Vectors help
to present the image as a group of related elements which have an overall
unity. As we describte here, the vectors in the advertisements appear to enhance
the salience of the product, in some cases through aspects of sexual imagery.
Take a look at
the following two advertisements which have overtly sexual images in them.
Based on a study by Yun and Goynshor, we can discover a series of vectors
within the image component. What do these vectors represent, and how do they
inhance the layout and its meaning?
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on each thumbnail for a larger image, then use the checkboxes to see the
vectors created by various elements on the page. |
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The
vectors help readers establish a hierarchy of salience on the page, leading
the eye from one element to another. In the Skyy advertisement, the necktie
and movie camera point down towards the product, and although the martini glass
and camera also lead the eye to the starlet's face, the tilt of her head leads
the reader back down towards the bottle. Similarly, the Bacardi librarian's
right forearm is loosely parallel to the line formed by connecting the various
bat logos; both of these lines point towards to the bottle in the lower right
corner. The librarian's right upper arm (incidentally, parallel to the bottle)
points down towards the bats and the company name. Yun and Goynshor note that
the vector created by the librarian's upper right arm not only leads the eye
to the Bacardi bat but also to the revealing nature of the woman's clothes.
Here are more Skyy advertisements: the artist's sketch of the Skyy
ad above; another ad accompanied by a different artist's sketch and
an advertisement for Skyy Blue. In the sketches below, the most noticable
differences in their corresponding photographs is the directional focus of
the elements on the page. Note that the starlet's face and gaze are originally
pointing to the camera; in the actual photograph, the starlet's body is facing
forward but her gaze is to her right, allowing the symmetry of her face and
the lines of her dress point more directly towards the bottle. The tie she
is grasping now points towards the bottle, rather than down towards the martini,
and the martini points to the starlet's face rather than her elbow. Most notably,
in "69 Martinis", the shaker is repositioned to point towards the
bottle of Skyy. Why did the photographers make these conscious choices in
the placement of bottle, shaker or necktie? The strategic positioning of these
elements changes the emphasis of the photograph. When the vectors are organized
and directionally similar, they give more unity to the piece and point the
eye in a certain direction. Does the bottle stand out more in the sketch or
the photo of "69 Martinis"? In our final look at vectors in action,
the Skyy Blue advertisement shows that products can be the source of vectors
as well as their terminating points. The vectors created by the two bottles
of Skyy Blue in the last advertisement seem to meet at the bottom of the page
at the "B" in "Blue", emphasizing the introduction of
Skyy's new product line.
"Starlet" sketch |
"69 Martinis" |
"69 Martinis" sketch |
Skyy Blue |
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In particular
in advertisements with people in them, the vector approach seems to yield
some quite striking results about organization within the Image components.
| References |
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Bacardi
(librarian)
"Starlet": Photo by Moshe Brakha; Sketch by Renee
Reeser Zelnick and Luis Molina
"69 Martinis": Photo by Matthew Rolston; Sketch by
Renee Reeser Zelnick and Luis Molina
Skyy Blue, Rolling Stone, June 20, 2002, p. 59.
Yun, Deborah and Aaron Goynshor (2002). "Language of Advertising"
class project: Selling Sex: The Implications of Sexual Imagery and Layout
in Advertising
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