and are able to get to our destination.

I decided to kill two birds with one stone and went out to look for arrows, when I was looking for signs and I found out the two were pretty well intertwined. Almost every sign I saw was accompanied by an arrow. I decided that I wanted the traffic light arrows, and thus I waited for the light to change and took each picture because each arrow meant something different. Then as I was walking downtown I saw a lot more arrows. There were some that were drawn in the sidewalk in chalk all over the place, seeming to lead somewhere. I did not follow where they went, but  I did took the pictures of some of the arrows I saw, because they were all different.

Also street signs have arrows in order to guide which way the street is increasing or decreasing, and which way is north/south or east/west. All over downtown there were signs guiding people, as to where to park, where to go for help, where the restrooms were, etc. There was even a sticker of an arrow pointing down in one of the posts. Arrows are so universal that everyone recognizes what they mean. Arrows are here now to lead people in a direction, so that they do not get lost. If we see an arrow and follow it, we will most likely arrive somewhere, where it was there we meant to go or not.  

Journal # 3 My parking space.....MINE!!

I found all of these signs around Downtown. I discovered that people Downtown are very protective of their parking. In one place alone I found four different No Parking signs, as if one was not enough. I could understand it if it was a big spacious place, but no, it was small in one of the alleys. There was only one sign that I found where it pointed towards parking, besides the 2 hour parking signs. However most of the signs where No parking signs, it was kind of sad, it made me realize how protective people are about their territory and space. 

Also most of the signs where regulatory signs, which displayed the color red. Red for the for the most part means STOP, pay Attention, I have something important to say! They are usually accompanied by no's, Do Not Enter, No Parking, Don't Cross, Stop, Warning, etc. The color Red is very catchy, and is easy to spot, which is why it is chosen, to grab the viewers attention, also it gives a sense of alert. 

However, there were a few blue signs that I found, like the question mark, which is the sign of the visitor center. If there is someone who needs help and have questions they can go there. Blue is soothing and calming, is telling the viewer NOT to panic. Also blue is used a lot in business, for the same reason  and because is more open in a way it invites people in. I believe this is why Coldwell Banker (a real state agency) uses it, they want to invite people to their business, to help find a home through them.

In addition I encountered green signs, which is mostly related through the earth and nature, for example the recycling sign. It is green, and it relates to helping the world by re using sources, and not polluting the planet. It portrays healthiness and giving back and such, thus why I think green is also on the Adopt an Avenue sign downtown. 

Throughout it all it was very interesting taking this pictures. I have become much more aware about the signs around me, and what they represent and how they are related to the public. I am more aware now of how the message in signs are displayed and how the different color schemes used heightened the message, and why.