English 1301
Sample of Ad Analysis (strong until conclusion)
This image was made to promote advertisement of the game Prototype. The
image shows a man from his left side who is looking down and has a deformed left arm
held up which is a blade. This image was made to appeal to an audience which is 16 and
over, as displayed on the image. The image is made effective by it’s lighting, his posture,
and the clothing, color, and text.
The lighting is used to show the darkness of the man and what he has now
become. There is light coming from his right side and back, which serves to darken the
man’s left side, which is what is seen. While it makes him seem darker, it also catches on
his deformed left arm, throwing it in sharp relief and catching the eye. Darkening the
only part seen of him was done to express something he has done or will do; the darkness
meaning it is cruel or evil. Lighting the left arm brings out the details in it, and shows the
extent of his deformation.
His posture shows that he doesn’t know what’s happening to himself and he
doesn’t know how others will react. He’s holding up his left arm and looking down at it;
this was done to bring the arm into the image so the viewer can see what’s happening to
him. While he’s looking at the left arm his eyebrows are lowered and he has a slight
frown, which tells the viewer he doesn’t know what’s happening and he doesn’t like it.
He is turned away from the light as if to stay in the dark, out of the sight of others.
His clothing further suggests his need to hide from society. He is wearing a jacket
and a hoodie, which covers all of his body that can be seen except for a small portion of
his face and his deformed left arm. This draws the viewer to those portions that can be
seen, making them more pronounced. The wave of red color serves to bring the viewer’s
eye in almost a 360 around the image. The wave starts at the shoulder and goes the entire
length of the arm, bringing the eye to see the changes happening to him. The text in the
middle of the picture saying Prototype suggests that the man is the Prototype, and the text
is in brackets and seeming to degrade on the bottom parts of the letters. The brackets
symbolize a cage, and the degrading letters mean either the Prototype or the cage is
degrading.
This image effectively advertises the game Prototype to it’s target audience of 16
and over. The lighting helps show what the man is like, while bringing in detail his
problem, which makes the viewer wonder how this happened to him. His posture shows
that he didn’t intend for whatever happened to him to happen, which makes the viewer
want to know the story. His clothing suggests he wants to stay hidden, and the text shows
people want him caged, but it may not last. These are subtitles that may be lost on
younger viewers, but are caught by the target audience and draws them in to play the
game.