Sunday, April 29, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
World's Worst Website
http://www.angelfire.com/super/badwebs/
This link is to the “World’s Worst Website,” created by a
blogger who wanted to demonstrate just how badly a website can be designed.
If want to click on the link, you can see just how annoying
and ugly it is. The wallpaper is distracting and the orange is not really that
pretty of a color for a website. Speaking of colors, there are many clashing
shades of blue, yellow, red, orange, lavender (I think), and others that just
should not go together. The gifs and thumbnail graphics are so overused and
distracting that it gives someone a headache after 30 seconds of looking over
the page. In addition to the horrible visuals, the repeating music adds another
layer of annoyance to the point where I had to mute my computer while writing
this post.
One thing that amused me about this site is that it was
created solely for the purpose of educating people about web design. It has a
great number of do-nots incorporated into it so that people who are interested
in web design have a good idea of what not to put into a website. Plus, the
site gives the viewer tips on how to improve or fix errors that have probably
been committed already.
So I suggest that if you want to get into web design, look
at sites that are designed to inform and educate you about what to do and what
not to do, like this one.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Snuggie
Ah, the Snuggie – the blanket with sleeves. We all know what
it is and how ridiculous and unnecessary it is, but now that we all can see
infomercials and commercials in a new light, it’s kind of entertaining to watch
the commercial for the rhetorical devices it uses. So let’s explore them, shall
we?
Right off the back, the commercial addresses a problem that
affects many Americans today: the cost of living. It somehow links the
ineffectiveness of regular blankets to heating costs. This is an example of the
commercial outlining a problem that the consumer hasn’t thought about: your
blanket doesn’t work, you’re forced to turn up the heat, and the heating bill
gets more expensive. I bet none of you have ever thought of your sleeveless
blanket as being a financial hazard. The ad forces you to make that connection
so that the solution of buying a different type of blanket doesn’t sound like
such a bad idea.
Throughout the ad, they mention problems that could be seen
as minor inconveniences caused by sleeveless blankets, but nothing that seemed
too troubling, such as the blanket slipping off (but notice how the woman is
awkwardly trying to get covered with the regular blanket… she’s horrible at
it!), the inability to hold a baby, the inability to hold a dog, the inability
to eat or walk, etc. By outlining all of the things you could do with a
backwards robe/can’t do with a blanket, the viewer is forced to see what could
be slightly better and is automatically dissatisfied with his/her current
blanket situation because the audience is being reminded of the minor
inconveniences that don’t really cause many troubles. The more we think about
them, the more bothersome they become.
At the end, the commercial tries to seal the deal with a
free book light that’s given to anyone who calls within a certain time span.
The company doesn’t want the audience to (understandably) double think their
decision of buying a Snuggie, so they give an extra incentive to convince the
consumer to buy.
I guess infomercials are kind of fun to watch now.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Dented Head Girl
source: desigg.com
This is an advertisement trying to convince drivers to drive
more safely in neighborhoods and towns. I don’t know about you, but I find this
to be very effective because of the imagery and the look of plain sadness on
the child’s face. This ad relies a lot on pathos and also requires the audience
to think about what it’s saying, which leads to a more effective message.
First, let’s look at the text: “In town, car accidents don’t
just happen to cars.” What this does is cause the audience to think about what
or whom else it could affect. In this case, it’s little girls like this one
pictured. The viewer now understands that cars could cause harm to children if
driven too fast or recklessly. This leads to the image of the girl… and the
giant dent in her head. The metallic indent is supposed to be like a dent in a
car after an accident, which is kind of a cynical way to look at these kinds of
collisions -- the girl is like a car. But it gets the point across.
The imagery is disturbing to say the least, and I think
that’s what the makers aimed to do. Whenever we think of car crashes and
accidents, we think of car-hit-car instead of car-hit-small child, and that’s
what is being discussed here. One of the most disturbing things in this ad,
besides from the gaping crater in the kid’s skull, is that this cute little
girl is being looked at as a damaged car or a car part. The cuteness adds to
the pathos because no one ever wants to see something adorable hurt or
mistreated in any way.
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