Alcoa Aluminum, 1953
My first image shows an advertisement from 1953 for a twist-off bottle lid. It shows a photograph of a woman looking shocked and holding a bottle of sauce. The colours and style make it recognisable as being from the 50s, as women were just seen as housewives and were expected to be prim, proper and weak.
The caption of this advert states that “a woman can open it”, suggesting that women were too weak to open lids before. This is a prime example of sexism in America, and how it could be used to promote products.
In the 50s, this advert would’ve been effective in selling the easy-to-open bottle due to relevance of sexism at the time.
Burger King, 1975
The second image I found is a poster advertisement for Burger King. This is from 1975, and it
shows a family of four sitting around a table enjoying a meal.
I like this poster because it pushes against the racial discrimination that was problematic in the 1960s. The ad features a black family, which, in the 60s, wouldn’t have been acceptable due to racism still being a big issue. To see a family who were previously discriminated against makes the ad, and the brand, very positive.
i-D Magazine, 1989
Finally, I chose is a cover from i-D magazine. This one is from 1989, and it’s the ‘Loud Issue’, which is shown clearly as it uses many bright colours to catch the viewers’ attention. This cover uses information hierarchy to show the most important aspects, such as the logo, which is in black and white and thus stands out from the bright colours. The same goes for the chunks of text, as they’re in black and white, although particular words like ‘Elvis’, ‘Belgian’ and ‘Ska Fashion’ are singled out and highlighted in white in order for them to stand out.
I like this magazine cover because I think it fits the issue name by being loud, and I also think it’s the epitome of the 80s style, which is bright and neon.
In conclusion, by looking at these three published images altogether, I realise how different things can be advertised and sold.
Image One: Alcoa Aluminum, 1953 [online] available at: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Alcoa_Aluminum_advertisement#/media/File:Alcoa_Aluminum_advert_1953.png) [accessed 6 December 2017]
Image Two: Burger King, 1975 [online] available at: (https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/540502392770404316/) [accessed 6 December 2017]
Image Three: i-D Magazine (photography: Eddie Monsoon), The Loud Issue #70, 1989 [online] available at: (http://covers.i-d.co/cover/70/1) [accessed 6 December 2017]