Visual Rhetoric

DeAnna Mabe

“The Candies Foundation”

Background Information

This is an advertisement for the Candies Foundation. They are a foundation who campaign against teenage pregnancy.

The Candies Foundation was established in 2001 to help shape the idea of teen pregnancy and early motherhood.

http://www.candiesfoundation.org/campaign.html

Take a closer look.. When looking at

this advertisement, where are your eyes first led to?

Why?

• I first noticed the black and white side of the picture. One side is bright but yet, the other is dark and dull. This helps set the mood that the author is trying to create.

Audience

Who do you think is the intended audience of this ad?

• This advertisement discusses the issue of teenage pregnancy. Therefore, this is intended for young teenage girls and those that have already experienced a teen pregnancy.

Subject Matter

What do you think the main subject or universal message the creator of this ad is trying to make?

• After reading the words included, I seen that they were facts. The author wants to inform others that the number of teenage pregnancies is at a high rate and continues to grow each year.

Point of View What parts of this ad

are clearly in focus?• The number 750,000 is in

clear focus. The contrast of the colors helps set this focus because the background color is black and the number is bold and a bright color. What do you think can

be classified as the foreground and background?

• The left side is the foreground because it has a lot of color and tends to stand out more. The right side would be the background because it is dull and stands apart from the other side.

Contrast Techniques Why do you think

the author chose to oppose the colors presented?

• The left side is bright to attract the audiences attention. When the left side is read, they then look to the right and the right side relates because it is a teen mom with her child. She isn't bright, she is dull because she is only one out of the many teen moms.

Symbolism of Color Why did the author

choose only a select amount of color? What do the colors used symbolize?

• Black and white are common colors and tend to set the mood for sadness and gloom. The black and white color scheme demonstrates the basic and common issue of teenage pregnancy in our society. The bright, pink color attracts the eye of the reader. The main statistic is colored because even though the rate is high, it is still a number at a changing rate.

Logos

What is the logical appeal of the advertisement?

• The word “statistic” and the fact of “more than 750,000 teenage girls will become pregnant this year” sets a logical appeal because we see that teenage pregnancy is a statistic within itself because the rate is constantly changing.

Pathos What is the

emotional appeal of this advertisement?

• A teen mom may view this differently than someone who is not because they may feel that they are not important; They are only a number out of the thousands that are young mothers. This can set their emotions on a low depressed level. For someone who is not a teen mom may be shocked by the statistic and can set their emotions on a high concerned level.

References

http://www.candiesfoundation.org/campaigns.html

http://www.candiesfoundation.org/print.html