analyzed ad

I tend to lean the “less is more” attitude when it comes to anything, except money of course. I worked at the agency in New York that designed these pro bono ads for gun control. I was always amazed at the impact they had on me. This one in particular is very clever and gets the point across simply.

Reading the word ” JAIL” centered on the white space creates an immediate interest and automatically engages the viewer. The “JAI” as large simple black type is appropriate because when you get to the “L” it is represented by the menacing handgun. This is a simple yet, ingenious solution to what the ad is communicating. The handgun, also, creates an uncomfortable feeling, which for me strikes my curiosity. Though it seems obvious that guns and jail go together I think it causes the consumer to wonder, “what EXACTLY does this mean? “of course people who use them are bad and go to jail.” Thus, the text that follows explains it simply, “caught with an illegal gun go to jail for
3 ½ years.” The blocked text of grey tone with GUNS = PRISON in white type gets the point right across.

This entire ad has a lot of white space, but none of it trapped. There is clearly no need for fancy or crazy use of type, as the “L” for JAIL creates enough impact. The “GUNS = PRISON” is the logo for the campaign which makes it easy to identify. I have also attached another ad that has impact visually with out the use of type for the same campaign.