I used mostly advertisements since those are the things you're most likely to find in downtown Toronto/on the internet looking for examples of design concepts.
(Dyson Ad)This one I picked specifically for its contrast, which is the first thing that stands out to me when I look at it. Dyson uses gray clogged text to represent a statement about their competition, giving off the idea that they are inferior. Dyson then goes on to use bright yellow clear text for a statement about their company, using the power of the eye to interpret contrast to their advantage, making them look better in contrast to the gray clogged inferiority of others.
This ad doesn't only use contrast though as it employs very simple repetition by having the text for Dyson the same colour as their actual product, again associating the positive with their company. The left alignment of the vacuum cleaner also draws the eye to the product, making it clear what the advertisement is for. The proximity of the vacuum cleaner to the company's name ensures you'll remember what Dyson in particular sells.
(The Met Live in HD)This Met ad I took note of for its interesting use of alignment. First off, using the fact that everyone knows the Met for its shortened name they use a whole new line for 'ropolitan' which also helps line up everything neatly in that paragraph. Everything in the ad is left aligned making the eye able to follow the start of new lines easily.
There is also a lot of contrast in play here. It's hard to tell in the scan but the lettering that looks gray is actually light blue which is a complimentary colour to the main red background, making the "HD Live", "On Screen", and "Cineplex.com" stand out in the sea of white text. The contrast between the large and small text makes it very clear what the most important information is. Also, the silhouette of the woman makes her stand out; bringing an artistic flair to the ad that otherwise wouldn't have been there. She is also a part of proximity in that the text frames around her so they work to emphasize each other.
(Sony Ericsson Walkman)This Sony Walkman ad is re-influenced by its use of repetition. The actual body of the ad is surrounded by people all listening to and enjoying the product Sony is selling. This draws the eye in because it makes the viewer wonder what these people are enjoying so much, which is revealed clearly in the middle of the ad.
The actual phone itself is what embodies the remaining principles. It is aligned right in the center so there is no confusion about the ad's product. It contrasts everything else in the ad because it is so large which makes it impossible NOT to notice. The phone is distanced in terms of proximity from everything else so that helps it stand out even more.
(Path Sign)This isn't actually an ad, but it's an indicator on the steps down to the subway station. I took note of this because of its use of proximity. The fact that all the different letters are different fonts makes it harder to associate them, so what the designer decided to do was space them far enough apart but use repetition in the form of squares to unify and relate them. Also the contrast of the bright colours against the black background makes them stand out so the eye notices them.
All these pictures have been examples of using the CRAP principles effectively. I'd now like to talk about not just an ad, but an ad campaign that has not used them effectively.
(Bell's marketing campaign)
Bell launched their new ad campaign (officially nixing the beavers from our memories) just last month, starting with billboards displaying a mysterious 'er' everywhere. The contrast of the 'er' dark blue over the white background, made it very clear that we were supposed to be paying attention to those letters. Then the nature of the billboards was revealed when Bell's official slogan "Today just got better" was released, the 'er's still standing out from the rest of the simple black text.
The idea of the campaign was that Bell was better, more improved than any other phone/internet/tv service provider. A pretty clear and effective message.
But now the ads are reading things like 'rocker', 'space invader', 'multi-tasker', and my mind is getting confused. I thought the contrast of the 'er's against the rest of the text was supposed to indicate an improvement on the original word. But 'rocker' isn't an improved 'rock', nor is 'space invader' an improved "space invade"! The emphasis gets particularly confusing when the letters in 'here' get singled out.
To me it looks like Bell was just looking for words that had 'er' in them to use for their ads without really thinking about what their intended message was. If they were trying to affix 'er' with a relation to Bell, they did a pretty poor job. When I see 'er' I think of "Emergency Room", or something someone says when they're confused. The fact that this campaign went through all the effort of contrasting the 'er's makes me as a consumer believe it's important to their company, but the message gets jumbled the more ads they make.
While the use of contrast worked well for them initially, the more words they used that didn't make sense in that contest made the repetition ineffective and more confusing, rather than clear. It's the folly of a good short-term idea made into a long-term campaign that has already, after only a month or so, lost its effectiveness.
Well that's my blog for this week, join me next week for more insights into Digital Media.
Sources:
"Bell's marketing campaign just got bett"er"." The Simon Tonekham Statesman. 7 Aug. 2008. 12 Sept. 2008.
"Dyson Ad: Text as more than just words." Authentic Boredom. 16 Oct. 2006. 12 Sept. 2008
Path Sign. Personal photograph by author. 11 Sept. 2008.
Sony Ericsson Walkman. Advertisement. Famous 13 Sept. 2008: 19.
The Met Live in HD. Advertisement. Famous 13 Sept. 2008: 8.
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