Visual Rhetoric

Our discussion of visual rhetoric has made me even more aware of the strategies advertisers use to have me pulled into their ad. The way color and text is used was already pretty obvious, however the use of straight lines to pull the eye towards what the ad wants was new to me. Also, we all know that sex is used to sell a lot of things, yet I had no idea how much! Even the phone ad we discussed in class- the woman had a deep V-neck on. I wouldn't have thought much of it before our discussion but clearly these strategies are used all the time. After seeing the ads that were posted around UVU with the huge phrases that said things like “There’s a shooter on campus” (or something along those lines), I can also recognize what is an ineffective ad not solely based on the colors I see or the layout that’s been used. The role race, gender, and relationships play has struck me too. For instance the Nike ad that was in the textbook with the black woman striking her power stance and talking about how she already has a boyfriend had a lot more to it than I would ever have imagined. Overall, I have enjoyed these class discussions and felt prepared and more knowledgeable when it came to writing my own paper. When I see ads now, I can’t help but look at them in a different light.