Completing a visual rhetorical analysis didn't have much of an affect on how I see advertisements. I have been involved in elements of graphic design for a few years now and have been looking at and analyzing the strategies used in advertisements. I almost always analyze ads before I even realize what is being sold. When designing advertisements, logos, business cards, etc., I have to be thinking about all of these strategies. Of course, before this class and this assignment, I didn't know the named concepts of ethos, pathos, logos, and kairos but I was still using them on a regular basis. I was designing a logo for a dental company a few months ago and was discussing these very things with my brother about the logo. He was telling me how the colors chosen should make the patients feel comfortable and cozy (pathos) while still creating professionalism and cleanliness (increasing ethos).
What I find interesting, however, about being involved so much in the process is that, even though I know why the ad is influencing me or not, the rhetorical strategies used in the ad usually still work. For instance, I know that Progressive, the automotive insurance company, might not be the best company to use for auto insurance, but I am more inclined to trust them just because their logo is designed extremely well. So, though I may not have learned as much as others on the assignment, I believe knowing about visual rhetorical strategies is important and helpful. I'm sure I will continue to use these strategies on a regular basis and that most people in professional environments will do the same at one time or another.
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