Context of practice Comparison
- 1. At first glance the purposes of the two images seem very different. The Savile Lumley poster is intended to provide a moral motivation to join the army, for middle class men who have no financial need to, where as the basic purpose of the Uncle Sam advertising image is to sell a cooker. The design aspects of these images have been carefully chosen to fulfil this purpose as effectively as possible. For example, the large almost western typefaces used in the Uncle Sam Range add, suggest a powerful and proud national identity by visually referring to the “civilisation” of the native Americans in the west. This pampers to the jingoistic side of the target audience and compliments them while trying to sell them something, softening the confrontational edge that so many adverts have, arguably increasing its efficiency. Lumley uses a different technique to achieve the same ends. The typeface used is highly reminiscent of handwriting, which suggests someone doing the writing, coupled with the bold and underlined “you”, this creates an amplified direct address pulling the reader into the situation and increasing its immediacy and therefore its power. The placement of the text and illustration adds to this effect by drawing the eye of the reader across the image in a curve from the strangely direct stare of the farther in the top right corner, through the children, to be left at the beginning of the text. Where ever the eye start is it is pulled up and down this curve, putting together the directness of both the text and the father’s stare. Once again this control over the audiences’ eye is used in the Uncle Sam Range add as well; the impression that the text is lying flat drawing the eye up to the centre of the illustration where the most visual messages and symbols are found. The clean cut and realistic style of the Lumley illustration accompanies the abrupt and direct essence of the message of the piece perfectly but also hints at the intended target audience. In no way is it over the top but quietly dignified and controlled, the image the middle class have of themselves, much less opulent than that the working class might have of them. In contrast the Uncle Sam Range add is opulent and detailed, swimming in bright colours, creating a dream like and idealistic image of upper class living as seen by the working class. Promising an ideal and life style rather than simply an object. This is shown in the semiology filling the image. For example, the clock in the background showing the years 1676 and 1776 and the view of Centenary Hall trough the window is a clear reference to the independence of America, an undisputable symbol of the American dream. Similar use of symbols can be found in the Lumley poster. The fleur de lis on the chair speak of quiet opulence while the toy soldiers the boy is playing with are clearly specifically guards, drawing on the idea that by joining the army a man would be protecting his family. All these massages sent by the design are made much stronger when their social and historical context is taken into account. Both texts show an awareness of their time; the Lumley poster created one year into the war looks forward to a time of piece and prosperity while the Uncle Sam Range add cites a momentous point in the creation of a country and its identity. By looking at this we are given a snapshot of how these designs would have affected their intended audience; much more powerfully than they do us today.
- 2. In conclusion, both designs are selling the intended audience a dream, just techniques and styles differ. In my opinion the fact that there are so many similarities between out right advertising and a government-produced poster, shines a light on the manipulative propaganda of a wartime government. The quite chilling difference being one is only asking for money in return for the dream, the other asks for life.