Analysis of Magazine Billboards

Analysis of iPhone 5c Billboard:

In order to understand regional magazine billboard designs, I want to explore a range of other billboard designs to understand how they're laid out, the colours they use as well as type and representation. This advert in particular presents connotations attached to youth and a new, vibrant product which aims to grab the audience's attention through colour, modern design and styling.

The layout of this design is highly simplistic, as it only really incorporates three main sections. Images are laid out alongside text, leaving a clear section of space for both. Spacing alongside text leaves enough room for the advert to look professional and interesting, without detracting from its aesthetic beauty. A logo is presented in the bottom right corner and this connotes a specific corporation. 

The image on this billboard is bright and vibrant, grabbing the audience's eye straight away. The styling, shot type and framing all look original and the image is easy on the eye. The image shows the product clearly, giving away clear visual details about its design and how it looks. As a new product this is important for an advert's success. The image works with the background as it opposes it and stands out clearly and coherently.

Colours shown throughout this design are bright and grab the audience's attention straight away. The range f colouring grabs the audience's attention and draws them into the advert. This diverse range of colouring stands out from the white background well, as, this alongside the black text grabs the audience's eye. Black text is used to present the idea of opposition to the reader, meaning this gives the advert another dimension.

Type on the billboard is presented through corporate themes and corporate fonts. There is very little text on this page due to the company's massive following and well know product background. However, the text that is shown is stylish and connotes a youthful, informal nature.

Analysis of Legion Billboard:

With a traditional film billboard layout, this design is typical in style and connotes an archaic design which is grand in nature. The billboard stands out and grabs the audience's eye, attracting them to the film and persuading them to watch it. Furthermore, the billboards breaks convention as it explores a state which isn't typical of that of most billboards.

The layout Legion's Billboard stands out and grabs our attention. It is laid out very simply with one line of type laid over an image. The billboard's image is sized over the basic rectangle used for traditional billboards. This allows it to become three dimensional and stand out. Due to the simplistic nature of the billboard it means that cars passing don't have to look for long before they understand the genre of the film. Text and images are centred on the billboard to create a sense of convenience as well as balance. The layout follows a conventional design. 

The one main image on this billboard presents themes concerning perhaps a horror/fantasy film - this is done through lighting, colour scheme of the image and also context of the image. Wings, connoting fantasy, alongside dark colours, opposed by brighter ones in the centre of the image all connote darker themes. Lighting in the image also presents themes similar to this. Moreover, the shot type is a medium-long shot which allows the audience to see the subject and understand the context of the film. 

With regard to colour a simplistic colour scheme is used made up of four colours, blue/green in the image, and creamy font - these colours work well together. The light of the typography contrasts the dark image and allows it to stand out. 

The mast head and font is archaic in style and looks good in terms of standing out and presenting the genre to the target audience - this is through convenience of genre as stated by John Friske. There is a serif on the type which makes it fit the genre and also ideas of imagery attached to the image. 

Analysis of Nike Billboard:

Finally, I am going to be looking at a billboard by Nike, advertising their brand and their diverse shoe range. The billboard, presenting simplistic, stylistic connotations, tells me that they create quality products, however relate to everyday people.

The layout of this billboard is relatively simple in style. By using only one image and two different sections of text, the designer has been able to make a clean-cut, simplistic, however attractive design. By centralising the main image, and adding the company's logo in the bottom left corner, this design fits stereotype and convention. Type is offset to give an idea of movement on the page, it's also positioned towards the centre of the page as this is the area which the audience's eyes are drawn to as they drive past.

One main image is used on this billboard design - it is positioned centrally and connotes the company's brand through use of a take on their world renowned logo. The image is the logo made up of a selection of the companies shoe range, this connotes the area which Nike are trying to advertise, and it also sells their brand through use of their logo. The image is large in size and takes up most of the billboard space. The image is well lit to connote a multi sex range for both children and adults. The image is backed with a white background which makes the image stand out and draws your eye to it.

With regards to colour throughout this billboard advertisement, Nike's conventional shade of blue is used on the logo to make it stand out from the background colour, as well as presenting the corporate colours. Furthermore, black is used for the rest of the typography as this allows it to contrast the background colour - this follows Levi Strauss' theory of binary opposition. The colour palate of white, black and blue works well together as it isn't too bright and allows you to focus on the corporate connotations and ideas presented by Nike.

The typography on this advertisement is is a style which doesn't edge towards either genre in particular. The typography makes a statement in terms of the lexis, whereas in terms of the styling it is relatively casual, informal and doesn't take any emphasis away from the image. Perhaps this is because Nike want the image to be to focal point, or perhaps because this typeface is a corporate typeface, therefore presents their brand. The type is all in lowercase which presents ideas of informality and the audience can feel it's more personal because of this.