Writing Assignment
Sources: Two: one will be your visual source, the other will be the company/ brand/ organization website.
Purpose: Communication exists in mediums outside of the written word. Just like a written text, a visual text communicates meaning on a deeper level beyond merely the literal. For example, photographs, print advertisements, posters, paintings, and movies all convey messages.
Audience: Your audience for this assignment is your instructor and your classmates. Therefore, your tone should be academic and more formal than if you were speaking to a friend. However, when writing the analysis, you need to focus on the Target Audience for that particular visual prompt.
Visual Source Parameters: Click on the links on the “Visual Source Suggestions” document to get an idea about what kinds of advertisements make good material for this assignment. Feel free to choose one of the commercials given on the list—all of these have plenty of brand research available about them.
If you want to select your own visual source, then here are some guidelines:
Choose either a television commercial or music video for which you can easily find the brand/ creator mission statement and purpose as given on their website.
Length should be at least 1 minute long (1-3 mins is a good length. 30 seconds is too short).
Source must be from within the last 5 years.
Make sure you choose wisely with your source. You need to choose something that has enough content to sustain a 3–4-page analysis.
In your paper, you need to accomplish the following:
Discuss the visual source’s use of rhetorical appeals, devices, strategies, and the optional argument style. Don’t forget about formal elements like metaphor, personification, irony, symbolism, etc. that you think are relevant.
Analyze how the visual source effectively or ineffectively represents what the brand claims to stand for.
Give specific visual examples that support your claim.
Important things to consider: For example, Who seems to be the targeted audience? If you have chosen an advertisement, then what product or service is being advertised?
