ADVERTISEMENTS in New York City...

Guggenheim Museum (2011)
Source: Time Out NY Magazine

This print ad for the events at the Guggenheim Museum was found in the Time Out NY Magazine. The text is written in a sans-serif font with varying sizes with the title up top and the name of the Guggenheim museum at the bottom in bigger letters. This ad is characterized by the asymmetry and the imbalance of the text all along the right side of the page and the emptiness of the bottom left corner. Meanwhile, the dancer in the top half of the page provides a stark contrast in the way her body is angled downward, creating a sense of movement and spatial direction. Contrast can also be seen in the darkness of the dancer, in her clothes, hair and shadows agains the white lettering and light grey/blue background. Finally, the text is arranged in a series of groupings to highlight the various events offered at the Guggenheim Museum. 

Jazz at Lincoln Center (2011)
Source: New York Magazine

This print ad for the Jazz events at Lincoln Center was found in the New York Magazine. The text in a sans-serif font is highlighted by being placed on top of several bars of different colors to contrast with the background of the jazz player. This ad plays with the idea of the figure & ground criteria by placing the jazz player as the ground and having his image intertwines with the thick colored lines, some with text, and others without. The combination of colors and formal structures plays with the layers of the ad and blurs the lines of what in front and whats behind. Once again, the bars of text are grouped in similar slanted structures along ruled lines. Finally, there is a clear rhythm within this ad of the text boxes scattered around the page, yet the overall ad is more or less asymmetrical.

Stella Artois (2011)
Source: New York Magazine

This print ad for the beer Stella Artois was also found in the New York Magazine. This time the sparse text comes in a cursive font which adds a sense of formality or sophistication. The "weight" of the glass/can on the left side offsets the balance of the ad in an asymmetrical, loose structure. The main point in this ad is the strategic placement and position of the glass/can on the left, implying to the viewer that one item becomes the other. This visual strategy brings up the criteria of mirroring, with the chalice and the can being compared along the axis separating the grey and whit background in the top half. The color in this ad is interesting because there is a lot of gradation from grey to white and contrast of the glass/can against a white background. 

"Warrior" movie (2011)
Source: New York Subway - L Line

This ad for the movie "Warrior" was found on the wall of the subway stop at Montrose Ave. on the L line in New York City. This ad exhibits a formal, symmetrical structure. The sans-serif font appears in all capital letters to make a striking statement with the title of the movie in much thicker letters than the rest of the text. There is a clear balance creating an "optical equilibrium" with the two faces framing the centered text. To add to this balance, the faces act in a mirroring structure in the sense that they are similar object flipped around the central axis of the titel. Even though the color scheme is reasonably simple, the title in all black contrasts against the white background and likewise with the faces in gray scale. 

Nike, Inc. (2007)
Source: Web/Online

This ad was from a 2007 ad campaign for Nike, Inc. and was found online. Unlike the previous ads, this one has no text and relies only on the visual elements to convey the marketing message. The concrete structure allows for the even, symmetrical distribution of the elements - in this case the turtles, and the shoe. There is a visual frequency with the number of time the turtle appears with equal distances between them. Similarly, the criteria of repetition is exemplified with the duplication of the turtles form to create a pattern. This pattern is broken with the Nike shoe. Obviously the main element in the ad, the shoe provides a strong contrast through the juxtaposition with an opposite element to emphasize its "inherent quality" - speed. In simpler terms: a turtle is slow (and according to Nike, all other brands of shoes would make you slow), while the Nike shoe represents speed and agility, the clear winner.