Portfolio Task 4 - Semiotic Analysis

Wallis - Dress to Kill (Advertising Campaign)

Wallis is a British women's clothing retailer. These two images from the 'Dress to Kill' campaign both play upon how women can be seen as sex symbols for men, and uses this to create empowerment over the man from the way she dresses. In both advertisements we are presented with a photograph that immediately creates a message, which is then supported by a suitable strapline.

In the first advertisement, the image signfies an attractive, well dressed woman stood leaning against a rail looking out to sea. The woman is a sign with the signifier being her trendy appearance that denotes feminity. Their is also a car, with a male driver, that has crashed into the rail. The signifier denotes that the man has lost control of the car, with the skid marks on the ground and his line of vision being focused on the woman stood by the rail. This connotes that wearing Wallis clothing will distract men and maybe put them in danger, thus working in tandem with the strapline 'Dress to Kill'.

The woman 'dressing to kill' may simultaneously signify her social status. with the city scape in the far background suggesting importance, and a way of life.

In the second advertisement, the image signifies a man staring at an attractive woman through the window, whilst he is shaving another man. The signifier denotes that he is not paying attention to what he is doing, and is putting the other man's life in danger. The look on the man's face connotes that he is worried that the ditracted barber will cut his throat with the razor. The man in the white coat signifies him as the barber, and the man in the suit as the cutomer.

The signifier of the woman in her provovative pose, with her left leg slightly bent and hair blowing in the wind, denotes a deliberate intention to attract attention. This again connotes that wearing Wallis clothing will distract men, putting them at risk, as the woman's dress sence is the main signifier to the concept 'dressing to kill'. The woman has a somewhat carefree attitude with her loose hair and pose, in contrast to the barber being 'trapped' inside the shop, making her even more of a passive sex object for the man.

Both images being taken in black and white suggest a sence of class and importance of fashion and suggest the sophistication of Wallis clothing. In the text 'Dress to kill', the 'i' in 'kill' is the shape of a dagger, this is associated with killing and death, which reflects the concept. In each image the men have been ditracted, thus emplying that women who wear Wallis clothing will stand out.

The Document - Lecture Notes

Modernity, Modernism - Lecture Notes

Graphic Design: A Medium for The Masses - Lecture Notes

Art, The Mass Media and Society - Lecture Notes

Advertising, Publicity and The Media - Lecture Notes

Portfolio Task 2 - Summarise the text

During 1900 to 1910 there was an attempt to create a new art that portrayed the new century, yet still took elements from the classical traditional styles. Expressionism was one contributor to this new art, and it covered many different aspects, and enabled the artist to express their 'self'.

The impact of the modern world meant the avante-garde style had been internationalized throughout Europe before the World War. The development of Cubism, Futurism and Expressionism spread from France, to German-speaking centres, and then later to Italy and Russia.

The Modern World was defined by three related moments. Modernization denotes the technological and scientific progression, and the impact that the machine had on the World, as the new replaced the old. Modernity refers to change, and the awareness and adaption to change within society and culture. It was a form of experience, wether it be personal or social. Modernity is then represented by Modernism, and the reflection upon the new experience.

There were two responses to the effects of modernization. One being depression and the other exhilaration. Many thought the machine was becoming increasingly controlling over the human life. The socialogist Max Webster called this the 'iron cage' of modernity. On the other hand, the exhilaration was from the developments and ideas that appeared to be an extremely positive enhancement for the new world.

The third response came from modernization not being a technological fact, despite the machinary, it actually appeared to be a social fact, sparking social relations between people and classes of people. The ideology of Socialism arose from the working class, through capitalist modernization. To change and improve that modernity within the social world, art was demanded upon to particapte in changing it.

 

Harrison, C and Wood, P. (1997) 'Art In Theory: 1900-90', Oxford, Blackwell, pp. 125-9

Portfolio Task 3 - Harvard Referencing

For the essay question I have chosen ''Advertising doesn't sell things; all advertising does is change the way people think or feel' (Jeremy Bullmore). Evaluate this statement with reference to selected critical theories (past and present).

Here is a prelminary bibliography (in Harvard) of quotes from 6 books from the Leeds College of Art library, that I think may be useful:

'It suggests that if he buys what is offering, his life will become better.'

(Berger, J (1972) 'Ways of Seeing', London, British Broadcasting Corporation, pp. 142)

'You make laptop PCs; but that's not what people are buying. What they are buying will be self-sufficiency, self-esteem, efficiency and mobility.'

(Bullmore, J (1991) 'More Bull More', Oxfordshire, World Advertising Press, pp.33)

'The tool of capitalism, a con that persuades an unwitting public to consume and consume again.'

(Heller, S (1997) 'Looking Closer 2', New York, Allworth Press, pp. 112-119)

'The products [of mass media/cultural system] indoctrine and manipulate; they provide a false consciousness which is immune against its falsehood... Thus, emerges a pattern of 'one dimensional' thought and behaviour.'

(Marcuse, H (1965) 'One Dimensional Man', London, Routledge)

'Through aquiring the clothing, the consumer feels an achievement of emancipation.'

(Salvemini, L, P (2002) 'The Benetton Campaigns - United Colours', London, Scriptum Editions, pp. 17)

'Instead of being identified by what they produce, people identity themselves by what they consume.'

(Williamson, J (1978) 'Decoding Advertisements', London, Marion Bayars Publishers Ltd, pp. 13)

Portfolio Task1 - Image Analysis Excercise

The Uncle Sam Range (1876) Advertising Image by Schumacher & Ettlinger, New York

Poster by Savile Lumley (1915)

    Looking at both of these images you can see they are both very different, yet have a lot of similarities. The purpose of "The Uncle Sam Range'' poster was to persuade people to buy a cooker, however, it appears more to be selling an aspirational lifestyle through this 'All American' brand. The poster by Savile Lumley, released in 1915 during World War I, was targeted at men to persuade them into joining the army, as they didn't have enough troops at the time. The aspirational lifestyle appears to come across in this too, saying that you need to fight to deserve it. The potential audience would have been middle class men as they had houses and families that they wouldn't want to go to war and leave, unlike other workers who had nothing to lose. 

   The method of persuasion was by using children to play on the audience's heart strings. It is as though the poster is set in the future and the child is reading through history about the war, and is asking what her father did. It shows that your children will learn about the war, so what did you do? The guilt comes from not being able to tell your children what you did because you didn't go to war. The child is looking at her father and he is looking out to the audience as if he is in fact asking them the question. In the ''Uncle Sam'' poster, they try to persuade the audience in a different way. The target audience for the product would most likely have been of the middle class, as they would want to buy products like this to make themselves feel wealthy. The advertisement is a celebration of America's wealth to show how far they have come in one hundred years, since the war of Independence began on July 4th 1776. The dates 1776 and 1876 appear on the clock face in the image.

   The main focal point of the piece is the character of 'Uncle Sam'. He is wearing clothing of the American flag, signifying that he is a representation of America, and as he sits central in the image to shows that his country sees itself as the most important. This patriotic element continues through to the bald eagle sat on his shoulder, which is the National symbol of America. This sense of patriotism is similarly identified in the war poster. The toys that the boy is playing with are soldiers wearing the colour red to symbolise fighting for the queen and country. Also, the roses on the curtains and the pattern on the chairs symbolise royalty.

   The choice of the words 'Great War' glorifies it to make it sound more important and that everyone who did fight is important. There are more subtle elements to the Uncle Sam image that convey important messages through type. The children sat at the table have been allocated the names Dixie, West and England. Dixie and West, meaning the South and West of America, appear dispatched from England. This could also be to show America's independence. The world is represented as a character being fed at this dinner party, hence the type 'Feeding the world by the aid of The Uncle Sam Range'. The world is holding a bill containing food orders of the other countries, which is very stereotypical of what they eat. It is as though they are laughing at the other countries, saying that American's can eat whatever they want. The servant also suggests wealth as many people wouldn't have been able to afford one.

  Both posters have very different purposes, yet still communicate the sense of patriotism and the aspirational lifestyle, in their own ways. They both would have been very effective in persuading the audience at the time of publication.