WHAT DO YOU SEE? 

1. What does the text say? The text was carefully crafted to create a consistent message about the ad.  

• If there is a headline/SLOGAN, how does it grab our attention?  

• What does the main text tell us about the product or service? Does it directly reference the product or service's benefits and factual attributes? Or does the ad prefer to sell the reader on the product's lifestyle benefits instead (telling you how cool you'll be when using the product, for example)?  

• How does the text relate to the images?  

• Have any persuasive devices been used?  Guilt, threat, flattery, reward, promise of belonging?  

• Comment on the typography/font used. What does it add to the image of the brand?

2. What does the image say? Pictures are worth a thousand words, and this is very true for print advertisements. How does the photograph grab our attention?  

• Is the picture depicting the product by itself, or being used by someone?  

• Does the photograph show us a lifestyle associated with the product (essentially telling us how the product would make our life better)?  

• How do the images relate to the text? 

3. Comment on the surroundings – the mise-en-scène [everything else within the frame]

• What do the setting/surroundings add to the representations of the people in the advert?  

• What colour coding is used?  

• What type of camera shot is used? Close up/mid shot/long shot/low angle/high angle? Explain why.  

• Are all the elements of the image in focus? If not, why not? Is there a hierarchy of elements in the framing?  

• Is there a logo? Where is it positioned?  

4.Who is the advertisement aimed at?  

• Who is the target audience?  

• In what publication /context might the print advert appear?  

5. To know more about the psychology of colours used in advertising, read the article linked below:

Color Psychology: How it’s Used in Marketing