Analyzing Advertisement Design

The color green is often associated with nature, safety, growth and healing. In nature, green is a color present in figures of great strength such as the Redwoods’ towering evergreens or the mighty canopy above the Amazon Rain Forest. Green also happens to be the key color chosen for this Band-Aid advertisement. The brand produces bandages for the purpose of healing wounds. Having green as the dominate color not only ties in the cultural reference of The Hulk, but also exemplifies these healing and safety elements in the bandage. These elements are critical for the parents to associate with the brand in order for them develop a trust in the bandage’s healing abilities. Green is the primary color in the hand and background, however, the main subject of the ad, the bandage, is a nude color. This creates a visual contrast which illuminates the tan bandage on the green finger. The contrasting hues in the hand and the background further emphasize the salience of the hand and its bandage. A lighter value green is placed at the center of the ad creating a spotlight effect with the finger and its bandage. By varying the values of green and creating this spotlight, the advertiser is subtly informing the viewer of most important elements in the ad. The color choices made by the advertisement’s creators were purposeful in revealing the ideas of the ad to the observer without spelling it out. Since we read from left to right, it is only logical that our first instinct is to look at top left of any new image. Advertisers realize this and then make a visual path to lead the observer to the product or idea they are trying to sell. In the case of this Band-Aid ad, the hand of The Hulk creates a vector of attention which steers the eye strait to the box of bandages at the bottom of the page. The Hulk’s arm starts at the top left of the page which then leads the eye to the hand at the center of the ad. From the hand, the viewer travels to the finger which holds the salient image in this ad, the bandage. The bandaged finger then almost directly points to the Band-Aid box. The placement of the box at the bottom right corner of the page leaves the brand name as the last image the audience of parents sees before turning the page of whatever parenting, home or health magazine they are reading. The effective mapping of this image makes this element of vectors of attention a subtle strength in the advertisement.