Our third seminar was about “Holiday Ad Propaganda Posters.” We used one class to make 3 holiday ad posters in groups; this seminar was to analyze these posters and further analyze how to make a good propaganda poster.
First off, I want to summarize what we talked about in the seminar. According to the PPT I made, we analyzed the 3 posters first. The first poster was made by Anna Astro and Coco; it used bold words to show the topic and make it attractive. The positions of key points like “67%” also made the poster attractive; the pictures chosen were related to the audience and topic. The colors chosen created contrast, which also connects with the topic, yellow beach and blue sea. Words like “your” are direct addresses that also create inclusiveness.
The second poster was by Eric Shell and Rhett; it was a poster of an African holiday. The main problem was that people thought the colors in the poster were not relevant to the topic of the poster. However, Eric has also stated that those unique colors stand out and pop out to the audience, and they are the focus points of the poster, for example, “Book Now” or some bold text. Some other people said that there are a lot of different colors inside, so it makes the poster look chaotic, and there is no main focus point.
The third poster was created by Olivia, Eliza, and Ryan. The poster was persuasive and promoting Indonesian culture, and the topic was adventure, exploration, and experience. However, the pictures on the poster were rent-related to the topic, for example, the picture with a little boy playing with a toy. And the purpose of making the poster was not to attract the audience with cost, but with words like “adventure” and “experience.” People also said that their poster fonts aren’t clear enough and that they needed to be more recognizable.
Further on, we answer questions like how age, gender, and social background evoke different people’s different understandings of the same poster. We all thought that, yes, there are different understandings and that it depends on the aimed audience because different people of different ages or genders prefer different vibes and colors, so they surely will have different understandings and attitudes towards the same poster.
The next question was how we can make pictures match writing content. We agreed with three points: First, using images that directly show the text, for example, including a family on the beach when you are promoting family beach holidays. Second, reinforce the central idea. If your message is about joyfulness, then choose warm and lively shots that highlight the connection. Third, align with the emotional tone. Use bright or soft colors. For upbeat themes, you can use calm and natural tones for relaxing getaways.
The next two questions were what visual elements could grab the audience’s attention during a quick view or just a glance. And how can text in your poster change people’s biases or stereotypes of the destination that is being promoted？ We agreed that the neat layout and the design make the poster stand out and guide the audience’s view through the whole poster. And those fonts’ bright colors and big pictures and titles that align with pictures can also grab the audience’s attention. As for the second question, we thought that the text could act like a guide, and also, through putting on real travel feelings and experiences, we could break some fixed impressions, just like how the quote said, “To understand the road ahead, ask those coming back; don’t take advice from people who’ve never been where you wish to go.”
The leaders of this seminar were Coco and I; in the first class, we didn’t get many scores. The class was arguing about some points on their poster, and we didn’t have time to express our own opinions and analyze ourselves. I believe we prepared well but didn’t really use it all, like some questions weren’t asked.
For this seminar I got a 6; I lacked “high” points. And overall as a leader I think I needed to express my opinions more. To improve, I think I could try summarizing after every question or point, also adding my own understandings and analysis.
How did you get no “high”s?