Elements of an Effective Layout

Dorothy Cohen’s explains that a good layout should attract attention and interest and should provide some control over the manner in which the advertisement is read.  She goes on to say that in addition, the most important aspects of an effective layout are balance, proportion, movement, utility, clarity, and emphasis.  This specifically is the analytical tool for this article. She goes into great detail about each aspect.  In my opinion the most important principles are unity and clarity/simplicity.  If the layout of an advertisement isn’t unified then it throws off the whole point of it.  Although many different elements tie into a specific advertisement, they should all use the same basic shapes, color, sizes, textures, and mood in order to achieve unity.  Aside from unity, the clarity and simplicity should also be effective.  Too much information or a cluttered advertisement can defeat the purpose of advertising.  It could potentially steer a viewer away.

It is weird to think about all the different principles and elements that go into an advertisement because when we are flipping through a magazine or watching TV we don’t think about all this.  We are just viewing the advertisement for what it is.  With that said, I don’t really think that this ruins an advertisement or makes it any less interesting.  Marketing is my major, so I find this analytical thinking interesting.

Democracy of Goods

The whole idea of advertising is to advertise across a broad variety of people.  It is difficult to do however, when catering to different social classes.  Roland Marchand’s main point in “Democracy of Goods” is defining democracy in terms of “equal access to consumer products.” This is the analytical tool of this article.  This whole concept is still used to today, a lot of times in the fashion world.   When you are looking at advertisements these days, the economic differences in social classes are recognized.  Things are perceived in the sense that all people can afford the same desired product.

The specific example Marchand uses in this article is “Cream of Wheat.”  It essentially summarizes that “every mother can give her youngsters the fun and benefits of a Cream of Wheat breakfast just as do the parents of these boys and girls who have the best that wealth can command.

Advertising

One of the most effective forms of advertising today is the use of guerrilla marketing.  Guerrilla marketing relies on time, energy and imagination rather than a big marketing budget.  The campaigns are usually unexpected and unconventional and targeted in unexpected places.  The goal is to generate buzz and as a result gain viral media.  An example of this I recently saw in a magazine was for a particular brand of camera.  There was a 3D sculpture of a dog in the middle of some grass and the dog looked like you were looking at in the form of pixels versus a smooth image.  The sign next to the sculpture read “SEE IT IN MORE DETAIL.”  Under the powerful sentence was a picture of the camera and the brand name.  It was all very simple looking but really got the message across.  Sometimes in advertisements I think less is more. 

One of the first things that popped in my mind for the most ineffective advertisement is the Spangles commercials.  These absolutely annoy me.  I feel like they look very unprofessional and they are corny.  After watching one of their commercials I don’t want to go and eat their food at all.

Summary of Persuasive Essay

My thesis statement for my persuasive essay is as follows: Christy Lleras, a professor of Human and Community Development, says that "Extracurricular activities foster 'soft skills', such as sociability, punctuality, conscientiousness, and the ability to get along with others." With this said, it leads us to believe that participation in extracurricular activities is crucial to the overall well-being of a child.

I believe that my thesis is bold and the rest of my paper feeds off of this one sentence. My main arguments include the definition of an extracurricular activity and how they can come in many forms beyond sports. Another point I make is that they are crucial to the mindset you have as an adult and the skills you obtain that you can apply in the workforce. I focus on sports because I think you can get the most benefits out of a sport, whether it is team or individual. My counter arguments are that you can be involved in other extracurriculars such as theater and music that also foster important skills.

Research

Fujita, Kimiko. "Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences."
           Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society - Human Sciences. URC. Web. 20 Oct. 2011.
           <http://www.kon.org/urc/v5/fujita.html>.

"The Human Brain - Exercise." Resources for Science Learning. The Franklin Institute, 2009. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. <http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/exercise.html#physicalexercise>.

Macomber, Jennifer Ehrle, and Kristen Anderson Moore. "Children's Environment and Behavior: Participation in Extracurricular Activities." The Urban Institute | Research of Record. The Urban Institute, 1 Jan. 1999. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. <http://www.urban.org/publications/900869.html>.

"Social Skills, Extracurricular Activities In High School Pay Off Later In Life." Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology. Science Daily, 25 Mar. 2009. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325132536.htm#>.

Effective Argument - "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"

Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is an extremely powerful and effective argument.  Technically he is addressing the clergymen, but more importantly this was published all over, so he in fact was reaching people all over the world.  Simply put, he is addressing the issues of racism and segregation.  There are several examples throughout the letter that depicts certain incidents where blacks and whites were distinctly treated differently.  Throughout the whole letter he talks about how he is considering himself the voice of the people whom have been treated unfairly.  There are a lot of very powerful arguments throughout the letter. One of my favorite points was, “Lamentably, it is an historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily.  We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”  He is showing why he feels like he needs to finally speak out.  He goes on to explain that in order to get recognized he must break the law, which is what he did. 
 

Martin Luther King Jr. was so tired of hearing the word “wait” that he couldn’t stand the thought of waiting any longer.  He argued that nothing was going to change if someone didn’t speak out and make the problems with society known. Because of this he was considered an extremist.  He argued that there were all kinds of people in history that did the same things, just viewed in a different light.  How was what he was doing any different?

The either-or logical fallacies were the most common throughout the letter.  Most of the time he was saying either we make this change, or everything around us will stay the same.  I spotted a hasty generalization in the first paragraph on pg. 162, and also name calling in the bottom sentence on pg. 157.  More commonly they were seen in the form of begging the question.  He is asking why his brother and sisters aren’t granted the necessary freedom that everyone is supposed to share.

Logical Fallacies.

I can drink beer even though I am underage because everyone else under twenty one is doing it.

This is an example of a bandwagon appeal because this person is assuming that everyone else out there is drinking underage, therefore it is okay if they do it too.  In reality, not everyone underage in the world is actually drinking beer; it might just be the case that everyone they hang around or come in contact too on the weekends is partaking in these events.  Just because this is the case, doesn’t mean it is the truth, it just makes the idea more appealing.

I would have finished cleaning the house if the weather wasn’t so nice outside.

This is an example of a rationalization.  This is a very weak explanation as to why the house didn’t get cleaned.  Regardless of whether it was nice outside or not, the house would have just as good of a chance to get cleaned. It didn’t just because of the simple fact that you wanted to spend more time outdoors.

We have had extreme weather the past few years. This is a sure sign of global warming.

This is a hasty generalization.  This is a very broad statement, when in reality; there could be numerous other reasons as to why the weather is behaving the way it is.  It would take a very, very long time to be able to track the trends of the weather patterns.  A simple generalization would not do the trick.