Blog Assignment #2

This picture seems like an ordinary image of a father and son enjoying some quality time together. After analyzing the picture, I see more than that. This father and son exchange shows emphasis because the photographer focuses entirely on the father holding his son in the air. The photographer also showcases balance asymmetrically by placing the father on the ground and having him hold his son in the air as they look at each other. The image is conventional because many father and son-based images show the father holding son in the air. This is supposed to symbolize a strong connection between the two.

Image Changes

Since I have a marketing background, I'm always analyzing advertisements to see what tactics companies are using to attract new customers. When I first saw the image, I instantly thought of a life insurance advertisement because they refer to providing help to families in case of health related emergencies. Because of this thought, I altered the image to include four facts about life insurance that would catch a reader's attention if they're in need of it. I then included the line "have you considered life insurance for you and your family?" because reiterates the fact that life insurance may be important to people with a family. I chose blue text for the heading because many insurance companies use blue as their main color for logos. Red text was used for the numbers because it hints the reader that they're important facts. The text at the bottom of the advertisement is also red because it stresses the importance of the message conveyed in the advertisement.

Changes In Perception

The changes can definitely alter the perception of the reader. While the first image symbolizes the love between a father and son, the second image simply conveys the message of a life insurance company. Many readers would dismiss the second image simply because it's an advertisement. According to Jakob Nielson's Alertbox this is called "banner blindness," which means

"Users rarely look at display advertisements on websites. Of the four design elements that do attract a few ad fixations, one is unethical and reduces the value of advertising networks."

Mitchell Stephens in By Means of the Visible stated "images look real, but are fake" because it pretends to be something they are not. I'd have to agree with Mitchell because images are often misinterpreted by viewers because they were not present when the image was taken. It's not often you find an image like the first image above to be in a family's picture book because it seems unreal or planned out. Also the image could have been intended for an advertisement without the viewer knowing who was taking the picture.