Denotation & Connotation blog tasks: advert analysis

 

1) Write an analysis of the WaterAid advert above using denotation, connotation and analysis. What can you see? What are the deeper meanings in the advert? What does the advert communicate to the audience? How might an audience react after seeing the advert?

Denotation: 

1. There is a child who is black on the right hand side.  

2. There is also a lot of beige colours in the background. Technical code

3. The boys shirt looks dirty. Symbolic code

4. the boy looks sad and is looking directly at the camera. Technical code

5. There is a large bold slogan on the left hand side. Written code

6. The name of the charity is in the top left corner. Written code

7. The boy looks hungry. Symbolic code

Connotations: 

1. The fact that the child is black might mean that they are trying to communicate that there are other countries in the world that are a lot less fortunate than us and less wealthy that cant afford the basics that we have.

2&3. The beige and brown colours and the dirt  on the kids shirt might be trying to communicate that there is a lot of dirt and dust in the areas they are trying to help that means that their water isn't clean, hygienic or safe to drink.

4. The appearance of the boy and how he is looking at the camera might be trying to guilt people to donate and help because audiences will feel empathy for the young child 

5. The slogan is informing 2 things. The first thing that it is communicating to audiences is that they have to dig their own toilets which a lot of people will be surprised and horrified by being that we just have toilets in our houses. The second thing it is communicating is that a lot of people die which a lot of the audience will really empathise about because no one wants to see children dying.

6. They have made the name easy to see because they want donations.

7. It shows how they don't have much food and they need food as well as water so they need lots of donations

Analysis:

The choice to have the boy looking at the camera sorrowfully might be because having the boy looking towards you with a sad look on his face makes you feel empathy for the children. They might also, by having a boy from a foreign country on the advert, be trying to show that there are a lot of other countries out there with people a lot less fortunate than ourselves.

2) Now choose your own choice of advert from Google images. Save it to your documents, insert it into your blogpost and write an analysis using denotation and connotation, explaining what the advert is communicating to the audience.

Denotations:

1. There is a dog laying down at a home. Symbolic code

2. The dog looks sad. Symbolic code

3. The dog is waiting for something(one). Written code

4. There is a slogan bellow the dog

5. The company name is in the bottom right corner

6. It tells you where you can find the app below the slogan

Connotations:

1. The dog feels comfortable where he is at his home

2. The dog is lonely and sad that there is no one there with it

3. The dog is waiting for its owner to come home because the dog misses them

4. The slogan makes you feel empathetic for the dog because it is hinting that if the owner doesn't use the app the dog might lose it's owner

5. They made their name big and bold so people can see it easily and want to download it

6. It says where you can find the app so people know where they can download it and are likely to download it

Analysis:

The app is trying to show that if you don't use their app then someone will be very sad when you do not make it home. It is also trying to show that you will be leaving something alone if you don't use the app.

Extension: Print advert research

Read this design blog on some of the best print adverts of all time. Choose one advert that you feel is particularly powerful in terms of its use of connotations and analyse why it is so successful