BP 6: R&R (SPE 212)

I never realized how much advertising plays a role in our society until this blog post assignment. I imagined advertising took place on television during commercials and on the radio. Not realizing that advertising is practically everywhere we look. After my twenty-four hour advertising period was complete my list of ads was full. I saw ads I never even knew existed. I am more aware of advertising now than I ever was before. I see them everywhere since my advertising adventure began!

            The most unusual advertising tactic I saw was on a car. I never saw such an unusual advertising in my life. When I got home I researched it and came across more information. When you rent a car from places sometimes they have advertising on it. Also, some people get paid a few hundred dollars a month to drive around with an organizations ad on their car.

            The ad I disliked the most came from a television show. The Voice on the NBC network had one of their contestants drive to the competition in a Kia automobile. There was a 3-4 second pause, when the camera was directly looking at the Kia logo. The male contestant received a call from his daughter on the hand free phone device the Kia car company offers. Before this class I never would have even realized Kia was using advertising directly in the show. I found this ad to be frustrating. I thought it was extremely fake looking and didn’t make me want to purchase a Kia. Of course, this is just my opinion and maybe someone else watching the program found Kia to be appealing.  If I was the advertising agency who created this ad I would have made the ad more realistic looking and not so cheaply designed.

            The most obvious ad I found on my advertising journey was on T-shirts and other clothing materials. There are thousands of people on our campus every day. I never took notice of peoples shirts until now. I found advertising for food places like Subway and Wawa. There were a lot of construction and car towing shirts I saw people wearing as well. The most popular type of advertising on t-shirts and clothing I found were from stores. For example, the typical Hollister or Abercrombie shirt that has their brand name written on the shirt or sweatpants. I believe this is a very smart tactic used by the clothing companies. They already know people buy these clothing items so they know it will be a profit for them. Secondly, while there consumer is wearing their clothing items the company is getting free advertising.  Although, it is getting annoying to see everyone wearing the same type of clothing with the brand name written down the side of the shirt, it is a creative move on the company’s part.
                
              I found the usual advertising while keeping my advertising diary. There are a few main ads I used to see before this assignment that I still see today. This includes ads on the side of your computer when browsing the web, in the newspaper, magazines, and on the sides of buses. These types of advertising have been around for years and will continue to stay. I believe that all the ads I saw, the new and old, all tried their best to catch my attention. Most were cleaver while some like the Kia ad made me want to change the channel.  I found that most advertising can be seen any time of day, depending on where you are and what you are doing. There are some ads that can only be found during the evening hours on television, like the Kia ad on The Voice. Watching television during the prime time hours is when I found the most popular and interesting commercials that did an excellent job advertising a product.

            After this blog post assignment I see ads even more frequent then I did before. I am more aware of where advertising is located and how I truly feel about advertising. I believe the advertising world is in full effect and there will be more creative and catchy ads to come as the years go by.

Advertisements have a big impact on society because they are everywhere as mentioned above. The impact of ads can be positive and negative, just like anything else in the world. Advertisements make a difference in the way we thinks of the world. This is because ads try to persuade people’s decisions and views on different things. Whether it be what restaurant to eat at for dinner or what doctor to go to the next time you’re sick. Ads help us decide many different things throughout the day and lead us to make decisions on pretty much everything. Over time ads will make a difference in the way we think about the world because ads could almost make choices for us. For example, an ad could easily make the decision in where a family goes on vacation depending on the billboard they see for Cancun, Mexico on the highway.  Ads are a big part of our world, but I truly believe there will always be pros can cons to the different ads we see around us. The consumer has to decipher what ad to play into and what to stay away from.

BP6: R&R (SPE 370)

I chose a clover to represent me. This symbol in many ways shows who I am as a person and expresses my past. To some people this is just a clover. They are found in green grasses in the spring time but after picked and considered lucky they are usually thrown to the ground.

 This icon is very special to me for a few reasons. I have a very strong Irish background and I am proud of where my ancestors came from many years ago. Another reason this icon represents me is because I was born on St. Patrick’s Day which is the day we celebrate the Irish descent. I believe it was gift that I was born on such a great day. My name is Jillian Patricia which is an extremely Irish name. The four leaf clover symbolizes me because my favorite color is green. When I was younger I thought all the green decorations on my birthday were for me, not realizing there was a national holiday going on at the same time. Green was always my favorite color and always will be.

 Lastly, I have four people in my immediate family. This includes my mom, dad, sister, and me. I feel that each clove on the four leaf clover represents each of my family members. I think it is special how all the cloves face into the middle almost looking like four hearts, and they all come together at the end with one stem. It makes me believe that even though each of my family members including myself are all very busy, and we each have our own lives we still always come back to the center just like the cloves do with the stem. We have a unique family bond that is as rare as finding an actual four leaf clover on a grassy hill. I believe that a clover icon will always represent who I am because there are so many significant meanings behind it. Seeing a clover makes me happy because it reminds me of where I came from.

In class we discussed Peirce’s 3 types of signs. A four leaf clover would be symbolic. In my mind it is symbolic because it represents something special to me. Now that we learned about vision and the eye it is interesting to think about how an icon such as a four leaf clover can represent a million different things depending on the person. I find that intriguing and I never even thought about that until this class.

Now that the semester is almost over I can analyze this symbol more elaborately. I feel the lines are very to the point and make it easy to make out the clover. It is easy to see the four different parts of the clover which I used to represent each of the members of my family. There are a few different greens in this clover. The top of the clover is the lightest and as you go down to the stem it becomes darker. I feel this shows the difference between the clover itself and the stem. It makes it more interesting to look at having different colors and not just one color green.  Other than line and colors the clover icon I chose is extremely bare. In some way this can relate back to our textbook McCloud. He believes that the more basic a face is the more people can enjoy and relate to it. I feel this way towards my icon being the clover. Since the clover is so plain I could see myself, and my family, and how it relates to my life in so many ways. This would have been much more difficult if the clover was more in-depth and elaborate. This icon represents me in many ways as discussed above. I am now able to analyze this image in a new way. This is something I never would have been able to do before this class.



SPE-370 Essay #3 Image

I found this image on Google Images and the source was Anonymous.

SPE 370 Blog Post 5

The original ad is from an Indonesian website for non-smoking but was found on an American non-smoking ads campaign website. At first when one reads the text “how long can you live?” but may not take much notice at the numbers on the left side of the ad. After looking more in depth at the cigarette the numbers popped out more. It may only take a few seconds to realize what this ad is trying to say. The cigarette being lit and burning down represents one’s life expectancy is also burning and becoming lower and lower. The quote is also asking the audience a question. This open ended question “how long can you live?” really makes one think.  Most healthy people want to live a full prosperous life and this ad makes one view cigarette smoking in a negative light.  

The color used in this ad is very plain. Black, white, and brown are the only colors used. Using only a few basic colors makes it easy to understand what the ad is trying to get across to their audience. If there were lots of colors and designs going on it would be more difficult for the viewer of the ad to grasp the concept. The text size goes from small to large which makes the viewer see how important and meaningful the message is as you read it. “Live” is the last word and since it is the biggest it shows the significant meaning in the word and how it relates to cigarettes.

The repetition in the numbers on the left side are extremely important because it shows how easy is to die at a young age depending on if you smoke a lot or in this case if you smoke the whole cigarette. In the ad the balance is on point. It is easy to look at because of the balance that is taking place. For instance, on the right side it is the text and on the left is the image which is the cigarette. Having two key points in the picture both on different sides makes the picture look evenly proportioned and balanced correctly. The emphasis is directed towards the cigarette because there is black text on both sides of the cigarette. When viewing the ad one looks directly at the image because it is the only thing that isn’t the color black. There is similarity in the advertisement with the numbers. Having similarities and number patterns make it easy for the audience to understand the concept that the ad is trying to convey.

Kenneth Burke is a rhetorical scholar who drew from psychology and religion. Burke is known for being self-taught which something very rare. Burke created the “four masters tropes”. This includes metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, irony. The metaphor in this ad is seeing the cigarette as a time line of your life in years if you smoke, instead of just a cigarette. The metaphor makes this ad have so much meaning that it wouldn’t have without it. If this image was metaphor free it would just simply be a cigarette, which wouldn’t be a very cleaver ad. The metonymy in the advertisement is showing that if one smokes cigarettes they will die faster, which ultimately shortens one’s life. The Metonymy shows this because the text and the image add up to enforce this fact. The synecdoche in the ad refers the cigarette killing people. Obviously, not one cigarette can kill but the synecdoche is making the ad viewer see that cigarettes can do harm. Being able to view one cigarette and relate that to people dying because of smoking shows the synecdoche is present in this ad. Lastly, irony is extremely viewable in this ad. Without the one line question and the numbers on the left side this ad would not be used as a non-smoking campaign image. The image needs text to go along with the picture. It would be representing smoking and could possibly give people the wrong image without text. If there wasn’t irony in this ad one wouldn’t know this was for non-smoking advocates. Having text go along with an image is extremely important. They rely on each other and are better together then separate when relaying a message to the public. This ad shows just that.

Using Burkes tropes and many other design elements and principles one views this image in a new way. If one looks at this image quickly they will not see nearly as much in-depth meaning, as if one analyzes and understands knowledge, artistic, media literate information. This ad shows people every day the negative side effects associated with cigarette smoking. After a few seconds of looking at this image one knows smoking is bad, this is exactly what the creators wanted to get across to their audience. It is safe to say this non-smoking campaign image is successful and shows the truth about cigarettes and did a good job showing that using many different tactics.

SPE 212 Blog Post Five

Illegally downloading music has been a controversial issue for many years. From Youtube to ITunes, there are many ways everyday people can get their hands on the newest tune without paying a dime. The average person who illegally downloads music feels as though it is there right to listen to whatever they want. One believes a ten dollar contribution to the music industry by purchasing a CD will not make a difference, since the singer is already “wealthy”. On the other hand, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is extremely concerned with illegally downloading music and blames it on the lack of music sales for the last few years.

There are many different ways ethics plays a role in the music industry and illegal downloading. People have morals and ethics. Morals are a religious or philosophical code of behavior that may or may not be rational. Ethics is the rational way of deciding what is good for individuals.  Depending on what one believe, morals and ethical beliefs may play a bigger or small role in one’s life. This is why some people illegally download music without an ounce of guilt while others would rather pay the ten dollars to buy the CD and not feel any type of ethical or moral wrongness.

Categorical Imperative asks people to consider what would be the result of everyone acting the same way they themselves wish to act. This is a fascinating idea when thinking of the issue of illegally downloading music. People who download music may feel that since only a small population downloads music, it doesn’t make an overall difference to the people who deserve the credit and money. One would imagine Immanual Kant, who is the creator of categorical imperative would feel very strongly about this issue. Kant would probably ask our generation a simple question. If everyone in the world downloaded music would there be a successful music industry? The answer is obviously no, but without understanding categorical imperative one would never think that deeply about such issue.

It is interesting to think if roles were switched. For instance, if the people doing the illegal downloading would be the ones in the music industry and they had to deal with the issue of people downloading music illegally. One would hope that then these people would see how much harm they are causing to a once successful industry.

Sissela Bok created a three-step model for analyzing an ethical situation that works well with this topic. Number one: consult your conscience. In other words, one needs to think about what is going on during a particular situation and figure out what is truly going on inside one’s head. Number two: seek alternatives. This simply means one must think about or realize all different alternatives one has when in a situation. Number three: hold an imaginary ethical dialogue with everyone involved. This last step seems to be the most important. To follow this step one must hold an imaginary ethical conversation with everyone involved. This is helpful because when one is in a situation many things can go wrong. If one already has an imaginary dialogue in there head it can help the person better understand what is going on at that moment. It helps the person see what could potentially happen if they do a certain thing and what the ethical consequences could be.

Overall, when dealing with the issue of illegally downloading music, is it important to look at ethics and the pros and cons in each situation. Immanuel Kant and Sisseal Box created useful ethical guidelines and questions that one can ask themselves throughout life. Downloading music illegally is wrong when seeing it in a moral or ethical viewpoint.  After learning about Kant and Bok’s teachings one can view the music downloading controversy in a different light. If one knows about ethics and what these scholars have brought to the table, one should never download music illegally ever again. The music industry are the losers in this situation and the people who download music for free and don't get into trouble are the winners, which is truly unfortunate and ethically wrong.

SPE 370 Blog # 4

Logos helps to establish the name and define the character of an organization. When one sees a logo it immediately has meaning to them. This is why logos are used every day in our society. They are created to make people remember a particular organization and separate each other, so every company has their own identity.  If the business does not use a logo, chances are they will not be successful. A logo needs to be effortless, yet still cool.

In our world today many will look to name brand clothing instead of the less expensive options. This is because name brand clothing is the “cooler” option. The logo has everything to do with this opinion. People would rather have a logo on their shirt then nothing at all. Hollister clothing company is known for their bright colored tiny clothing. Hollister is geared towards 14 to 18 year olds. Females and males can shop at Hollister and they used a logo that both sexes can appeal too. Hollister’s logo is Seagull and there theme is “SoCal” which stands for southern California. Whenever people see a long bird that looks as though it is flying one knows that particular clothing garment is from Hollister. Since this is the case, Hollister did a good job with their logo creation.

Before this blog post I wasn’t sure why Hollister choose a Seagull as there logo. As I researched this topic, it becomes clearer as to why they picked it. A seagull flying represents motion and moving forward. It also signifies a relaxed and less-worry type of lifestyle. One of the main reasons why Hollister’s logo is a Seagull is because this clothing company creation began in California, where beaches and sunny weather is the norm. The clothing line for Hollister was launched in the year 2000 in Easton Town Center in Columbus, Ohio. Hollister’s clothing is geared towards summer weather. Hollister makes the store look like surf shops inside. With this being said the bird is a perfect logo to represent a clothing store such as Hollister.

I believe Hollister does a good job with the color usage of the bird logo. Depending on where the logo is determines what color the Seagull may be. Usually you will find the logo to be a maroon color. The design is very small, but big enough for it to be seen by the consumer and people in passing of the Hollister garments. The design is also cleaver because it is very plain. This makes the consumer able to see themselves wearing the logo on their own clothing. The simplicity of a logo helps to make it easier for more people to enjoy and relate to it. If the Hollister Seagull logo was intricate, only a select few people would appreciate it and see themselves wearing the logo on their clothing. In a way this reminds me of McCloud and his theory that the simpler a face is the more humans like it because we can relate to it easier. I believe this is a positive tactic that Hollister used and lots of other logos use today. One normally doesn’t see a logo for an organization that is extremely complicated.

            The font used with the Seagull is also plain. It is usually in all capital letters and looks very organized. I believe this is cleaver because no one will get Hollister’s name wrong. The way Hollister writes it looks very to the point and easy to understand.

            I believe Hollister’s logo successfully matches the corporations overall image. This is because when I look at the Hollister logo, I think of the beach and summer. The Seagull immediately makes me think of 80 degree weather and flip flops. This is what Hollister stands for, so there logo does just what they want it to do!

I also believe that Hollister’s logo successfully communicates the corporation’s mission and image. A seagull is the perfect logo for Hollister to use. It is unique enough that consumers like it but simple enough that consumers will appreciate it. Their mission and image is for people to have fun in the sun while wearing their clothing and products. Hollister’s image consists of bright colored clothing and accessories that are perfect for summer time. I truly believe Hollister couldn’t have picked a better logo then the Seagull. Hollister had the right idea when created there logo.

           

SPE 370 Exam Question # 3 "Re-Do"

               At first glace this image captures an African American man and young child. To me it looks like a grandfather with his grandson, teaching him how to play the banjo. The color in this image looks very dark and mysterious. I believe this is portrayed because of how dark the two peoples outfits are and how you can’t see there faces other then the outlines. The shadowing around the man and the child makes it look as though they are the center of attention and are the main interest for this image. I also feel that the image is trying to portray a hard life. There are items placed around the room but the dark hard wood floors and plain background makes the room look bare. This makes me feel like they are not on the wealthy side. The room looks very small due to the line usage. Having the floor lines horizontal while the people are sitting vertically makes me see the people in a tiny room. Since the men are dark and the wall behind them are a white tone really shows positive and negative shape well. The colors look very masculine because the overall color pallet is dark. There are a few items in this image that show good texture. This includes, the mans pants, the wood floors, and the table clothe. Having this texture makes the image come to life. The gestural lines make the boy look like he is actually playing the banjo.
        
               While analyzing this image I realized how it affects my interoperation of it. Due to the texture, lines, shape, lighting, shadowing, etc. I view this image in a particular way. Since it does have a dark feel to it I view it as somewhat serious and strict. I can almost feel myself being in that room with them, and hearing the man getting stern with the young boy while trying to teach him how to play this instrument. I interoperate the room being very cold and damp because the floor looks extremely dark and uncomfortable. Since there is not much in the room it also makes me feel as though the room is gloomy. The shadowing makes for the bottom right of the image not be seen. It is all dark which makes me interpret the image to be secretive. Before this class I would of looked at this image and just saw a man and young boy. I never would of analyzed it to this extreme. My interpretation of this image would be completely different then it is today. I believe I am more well rounded now in visual rhetoric then I was before, and analyzing this image makes me see how important it is to be educated in such an art form.

SPE 370 Extra Credit Blog on Maria Elena Gonzales

               Maria Elena Gonzales is an inspiration to many including myself after last night’s presentation. Gonzalez was born in Cuba and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. She is best known for her incredible sculptures. Before attending this art discussion I didn’t know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised.

               Gonzales explained where she gets her ideas and what makes her art imaginations come to life. Gonzales said she enjoys sculpting big pieces. Most of her sculptures are displayed outside in parks and museums across the world because they are too large to be in a house like setting. I found this fascinating because each sculpture is very tedious and takes hours upon hours to create.

               In class we discussed visual artwork and how it can mean different things to different people. When I first looked at her artwork I didn’t see much besides the basic outline and couldn’t tell you what Gonzales was trying to represent or show her audience. After she explained each piece and said why she created what she did I saw the sculpture or drawing in a different light. Everything seemed to intercut and genius thereafter.

              In 1999, Gonzales created a replica of a floor plan that would be a design for a project houses program. She explained that she doesn’t want her artwork only in expensive museums or galleries. Gonzales feels that her sculptures should be viewed by everyone know matter what your status may be. This is when Gonzales put this huge floor plan made out of wood materials and rubber tire on display in Red Hook which is located in Brooklyn. Children across the neighborhood immediately stared skateboarding and rollerblading on this piece, and she couldn’t be happier about it. I find this extremely interesting. I like how artwork can be enjoyed by viewing it but also by playing on it!

            I feel that Gonzales artwork is abstract for the most part. She explained that when there are tragic times in our country like 9/11 and hurricane Katrina she likes to use those negative things to spark creative new ideas. Gonzales feels that when she uses those ideas it makes her feel better about the situation. I think that is a great coping method that can also help others when looking at her artwork.

           Gonzales recent sculpting phenomenon is maps. She finds them interesting. She makes drawings and sculptures of them. Some are abstract and some are representational. She likes the viewer to be able to pick out a specific country and also be able to look at a country and realize it is made up and simply just abstract art at its finest.

            Gonzales uses all the key points discussed in class. From lines, textures, form, contrast, space and time etc. I am glad I went to this event because I now can see artwork like Gonzales in a new way. I am able to look beyond the outer layer and see in depth into what the sculpture or drawing is really trying to get across. Basically, I can read between the lines, which is something we touched upon in class.  I now see why this is very important when being visually literate.

SPE 212 Blog Post #4

I never realized how much advertising plays a role in our society until this blog post assignment. I imagined advertising took place on television during commercials and on the radio. Not realizing that advertising is practically everywhere we look. After my twenty-four hour advertising period was complete my list of ads was full. I saw ads I never even knew existed. I am more aware of advertising now than I ever was before. I see them everywhere since my advertising adventure began!

            The most unusual advertising tactic I saw was on a car. I never saw such an unusual advertising in my life. When I got home I researched it and came across more information. When you rent a car from places sometimes they have advertising on it. Also, some people get paid a few hundred dollars a month to drive around with an organizations ad on their car.

            The ad I disliked the most came from a television show. The Voice on the NBC network had one of their contestants drive to the competition in a Kia automobile. There was a 3-4 second pause, when the camera was directly looking at the Kia logo. The male contestant received a call from his daughter on the hand free phone device the Kia car company offers. Before this class I never would have even realized Kia was using advertising directly in the show. I found this ad to be frustrating. I thought it was extremely fake looking and didn’t make me want to purchase a Kia. Of course, this is just my opinion and maybe someone else watching the program found Kia to be appealing.  If I was the advertising agency who created this ad I would have made the ad more realistic looking and not so cheaply designed.

           

            The most obvious ad I found on my advertising journey was on T-shirts and other clothing materials. There are thousands of people on our campus every day. I never took notice of peoples shirts until now. I found advertising for food places like Subway and Wawa. There were a lot of construction and car towing shirts I saw people wearing as well. The most popular type of advertising on t-shirts and clothing I found were from stores. For example, the typical Hollister or Abercrombie shirt that has their brand name written on the shirt or sweatpants. I believe this is a very smart tactic used by the clothing companies. They already know people buy these clothing items so they know it will be a profit for them. Secondly, while there consumer is wearing their clothing items the company is getting free advertising.  Although, it is getting annoying to see everyone wearing the same type of clothing with the brand name written down the side of the shirt, it is a creative move on the company’s part.

I found the usual advertising while keeping my advertising diary. There are a few main ads I used to see before this assignment that I still see today. This includes ads on the side of your computer when browsing the web, in the newspaper, magazines, and on the sides of buses. These types of advertising have been around for years and will continue to stay. I believe that all the ads I saw, the new and old, all tried their best to catch my attention. Most were cleaver while some like the Kia ad made me want to change the channel.  I found that most advertising can be seen any time of day, depending on where you are and what you are doing. There are some ads that can only be found during the evening hours on television, like the Kia ad on The Voice. Watching television during the prime time hours is when I found the most popular and interesting commercials that did an excellent job advertising a product.

After this blog post assignment I see ads even more frequent then I did before. I am more aware of where advertising is located and how I truly feel about advertising. I believe the advertising world is in full effect and there will be more creative and catchy ads to come as the years go by.

SPE 370 Blog #3

“You’re like an industry standard classic, reliable. Okay, maybe a bit boring. But you don’t let the haters get you down- after all, you’ve still got plenty of friends who think you’re the best.”
As mentioned in the above quote, the font Helvetica can come across as classic and reliable. Helvetica is the font being used to write this blog. The font quiz told me I was a Helvetica font type. As odd as it seems, this font quiz seems to represent me well. I see myself as very reliable and I think others around me would say the same. I can sometimes be boring, and I am totally OK with that! I like my down time when I am capable of having it. I do see myself as classic in the sense that I am normal nineteen year old girl and an average college student. The last part of the quote says “you’ve still got plenty of friends who think you’re the best.” I couldn’t agree more with that statement. I have lots of friends and acquaintances and a few true best friends that will always have my back.
I believe the font Helvetica looks exactly like the first quote explained. It mentions the people who may use this font, like myself, are classic, reliable, and possibly boring. Classic, clean, modernized, are all words I believe fit in with the description of this font type. Which are similar to the description words used to describe the people who may use this particular font. This type isn’t as straightforward or plain as common fonts like Times New Roman. It also isn’t a crazy intricate font like other options out there. It is simply right in the middle and that is one of the reasons why I enjoy using it.
There are tons of different fonts one can choose when using Microsoft Word. The Helvetica website explains how important type/font may be when writing. “One may even say that typefaces and fonts have a certain personality.” This quote may hit a cord with one because unless one thinks about font a certain way it usually goes unnoticed or not thought about. Font is very important when dealing with type. The Helvetica website also states “type is saying things to us all the time. Typefaces express a mood, an atmosphere.”

This image to the left shows how much detail goes into different fonts. The first typed sentence is indeed Helvetica font but the second sentence is not. To a person looking at this image the sentences look almost identical. Some find this fascinating and interesting.

The history of type dates back thousands of years. Many technologies and media outlets have been invented throughout the decades that have changed the type from its original form. East Asia was the birthplace of type and print. The earliest printed book is said to be a copy of the Buddhist Diamond Sutra, found in a Chinese temple. This dates back to 868 A.D. In China one would type using woodcuts which dates back to the fifth century A.D.
More recently in history, a man named Johannes Gutenberg changed type forever. Gutenberg invented the moveable type press in the 1440s. This invention made it somewhat easy to type and ultimately a faster pace process then used before.
Different font types can provoke different feelings in people. For instance this font type could make one feel curious or scared while this font type  may make one feel the text is romantic or some type of old scripture which could provoke an intrigued our interested emotion. People do not think about font every day. The text seems to be considered the most important part of a written script or paper. With that being said, one should take notice in fonts more often, as each one is different. Fonts can change how one views the text. The two different font types above is an example of just that.
In conclusion, learning about font from ancient Chinese writings, to the numerous font options one can choose today can be an intriguing topic. Writing, visuality, and the body can all come together with font.

To the right is a picture I found online. I thought it was funny so I decided to share it with you. I think it shows just how creative fonts and type can be and how they can even have a mind of there own! This image perceives Helvetica being suprior and bigger then Arial font. Also, by using punctuation marks along with letters can really make the letter have human like featers. For instance, Arial has a tear and Helvetica is wearing a crown like icon above it’s “head”.

SPE-212 Blog #3

Better Homes and Gardens is a magazine geared towards people who want to know the latest cookie recipe, gardening tips, or for someone who wants to give their living room the a fashionable updated look. While reading this magazine one can find something that appeal to their taste. Better Homes and Gardens Magazine does a good job showing easy, inexpensive ideas to renovate your home all the way to spending a lot of money and modernizing your entire house. The advertising pages in this magazine do the same thing. There are ads for new foundation face makeup all the way to the newest Lexus luxury car. This makes the reader able to find something to relate to whether they are below middle class or are very wealthy.

The statistics to this magazine show that 100 percent of their readers are adults. Fifty-six percent of Better Homes and Garden readers are between the ages of 25-54 years old. The median age of the consumer is 48 years old. The median household income of readers is $63,542. This shows that the average households who buy and read this magazine are among the middle class. Twenty-six percent of readers make over $100,000 a year which is still a large chunk of Home and Garden’s income. Married couples take up sixty percent of readers, while each magazine copy is read on average five different times. Seventy-five percent of Better Home and Garden readers are home owners and the median home value is $192,293. College attendees and graduates make up sixty percent of readers. These statistics explain that Better Homes and Gardens magazine is mostly geared towards the middle class married couples who went to college and are middle aged.

As mentioned above the advertising in this magazine ranges from inexpensive to very expensive items. Every few pages there are ads throughout this magazine. They range from dog food, candy, to new windows. Most of the ads are for food companies like Velveeta cheese and Barilla pasta. This makes sense because all of these ads are for items Better Homes and Gardens magazine consumers may purchase due to there demographics.

To the left is a picture of a bedroom in the magazine. They explained that you can take this room from dark winter to bright spring just by changing the pillows, adding a fun bouquet of flowers, and lastly adding a colorful throw blanket at the end of your bed. It is interesting to see creative ideas anyone can do, even if you do not have an artistic eye.

On Better Homes and Gardens website (BHG.com) you can subscribe for a year which is twelve issues for $5.99 and two years for $11.98. This is rather inexpensive for a magazine subscription. Since the average consumer for Better Homes and Gardens is middle class this makes it reasonable for these magazines consumers to purchase.
            Overall, Better Homes and Gardens magazine is very interesting. There are tons of ideas to renovate your home and garden, while also making a delicious dessert in between. From there ads, to subscriptions, to home décor ideas that every adult can find interest in Better Home and Gardens magazine can find its way in most households today.

SPE 370 Blog Post #2



I chose this cow cartoon for my blog post because I couldn’t resist how cute he was! This cartoon is by Curtis D. Tucker. As I was searching online for the perfect cartoon this particular cow stuck out the most. I read about Tucker the cartoonist who drew this image. It was so interesting to read all the steps and processes that go into drawing this little cartoon cow. From deciding what to draw, to researching image, sketching, scanning on the computer, and much more, I never realize how much work goes into this art form.

After learning in class about art and lines and many more fascinating art facts it is intriguing to look at this cow cartoon. I see it in a new light. The gestural qualities are done very well. For instance, the tail really does look like a cow tail. He made this believable because of the gestural “jagged” tip of the tail. The contour line or the essential shape is rather smooth looking. The cow’s stomach and back look very soft. As Tucker mentioned on his website he did not want extremely hard edges on this cartoon and he worked very hard to try to make sure the contour lines were all relatively soft around the cow’s body. As for eye lines, it looks as though one eye is closed and the other eye closest to the viewer is open. I think Tucker tried to get the cow to look like he was blinking. Either way you look at this cow the eye is looking at you which I think is exciting and makes it fun to look at. When looking at this black and white cartoon cow I can see some texture. If you look where the cow’s skin stops and feet begin you can see a good divider between the two. For a cartoon drawing it looks extremely exceptional and gives the person looking at this cartoon a sense of where there feet are in relation to his legs. In class we learned about texture and we viewed a picture of two men in a field working with a shovel and we said how it looked calm because of the texture of their outlines. I feel the same way when looking at this cow cartoon. Since his texture is relatively smooth it makes him look like an overall friendly happy cow. When looking at this picture I see representational and non-representational. It is a cow and most of us would realize that right away which makes it representational but on the other hand it is not a picture of an actual cow (considering cows do not have hands) which would make it non-representational. I really enjoyed looking at this cow cartoon and breaking it down into sections and using new information I learned in class to analyze this cartoon.

Fun fact: this cow picture was originally made for a t-shirt company logo but was not purchased. It was later sold to an up and coming search engine website.



The picture above I found while researching a cartoon. I thought it represented positive and negative space very well. It is a picture of two zebras. The left side with the white background looks very calming to me and shows the zebras in a happy light. I believe this is because there is more negative space then positive. The right side with the black background is the same exact picture just with the black and white colors switched. I think the picture looks completely different. I see the zebras looking more dark and mysterious since there is more positive space. It is really neat to see the same black and white image and how it can turn into a completely new picture just by switching the positive and negative space around.

SPE 212 Blog #2

This weekend Whitney Houston passed away. Houston was a world known singer and released her debut album in February of 1985. She was known for her powerful voice but also her struggle with drug addictions. When I found out about Houston’s sudden death I knew it would be an interesting topic for my blog post.

When I first heard the news I went on CNN.com where they explained that Houston was only forty-eight years old and it was still unsure what the cause of death may be. As I continued reading CNN quoted Kelly Price who sang with Houston at a pre-Grammy party just two days before Houston died. The article made it sound like Houston was in good spirits and there was no sign of illness. CNN did a good job making everyone remember Whitney Houston in a positive way and not for her bad habits she also may be known for. CNN listed some of Houston’s awards and achievements and discussed how successful she was. Officials are still not sure what happened and it may take a few weeks for the toxicology results to come in. The only fact that CNN released was that Houston was found around an hour after she died in a bath tub at the Beverly Hilton hotel on Saturday afternoon. The article then discussed all the positive support that has begun since her death was announced. Singers and songwriters including Celine Dion, and LL Cool J, who was the host of the Grammys and many more, gave their condolences to the Houston family.

On Al Jazeera.com the story started by saying that U.S. singer Whitney Houston died in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and there were no signs of trauma or foul play. The article then discussed how Houston’s fans are mourning her death. It was said that people from her Newark, New Jersey where Houston was from to Beverly Hills, California are all paying tribute to her. Then the story discussed the Grammys Sunday night and how LL Cool J brought up Houston’s death at the opening of the award show by saying a prayer for Houston.

Both CNN and Al Jazeera commented on Whitney Houston’s death but they were very different articles to say the least. CNN was a lot more thorough and had more information about Houston. They discussed what happened from the Grammys, to how Houston’s family is doing. Al Jazeera’s article was to the point and did not talk as much about Houston’s success and how talented she was as a singer. I do not believe this is considered international or political bias because in the U.S. we are bound to be more interest in Houston’s death than people across the world reading Al Jazeera. This is also why I believe Al Jazeera didn’t have as much information and why the story was much shorter. Although, there were a few similarities I came across. Some of which were how Houston supposedly died and basic information like how old she was and her location of the tragedy.  It was very interesting to compare and contrast CNN and Al Jazeera as they covered Whitney Houston and her death this past weekend.

Overall, I believe CNN did a better job because they gave the most information but both news organizations got the story out and accurately (or as accurate they can for the time being). People who read Al Jazeera on a normal basis are probably just fine with knowing the information they reported on Houston’s death. And the people, who read CNN like myself, are most likely pleased with the information they reported on this surprising incident.

After discussing globalization in class it is intriguing to think about these two types of news organizations. I believe CNN and Al Jazeera did their job well. Even though both organizations are across the world from each other in distance they both made sure the news got out of Houston’s death rather quickly and everyone who reads each of these stories will know the latest information. I find it fascinating how fast news can travel around the world and now I see how globalization plays a role in it.

Blog #1 SPE- 212-010

As much as it pains me to say, I watch Keeping up with the Kardashians every Sunday faithfully. In 2007 the hit reality show aired on E! Entertainment television channel. I remember tuning in and not understanding why this family had their own TV show. As I watched each episode I found myself enthralled with such a glamourized lifestyle. The family is made up of Bruce Jenner who was an Olympic gold medalist and Kris Jenner who was formally married to Robert Kardashian. Robert was OJ Simpson’s attorney. After Robert passed away of cancer Kris Jenner and her three older daughters Kourtney, Kim, and Khloe decided to own and manager two clothing stores. This caught my attention because what young girl doesn’t want to be beautiful and own the cutest boutique in town?

Season one of Keeping up with the Kardashians came across as “real” reality TV to me. They aired the family during good times and in bad. Whether they were fighting or happy it seemed real. I did realize they were wealthy but I could still relate to their problems and everyday life. The first picture I posted above is the season one photo which shows the family in front of their California ranch. As the show became even more popular so did the family. The two youngest girls Kendall and Kylie Jenner are now 16 and 14. They have become a fixed part of the TV show as well.

As I got older and wiser I realized the show is not as “real” as it once seemed to be. The second picture I posted is of the season six photo shoot. It is a goddess themed picture and makes each of the women look even more unlike the normal "American family". There has been numerous spin off shows that have come from Keeping up with the Kardashians. The main one is called Kourtney and Kim take New York. The season just ended last week and with the finale, came lots of rumors. The recent information that has leaked is about Kim (The main Kardashian, partly because of her recent divorce from Kris Humphries). It was reported that Kim and her mom Kris reenacted a moment in the car that was supposedly recorded when they were in Dubai. The two women were spotted in the same outfits going into the same car in LA that was recorded previously Dubai. They acted out a scene of the two discussing Kim and husband Kris and how they weren’t getting along. It was later discovered that this was done in order to protect Kim and make her look better than her EX Kris Humphries.

This put the straw on the camel’s back for me. It was then I realized that for years I have been watching a reality show at its worse. This was an everyday family that got lucky with a TV show. They are making people believe that their lives are real and that it’s normal to wake up and be that successful and popular. I believe it is extremely easy to be seduced by the illusion of reality TV because as humans we get so caught up in excitement of famous people’s lives that we tend to forget that it is NOT the norm. After realizing the truth behind this particular show it makes me view the world in a new way. I tend to be more curious. I do not believe what I see right away. I tend to be more open to my surroundings now, which I think is a positive thing. In the movie we watched in class called Media Impact they discussed how influential a movie or TV show can be and now after doing this blog post I couldn't agree more with them.

SPE-370 Blog Post #1



I chose a four leaf clover to represent me. This symbol in many ways shows who I am as a person and expresses my past. To some people this is just a four leaf clover. They are found in green grasses in the spring time but after picked and considered lucky they are usually thrown to the ground.

 This icon is very special to me for a few reasons. I have a very strong Irish background and I am proud of where my ancestors came from many years ago. Another reason this icon represents me is because I was born on St. Patrick’s Day which is the day we celebrate the Irish decent. I believe it was gift that I was born on such a great day. My name is Jillian Patricia which is an extremely Irish name. The four leaf clover symbolizes me because my favorite color is green. When I was younger I thought all the green decorations on my birthday were for me, not realizing there was a national holiday going on at the same time. Green was always my favorite color and always will be.

 Lastly, I have four people in my immediate family. This includes my mom, dad, sister, and me. I feel that each clove on the four leaf clover represents each of my family members. I think it is special how all the cloves face into the middle almost looking like four hearts, and they all come together at the end with one stem. It makes me believe that even though each of my family members including myself are all very busy, and we each have our own lives we still always come back to the center just like the cloves do with the stem. We have a unique family bond that is as rare as finding an actual four leaf clover on a grassy hill. I believe that a four leaf clover icon will always represent who I am because there are so many significant meanings behind it. Seeing a four leaf clover makes me happy because it reminds me of where I came from.

In class we discussed Peirce’s 3 types of signs. A four leaf clover would be indexical because as a nation we know what a four leaf clover looks like and it was made by what it represents. In my mind it is symbolic because it represents something special to me. Now that we learned about vision and the eye it is interesting to think about how an icon such as a four leaf clover can represent a million different things depending on the person. I find that intriguing and I never even thought about that until this class.