Panopticism task notes

london riots. notes

This saw a fail of Panopticism maintaining order on the streets.

Panoptic tactics such as CCTV, tracking Social networks and mobile chatter failed to stop the disorder but  helped enforce and catch offenders.

Shows that panopicism fails when communication between offenders is available which was never allowed in the Panopticon prison.

The Government tried to highlight that offenders are been watched an monitored constantly was enforced on the news and in the papers to try regain order.

Talking about riots was almost forbid on social networks. a few were made an example of by going to court for mentioning it in a facebook status.
reminder you are been watched.

"Visibility is a trap" removes the possibility to hide.. In numbers people can hide. safety in numbers.

How they started to control

Lecture 1 Panopticism Seminar 1

Panopticism

Institutions and institutional POWER

Panopticon (1971)

This as a building has the same principals of control as society does.

Michel Foucault

1926-1984

·      Madness and civilization

·      Discipline and punish. The birth of the prison.

Both concentrate of the rise of institution.

The great Confinement

Madness insane led a very simple life. Tolerated in society. Village idiot.

1600’s rise of religion. Feel outside social norms. Wouldn’t couldn’t work led to the Great confinement. House of correction.

Insane criminals, poor, unemployed, single mothers, lazy

Put to work or were punished. Threat of violence.

This became a gross error. It corrupted people more in fact.

Special institutions. Birth of the Asylum. Judge who is right or wrong.

Inside asylum the inmates are controlled in different ways. They are treated like children if they do well they are rewarded. Trained.

All sorts of knowledge form. Biology, psychiatry, medicine.

This new form of social control represents internalize responsibility

Criminals and deviants.

Punished publicly. Not to correct it to show to everyone else. They will be punished and humiliated if they are deviants.

Physical torture to be made of an example of. Show the kings power. A lesson to everyone else.

Disciplinary society/power

A shift for physical punishment to mental punishment.

Discipline is a technique

Making you useful. Controlling thoughts and behaviors

Panopticon Jeremy Bentham’s

Prison 1791

Modern version  in Cuba.

Each prisoner separated in there sell and see tower. On display and isolated constantly. C

Can’t tell if you are been watched

It internalizes the idea you are always been watched. You never do anything wrong. Allows power to function automatically.

Mentally control themselves.

Self help.

Used for a variety of purposes.

·      Allows scrutiny

·      Allows supervisor to experiment on subjects

·      Aims to make them productive.

·      Reform

·      Treat

·      Instruct

·      Confine

·      Supervise

New mode of power PANOPTICISM

Correct and train them

Open plan office. Not just a trendy design it is an efficient system. Allows the boss to constantly see work staff to make sure they are working and not skiving off.

Reminder of institutional power.

Leads to a fear of been court out.

Not just physical places.

Register is  panoptic sign that everyday is been monitored.

Relationship between power and knowledge and the body

Direct relationship to metal and physical control.

Force to train ourselves.

Has mental control which results in a physical act.

“Docile bodies” it won’t rebel. Self monitoring, self correction.

Foucault and Power. Power isn’t a thing you have it’s a dialogue. We choose to let people wield power. 

CTS seminar 1

Task 1. Panoptioism.

Choose an example of one aspect of contemporary culture this is in your opinion panoptic. 200-300 words.

Employing key foucauldian language, such as Docile bodies or self regulation and using at least 5 quotes from the text panopticism in Thomas, J 2000

Reading images NY Palgrave McMillan.

Panopticon Jeremy Bentham 1971

·      Visibility/invisibility – Institutional Gaze.

·      Isolated. Stop people conspiring. Stop people sharing there experiences important for self-discipline.

·      Self-discipline. Self-regulating.

·      Machine to produce productivity

·      Under surveillance

·      The shift from physical to mental discipline (Modern disciplinary society)

·      Binary division. Mad/sane

Inventing discipline.

Psychiatry emerges to correct and contain.

Michel Foucault

1926-1984

Schools

Hospitals

Facebook (social networks)

The News and advertising (shows you an image of a perfect life. Sends an idea to audience that’s how they should be)

Docile Body

Fitter more productive. Easily trained.

Power

Power is a relationship.

Students let teacher have power over them.

Entering the relationship as the subordinate.

Student doesn’t have to do this but chooses to.

Effect the controllers as well as the controlled. 

Year 1 Below

Essay

Advertising doesn’t sell things; all advertising does is change the way people think or feel.

This essay is going to discuss the way advertising campaigns changes people’s way of thinking about the given product. It concentrates efforts to looking at sexism within the advertising media and converse in-depth about three advertisements, which connotate women in a sexist way. Focusing on three quotes to depict these chosen sources. The included quotes; “A publicity picture suggests that if we buy what it is offered then our lives should be different from what it is”, (John Berger – Ways of seeing documentary, 1972). Secondly, “Usually, women have been defined in relation to the various soci-political objectives that were proposed and served the needs of men.” (Claudia Moscovici – From Sex Objects to Sexual Subjects 1996, p23). And the third “In the grip of an emotion, a person not only feels differently, but tends to think differently. Advertising that resonates emotionally stands more chance of inducing a change in beliefs and values/ motives/ wants and desires than one based on logic alone.” (J & N O’Shaughnessy – Persuasion in Advertising 2004, p.27). This essay will show different stereotypes such as the classic 1950’s housewife’s role and women perceived as sex objects. It will discuss advertising theories as a basic template seeing if they apply to the three chosen advertisements.

The first advertisement selected is a 1950’s Van Heusen advertisement. The advertisement is promoting a new selection of patterned ties, for men’s ware. Involving a man been served breakfast in bed by his wife or girlfriend. At first appearances it instantly screams a notion of sexism with a concept of men’s superiority over women. Forcing individuals to look at this illustrated advertisement as if it where the perfect household picture. For example to begin, the slogan, “show her it is a man’s world”. Automatically sending the viewer to looking at the basics ascetics of the imagery. An attractive women knelt next to a successful looking male character who is propped up in men being served breakfast. As John Berger’s puts it “Fabulous rewards people, objects” (1972 documentary). The advertisement is selling a future of successfulness of life apparently achieved by purchasing their tie. The advertisement is trying to urgently sell you their tie along with their perfect outlook on life, ‘man’s world’. This advertisement has a very specific audience, who will plunge in to the idea of what this product could offer them long-term. If information is extracted from this advertisement in a negative manner there are multiple unrealistic features. The man is in bed but wearing his Van Heusen tie and a crisp shirt. The women is in her night gown as if she has got out of bed, with perfect formed hair wearing pearl earing’s. The whole picture is inaccurate, but still sells as a perfect picture. This view agrees, “A publicity picture suggests that if we buy what it is offered then our lives should be different from what it is” (John Berger, 1972 documentary). The illustrated advertisement is allowed to have these mistakes due to the artists/designers ignorance of the basic roles of individual’s in a functioning household. Also to be considered about the era in which this advertisement was first introduced was around the time when finishing schools were apparent, for example The Lucie Clayton in London. They were thought that they had a specific role in society and their life. But during the 2^nd World War women were needed to replace the male roles in industry, which for a short period stopped men being chauvinistic and condescending towards females. Which contradicts the view that “Usually, women have been defined in relation to the various social-political objectives that were proposed and served the needs of men.” (Claudia Moscovici,1996, p23). But after the war males were back and women weren’t needed except for what they had been previously, this is when the ‘baby boom’ occurred. Implies that couples have been reunited and that everyone is ready to go back to “normal”. This product would have sold also simply because it is bright and patterned which due to rationing individuals would have missed, it screams we’ve won the war and life is back to the norm.

These suits are from a Dutch based company called, Suit Supply. They have coursed a lot of controversy with a few of their campaigns using a “shameless” tactic to sell male suits. The advertisement involves a women sprawled indecently across a stairway which appears to be just outside of a sophisticated residence area. Meanwhile a man is stood curiously looking up her dress revealing her underwear whilst wearing one of the Suit Supply suits. The man’s look is giving a deliberate appearance of being unimpressed with his given situation. However on the other hand the woman is in a state of voluntarily not being in control, not even of herself. “The idea that sex is repressed thus prepares the way for our confession, and it is confession that we apparently savor most”, (Judith Butler, 2004, p162). The advertisement is selling you the idea of men’s superiority and of their sex appeal. It shows that even when a man should be at their weakest you are still entitled to ‘pick and choose’ and remain strong, is this due the façade of the suit? Every man would and should be able to admit that they would want this to be their perfect day/average day. Which obtains how John Berger puts it “the state of being envied constitutes glamour”, (John Berger, 1972, documentary). He has been branded as ‘shameless’ giving us as the viewer the idea of a dominating alpha male, “lads lad”. This advertisement is in photographic form, which gives you more of an insight into the scene set. There is no excuse for inappropriateness because it is all very much real unlike the 1950’s advertisement. It shows a very different form of glamour to the 15^th century according the John Berger, “In oil paintings glamour did not exist, grace, elegance authority was viewed as something similar”. (John Berger, 1972, documentary.) The authority and glamour here is far from graceful and elegant.

The final advertisement is from a Post-it note campaign. The scene depicted is of a female and a male in the early morning fast asleep in bed. All that is in camera view of the bedroom is the top half of the bed, a side chest of draws and the bottom corner of a window. The room has no character or personality as the main colour is white, leaving us with no indication as to whose bedroom this could be. This picture looks desirable, as the two people have attractively fallen asleep. Having another is desirable, “relationships become radiant because of our new possessions” (John Berger, 1972, documentary). Shock occurs when you recognize the yellow Post-it note stuck on the female’s forehead, reading ‘Jane’. The recognizable slogan that is shown out of the images context at the bottom of the page, “for the little things you forget”. This is now not a desirable scene as you begin to form your own assumptions of what has happened over the course of the evening the night before. Is this promoting good? “it is possible to influence society good as well as for bad’ (Guy Cook, 1992 p.2). There is this same idea as in the first two advertisements of the “Alfa male” concept still in a modern society. “The highest value o this civilization is the individual ego” (John Berger, 1992, documentary). The advertisement will mainly appeal to this generations males and a small minority of females who a willing to accept this is a non-harmful attempt of sensitive humor. “Women began to reject the definitions which had confined and distorted them and they began to become aware of the void which existed where their own meanings could have been”, (Dale Spender, 1980, p.65). If the advertisers wanted to appeal this to a larger audience including older generations they could have simply replaced ‘Jane’ with ‘remember milk’ or something along those lines stuck to the males forehead. This would reverse any controversy about sexism towards women. It wouldn’t necessarily make the product any less at an advantage to sell. The idea would have to accept not being perceived as adventurous, risking pushing the boundaries. Which are the key elements of being remembered as good advertisements.

To conclude, the concept of a product been sold for its idea rather than is esthetics is comparable. The creators of these advertisements are using women, as a distracting figure that will sell a product, acting as ‘red heron’. There is a fine line of sexism running though all the advertisements. Are they acceptable forms? The first advertisement of the 1950’s Van Heusen tie campaign, look at it as only a notion of women’s behavior towards men. It is suggested the actual imagery could be offensive because it is only an illustration. But the slogan could be debatable. The second is the Suit Supply campaign, “shameless’. This has created controversy, which is easy to see why; it portrays women as the weaker, “easier” sex. But the slogan almost counter balances this by branded his in kinder words as a chauvinistic individual. And thirdly the post-it note campaign again makes the man look ignorant of the women by not even remembering her name. It gives us the sense that the woman is far more intelligent, she can remember. But the man will receive the most points for wit, iconic “lad points”.

Bibliography

John Berger’s, TV documentary. 1972. Ways of seeing – Advertising [online] (updated 14 March 2008) Available at: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=john+berger&aq=6

Cook, G. (1992) The Discourse of Advertising – Section edition, Abingdon: Routledge.

Butler, J. (2004) Undoing Gender, New York: Routledge.

Moscovici, C. (1996) From Sex Objects to Sexual Subjects, New York: Routledge.

Spender, D. (1980) Man Made Language, London, Pandora Press

O’Shaughnessy, J. and O’Shaughnessy, N.J. (2004) Persuasion in Advertising, London: Routledge.

http://www.genderads.com/Gender_Ads.com.html

Typography. Letters Gathered into Words.

Text is defined by an ongoing sequence of words and the main block of text is known as "body. "Running Text" is where text filters from one section to another such as a page, column or box, this allows text to become fluid or a sound or sturdy object. A Designer would typically break text into chunks which allows the reader to breakdown text into more digestible to take in. Breaking text up offers shortcuts and different routes through large amounts of text using techniques such as indenting and underlining. The flow of content enhances readability of a written word and stops effort.

Printing with movable type was the first way of mass production text replacing handwritten documents which were riddled with mistakes. "A Proof" is a test copy sent to the proofreader to ensure the printed various lays faithful to the handwritten version before it was to be printed.

With a letter press spacing is just as important and the letters themselves as it too consists of a physical object. These are called faceless slugs which and leading is the spacing between lines of type. Spoken language is perceived as the continuous flow with no audible gaps. Spacing was invented after the greek alphabet to make words legible and a distinct unit.

Traditional aspects of text pages use the same navigational features of books, such as the index, appendix, abstract, footnote and table of contents. This provides direction for the reader and thus making it easier to read and understand. Speaking is considered a flow in a single direction where as text escapes form the one-way stream by controlling space as well as time therefor liberating readers from the bonds of linearity.

The letters of type are just as important as the space and whats around them.

Deconstruction

This is a front cover of Ray Gun magazine produced by the art director David Carson. Ray Gun is famous for its deconstructive style and its disregard for grids and order. The order of this piece isn't your classic left to right way of reading this layout creates power for the reader to interoperate there own direction of readability, instead of just reading the text readers are meant to feel to words.

There is no consistency with font or size of the text this is a huge deconstrucitve style which neglects the classic rules of typography design. Again this makes the reader feel the words which adds interest and more of a connection with the words.

Ray Gun was also renown for its Typos and mis spelling of words. Despite the words missing letters or been spelt wrong the reader is still able to make sense of what is going on which creates an idea of achievement for decoding the mistakes.

There is a sudden interest when you first see this magazine and i feel the design would of helped with its popularity as it stands out from every other on the market. Been a rule breaker this magazine would appeal to a young target audience and prodomitly male due to the masculine and rugged style.

There is a huge contrast with this issue where the top section of the cover is the classic Ray Gun style where grids and order go out of the window but the bottom is much more traditional and structured.

In conclusion i feel that this is definitely a piece of deconstruction design where it doesn't follow the classic traditional contraventions of a layout and can be hard to interoperate compared to a normal magazine where the front cover is clear so readers get a clean idea of whats inside.

Deconstruction

This sex pistols album cover is an example of deconstructive graphic design with the different fonts used and the cut and paste style of the title. This is the
Here is the Marqués de Riscal Vineyard Hotel, Elciego, Spain which blends a lot of different architectural styles together such as the wavy metal, glass and concrete buildings.
This is the Stata Center at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, built in 2004. is very similar to the previous building using the irregular building shape.

This is a good example of deconstructive graphic design as there are know real rules on the way it should be read. there is no consistency with fonts shape, size or orientation. also no real order on which the text should be read.
I feel this is also an example of deconstructionism where the building is made irregular for design sake and there isn't a clear reason what the design is for.

Essay Research

As a professional marketer, you are governed by whatever your clients are hoping to sell. Sometimes it's a useful, valuable product; sometimes it's a dry, esoteric concept. More often than not, it is something that no one really needs, but it is your job to sell it. The client has put his trust in you and will pay you for your effort. No one ever said marketing was always going to be fun and glamorous.

Given the task of creating an ad, a website, a brochure or trade show display, your goal is to present your client's job so every eye will be drawn to it, regardless of whether they need it or will ultimately buy it.

First question I would ask is, who is its target market? If we're selling a geriatric product or service, it's far different from selling something to the tween segment. But many jobs we do in this field are far removed from the everyday ken of the mass consumer market. For example, selling a particular type of industrial technology to the world's waste water engineers. Or presenting a series of books on World War I history to a tiny clutch of worldwide war buffs. Each of these examples demands a different approach to reach what "moves" a given market.

Recently, I was contacted by a dancing school owner who wanted her website redesigned to reflect her personality. She felt that if I were to visit her and watch her work, I could capture the essence of her spirit and come up with graphics to match.

This is a common misconception among people outside of the marketing field. They all believe they are truly unique and possess some kind of special quality that will make them an overnight sensation. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Working to package a marketing concept involves use of a finite assortment of type styles, textual content, colors, visual images, shapes and sizes dictated by the dimensions of the end product we are creating and has very little bearing on whether the client is a glamour queen or military madman. If what we are selling is related to those last two descriptions, then there may be some reason to apply such ideas. But in my thirty-five years of experience, graphic design is most effective when it relates to current aesthetic trends but surpasses the norm with innovation and surprise. It must be competitive with the world's best efforts while being meaningful to its target market.

What type styles work best?

This is very much dependent on whom we are addressing. Just as tweens would have no appreciation for the grace and elegance of a classic font used tastefully in proper balance with its surrounding elements, an older market may bristle at an avant garde utilization of some brazen typeface scrawled defiantly across a bold design. Yet, there is a time and place for each of these techniques.

What colors work best?

According to multiple studies performed over a fifty year period in a number of different countries, regardless of age or gender, the color blue ranked as the most preferred color to use for a variety of purposes and goals. Second choices were green and purple. Least favorite colors were orange, grey and brown. However, each of the studies mentioned that cultural differences affected color favorites because of emotional relationships attached to color, e.g., associations with mourning, depression, mental illness, terrorism, etc. Other studies also concluded that men and women react to color differently with men being more oblivious to both color and subtlety, while women were more attentive and knowledgeable about both. Furthermore, in studies performed in laboratory settings to examine how color affected behavior, blue was found to have a calming, relaxing effect while red motivated quicker response. When age was more closely examined, the younger the subject the more likely the preference for bright colors such as red or yellow. Also, in the presence of these same bright colors, perceptions and judgments to size or value by all respondents tended to be larger and more favorable than when influenced by blues or greens which elicited more realistic and slower reactions.

What does this mean in terms of graphic design?

Much of what has been found through scientific or psychological study basically appears to be common sense. Young people like hot flashy colors and older people like cooler, more conservative colors. Yet, one truism about color doesn't quite compute when reviewing the results of the various preference studies. According to color theory, there are three primary colors of red, blue and yellow with the complementary color of each primary color determined by mixing the other two primary colors together. This means that the complementary color of red is green; the complementary color of blue is orange; and the complementary color of yellow is purple. What sticks out like a sore thumb is that most people disliked orange; yet it is the most complementary color to use with everyone's favorite color, blue.

So, do we throw these conclusions out the window? Hardly. It is a safe bet that if you were to use blue as the color scheme for women with breast cancer, men with a penchant for war and children shopping for shoes, none would be repulsed by the presentation. I think the use of an accent color would be the more sensitive issue and observation of the studies' results should provide a reliable guide here. Also, not to be overlooked is the fact that there are an infinite number of shades and tones of blue which complicates the matter even further. If the blue you choose leans to the green, it is more likely described as a turquoise, while a blue leaning more to the red could be construed as more of a purple or magenta. These variations alter presumptions about use of secondary or tertiary colors to complement. Another important concern regarding color involves contrast which can affect legibility of text if misused.

What visual images sell best?

Years ago, before the existence of computers, desktop publishing and the Internet, it was common knowledge among this industry's cognoscenti that babies and dogs were the images to use at the newsstand to capture the hearts of the magazine-buying public. In an extensive Google search, I have failed to support that theory today. Times have changed and with it tastes of our culture. Another mantra from years past was that "sex sells." Whether we agree with that or not, sex rarely has a place within applications we professional marketers must utilize.

Here's what one expert, Dick Stolley, the founding managing editor of People magazine, had to say about what cover images sell his magazine best:

"Young is better than old. Pretty is better than ugly. Rich is better than poor. Movies are better than music. Music is better than television. Television is better than sports...and anything is better than politics." In 1999, he added: "And nothing is better than the celebrity dead," a fact which has been strongly supported with the best-selling newsstand covers of all time at the death of John Lennon, Princess Diana and recently Michael Jackson.

For those of us selling widgets, however, these guidelines are immaterial. The correct image to use in marketing obviously must relate to what we are selling. This is not to say that we must show a photo or illustration of the subject. Sometimes that is not the best route to take. Instead, we must ask ourselves, what will best communicate to the ideal buyer why he must act immediately to proceed with a purchase of what we are presenting? How we "package" that appeal will be the magic bullet to motivate his response.

Well, that doesn't give you much direction, does it? Having been in this predicament countless times in my career, this is what I have come to trust as the best way to accomplish this goal. After establishing the chief characteristic of the market based on the relevance of age, gender, occupation, education or location, I make the assumption that everyone wants to be treated as if they are the most desirable customers in the world. So I dress my presentations in the garb of the rich and successful, using sophisticated choices of font, intelligence, color, imagery and layout. I don't resort to gimmicks or brash design. Rather, I rely on methods which utilize elegance and class.

One of the reasons I do this is because first and foremost, I must please the client. Since he is usually affluent and successful, he immediately can relate to this style. Secondly, typical of human nature, his prospective market, regardless of demographics, wants to identify with the rich and famous and probably will view the presentation as something that type of person would want. So, with his curiosity piqued, the presentation has achieved the first important step in the process. How well you have delivered the message and enticed him to act will determine whether he proceeds with a purchase.

While this methodology may contradict the logic of defining one's target market if it turns out to be children or street gang members, in my experience the majority of those we are appealing to are people of means (hopefully) so they can afford whatever it is we are selling; of an age mature enough to comprehend and appreciate our proposal; and finally, a member of the American culture with needs and desires shaped by current technology, events and national outlook. With that as a starting point, my forays into marketing have been largely successful for those who have hired me based on the understanding that everyone prefers to go "first class."

Marilyn Bontempo, President of Mid-Hudson Marketing since 1975, has extensive experience guiding business leaders, directors, and professionals with successful strategies for business growth and sustenance. Long-term relationships have been established with law firms, medical practices, pharmaceutical companies, real estate executives, and a variety of other trade, corporate and industrial specialists from nationwide locations. Her professional writing, photographic, design and aesthetic specialties provide clients with proven strategies for successful branding and public image. Mid-Hudson Marketing is a top New York advertising, marketing, website and graphic design firm located in Dutchess County's Poughkeepsie area specializing for more than 35 years in the creation and management of high quality branding for business success. With numerous prestigious awards to its credit, the firm's services include full scale advertising programs; marketing consultation, communications and plans; expert website development and search engine optimization; professional writing and ghostwriting; blog setup and management; e-commerce and email marketing; outdoor billboards; trade show and point of purchase displays; sell sheets, posters, flyers, brochures, and catalogs; trademarks; advanced photo enhancements; direct mail marketing; newsletters; and public relations.

Colors often have different meanings in various cultures. And even in Western societies, the meanings of various colors have changed over the years. But today in the U.S., researchers have generally found the following to be accurate.

Black

Black is the color of authority and power. It is popular in fashion because it makes people appear thinner. It is also stylish and timeless. Black also implies submission. Priests wear black to signify submission to God. Some fashion experts say a woman wearing black implies submission to men. Black outfits can also be overpowering, or make the wearer seem aloof or evil. Villains, such as Dracula, often wear black.

White

Brides wear white to symbolize innocence and purity. White reflects light and is considered a summer color. White is popular in decorating and in fashion because it is light, neutral, and goes with everything. However, white shows dirt and is therefore more difficult to keep clean than other colors. Doctors and nurses wear white to imply sterility.

Red

The most emotionally intense color, red stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. It is also the color of love. Red clothing gets noticed and makes the wearer appear heavier. Since it is an extreme color, red clothing might not help people in negotiations or confrontations. Red cars are popular targets for thieves. In decorating, red is usually used as an accent. Decorators say that red furniture should be perfect since it will attract attention.

The most romantic color, pink, is more tranquilizing. Sports teams sometimes paint the locker rooms used by opposing teams bright pink so their opponents will lose energy.

Blue

The color of the sky and the ocean, blue is one of the most popular colors. It causes the opposite reaction as red. Peaceful, tranquil blue causes the body to produce calming chemicals, so it is often used in bedrooms. Blue can also be cold and depressing. Fashion consultants recommend wearing blue to job interviews because it symbolizes loyalty. People are more productive in blue rooms. Studies show weightlifters are able to handle heavier weights in blue gyms.

Green

Currently the most popular decorating color, green symbolizes nature. It is the easiest color on the eye and can improve vision. It is a calming, refreshing color. People waiting to appear on TV sit in "green rooms" to relax. Hospitals often use green because it relaxes patients. Brides in the Middle Ages wore green to symbolize fertility. Dark green is masculine, conservative, and implies wealth. However, seamstresses often refuse to use green thread on the eve of a fashion show for fear it will bring bad luck.

Yellow

Cheerful sunny yellow is an attention getter. While it is considered an optimistic color, people lose their tempers more often in yellow rooms, and babies will cry more. It is the most difficult color for the eye to take in, so it can be overpowering if overused. Yellow enhances concentration, hence its use for legal pads. It also speeds metabolism.

Purple

The color of royalty, purple connotes luxury, wealth, and sophistication. It is also feminine and romantic. However, because it is rare in nature, purple can appear artificial.

Brown

Solid, reliable brown is the color of earth and is abundant in nature. Light brown implies genuineness while dark brown is similar to wood or leather. Brown can also be sad and wistful. Men are more apt to say brown is one of their favorite colors.

Colors of the Flag

In the U.S. flag, white stands for purity and innocence. Red represents valor and hardiness, while blue signifies justice, perseverance, and vigilance. The stars represent the heavens and all the good that people strive for, while the stripes emulate the sun's rays.

Food for Thought

While blue is one of the most popular colors it is one of the least appetizing. Blue food is rare in nature. Food researchers say that when humans searched for food, they learned to avoid toxic or spoiled objects, which were often blue, black, or purple. When food dyed blue is served to study subjects, they lose appetite.

Green, brown, and red are the most popular food colors. Red is often used in restaurant decorating schemes because it is an appetite stimulant

In 1666, English scientist Sir Isaac Newton discovered that when pure white light passes through a prism, it separates into all of the visible colors. Newton also found that each color is made up of a single wavelength and cannot be separated any further into other colors.

Further experiments demonstrated that light could be combined to form other colors. For example, red light mixed with yellow light creates an orange color. A color resulting from a mix of two other colors is known as a metamer. Some colors, such as yellow and purple, cancel each other out when mixed and result in a white light. These competing colors are known as complements.

Color Psychology - The Psychological Effects of Color

While perceptions of color are somewhat subjective, there are some color effects that have universal meaning. Colors in the red area of the color spectrum are known as warm colors and include red, orange and yellow. These warm colors evoke emotions ranging from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility.

Colors on the blue side of the spectrum are known as cool colors and include blue, purple and green. These colors are often described as calm, but can also call to mind feelings of sadness or indifference.

Color Psychology as Therapy

Several ancient cultures, including the Egyptians and Chinese, practiced chromotherapy, or using colors to heal. Chromotherapy is sometimes referred to as light therapy or colourology and is still used today as a holistic or alternative treatment.

In this treatment:

• Red was used to stimulate the body and mind and to increase circulation.

•

• Yellow was thought to stimulate the nerves and purify the body.

•

• Orange was used to heal the lungs and to increase energy levels.

•

• Blue was believed to soothe illnesses and treat pain.

•

Indigo shades were thought to alleviate skin problems

I always loved Bill Berbach’s advertising for the VW Beetle.
But I never bought one.
I loved John Webster’s Honey Monster advertising.
But I never ate Sugar Puffs.
I also loved John’s advertising the Guardian.
But I never bought it.
I loved David Abbott’s advertising for The Economist.
But I never read it.
I loved Saatchi’s advertising for The Conservatives.
But I never voted for them.
I loved Trevor Beattie’s ad for Wonderbra.
But I never wore one.
I loved Terry Lovelock’s ads for Heineken.
But I never drank it.
I liked Alex Taylor’s ads for The Army.
But I never joined it.
I like VCCP’s ads for Compare The Meerkat.
But I’ve never visited the site.
I loved BBH’s ads for Paddy Power.
But I’ve never been in their betting shops.
I liked Barbara Noakes’s ads for Dr. White’s tampons.
But I’ve never used any.
I liked Paul Arden’s ads for Silk Cut.
But I’ve never smoked them.
I liked Fallon’s Drumming Gorilla.
But I’ve never bought a bar of Cadburys Dairy Milk.
In fact there are loads of ads I love.
But often, I don’t buy the product
So where does that leave advertising?
Does that mean it doesn’t work?
Well it depends on what you think advertising’s job is.
If you think its job is to sell products to people who don’t want them then no, it doesn’t work.
If you define a great ad as making people rush out and buy something they could never imagine buying, then no, it doesn’t do that either.
So how do you define advertising?
I’ll tell you what it is to me.
It gives my client an edge over their competitor.
But that’s all it is, an edge.
And an edge can’t do the whole job on its own.
If you’re in the market for a car, maybe I can make you buy my brand.
But you’ve got to be in the market for a car in the first place.
If you’d never even consider a car, I can’t make you want one.
I can’t turn a core non-user into a core user.
Because advertising is just one of many factors involved in the process.
Factors like product quality, is it any good?
Factors like distribution, do they sell it near me?
Factors like cost, is it more expensive?
Factors like personal taste, is it available in a colour I like?
Advertising isn’t the be-all and end-all of selling something.
True, in a parity situation, advertising can give you an unfair advantage.
But advertising is just one of the factors that will influence selling.
That’s why many products sell despite bad advertising.
Because they’re good products.
Or they’re widely available.
Or they’re cheap.
Or consumers like them.
All advertising can do is influence a consumer.
But only influence.
All other things being equal, it can tip the balance.
But it can’t do the whole job on its own.
If you’ve got a good pitch for your product, advertising can get someone to listen.
It can get their attention and get your case heard.
At best it can create a ‘propensity to purchase’.
A willingness to buy, a curiosity to try.
If, it’s available where I shop.
If, the price is right.
If, it’s in my size.
If, it’s in a colour I like.
If, I like the taste.
If, I’m in the mood.
If, it’s the right time of year.
If, I’m the right age, sex, religious persuasion.
If, I have the right interest, habits, predilections.
If I tick all those boxes good advertising will work.
But most advertising doesn’t work.

Because most advertising is done by people who don’t understand that

Influencing Sexual Attitudes

Young people also learn a great deal about sexual attitudes from the media and from advertising in particular. Advertising's approach to sex is pornographic; it reduces people to objects and deemphasizes human contact and individuality. This reduction of sexuality to a dirty joke and of people to objects is the real obscenity of the culture. Although the sexual sell, overt and subliminal, is at a fevered pitch in most commercials, there is at the same time a notable absence of sex as an important and profound human activity.

There have been some changes in the images of women. Indeed, a "new women" has emerged in commercials in recent years. You're a Halston woman from the very beginning," the advertisement proclaims. The model stares provocatively at the viewer, her long blonde hair waving around her face, her bare chest partially covered by two curved bottles that give the illusion of breasts and a cleavage.
The average American is accustomed to blue-eyed blondes seductively touting a variety of products. In this case, however, the blonde is about five years old.

Advertising is an over 100 billion dollar a year industry and affects all of us throughout our lives. We are each exposed to over 2000 ads a day, constituting perhaps the most powerful educational force in society. The average American will spend one and one-half years of his or her life watching television commercials. The ads sell a great deal more than products. They sell values, images, and concepts of success and worth, love and sexuality, popularity and normalcy. They tell us who we are and who we should be. Sometimes they sell addictions.

Advertising is the foundation and economic lifeblood of the mass media. The primary purpose of the mass media is to deliver an audience to advertisers, just as the primary purpose of television programs is to deliver an audience for commercials.

Adolescents are particularly vulnerable because they are new and inexperienced consumers and are the prime targets of many advertisements. They are in the process of learning their values and roles and developing their self-concepts. Most teenagers are sensitive to peer pressure and find it difficult to resist or even question the dominant cultural messages perpetuated and reinforced by the media. Mass communication has made possible a kind of national peer pressure that erodes private and individual values and standards.

But what do people, especially teenagers, learn from the advertising messages? On the most obvious level they learn the stereotypes. Advertising creates a mythical, mostly white world in which people are rarely ugly, overweight, poor, struggling or disabled, either physically or mentally (unless you count the housewives who talk to little men in toilet bowls). In this world, people talk only about products.



Housewives or Sex Objects

The aspect of advertising most in need of analysis and change is the portrayal of women. Scientific studies and the most casual viewing yield the same conclusion: women are shown almost exclusively as housewives or sex objects.

The housewife, pathologically obsessed by cleanliness, debates the virtues of cleaning products with herself and worries about "ring around the collar" (but no one ever asks why he doesn't wash his neck). She feels guilt for not being more beautiful, for not being a better wife and mother.
The sex object is a mannequin, a shell. Conventional beauty is her only attribute. She has no lines or wrinkles (which would indicate she had the bad taste and poor judgment to grow older), no scars or blemishes--indeed, she has no pores. She is thin, generally tall and long-legged, and, above all, she is young. All "beautiful" women in advertisements (including minority women), regardless of product or audience, conform to this norm. Women are constantly exhorted to emulate this ideal, to feel ashamed and guilty if they fail, and to feel that their desirability and lovability are contingent upon physical perfection.



Creating Artificiality

The image is artifical and can only be achieved artificially (even the "natural look" requires much preparation and expense). Beauty is something that comes from without; more than one million dollars is spent every hour on cosmetics. Desperate to conform to an ideal and impossible standard, many women go to great lengths to manipulate and change their faces and bodies. A woman is conditioned to view her face as a mask and her body as an object, as things separate from and more important than her real self, constantly in need of alteration, improvement, and disguise. She is made to feel dissatisfied with and ashamed of herself, whether she tries to achieve "the look" or not. Objectified constantly by others, she learns to objectify herself.

When Glamour magazine surveyed its readers in 1984, 75 percent felt too heavy and only 15 percent felt just right. Nearly half of those who were actually underweight reported feeling too fat and wanting to diet. Among a sample of college women, 40 percent felt overweight when only 12 percent actually were too heavy. Nine out of ten participants in diet programs are female, many of whom are already close to their proper weight," according to Rita Freedman in her book Beauty Bound.

There is evidence that this preoccupation with weight is beginning at ever-earlier ages for women. According to a recent article in New Age Journal, "even grade-school girls are succumbing to stick-like standards of beauty enforced by a relentless parade of wasp-waisted fashion models, movie stars and pop idols." A study by a University of California professor showed that nearly 80 percent of fourth-grade girls in the Bay Area are watching their weight.

A recent Wall Street Journal survey of students in four Chicago-area schools found that more than half the fourth-grade girls were dieting and three-quarters felt they were overweight. One student said, "We don't expect boys to be that handsome. We take them as they are." Another added, "But boys expect girls to be perfect and beautiful. And skinny."

Dr. Steven Levenkron, author of The Best Little Girl in the World, the story of an anorexic, says his blood pressure soars every time he opens a magazine and finds an ad for women's fashions. "If I had my way," he said, "every one of them would have to carry a line saying, 'Caution: This model may be hazardous to your health.'" It is estimated that one in five college age women has an eating disorder.
Women are also dismembered in commercials, their bodies separated into parts in need of change or improvement. If a woman has "acceptable" breasts, then she must also be sure that her legs are worth watching, her hips slim, her feet sexy, and that her buttocks look nude under her clothes ("like I'm not wearin' nothin'").

The mannequin has no depth, no totality; she is an aggregate of parts that have been made acceptable.
This image is difficult and costly to achieve and impossible to maintain, no one is flawless and everyone ages. Growing older is the great taboo. Women are encouraged to remain little girls ("because innocence is sexier than you think"), to be passive and dependent, never to mature. The contradictory message--"sensual, but not too far from innocence"--places women in a double bind; somehow we are supposed to be both sexy and virginal; experienced and naive, seductive and chaste. The disparagement of maturity is, of course, insulting and frustrating to adult women, and the implication that little girls are seductive is dangerous to real children.These new images do not represent any real progress but rather create a myth of progress, an illusion that reduces complex sociopolitical problems to mundane personal ones.

Advertising images do not cause these problems, but they contribute to them by creating a climate in which the marketing of women's bodies--the sexual sell and dismemberment, distorted body image ideals and the use of children as sex objects--is seen as acceptable.

There is the real tragedy, that many women internalize these stereotypes and learn their "limitations," thus establishing a self-fulfilling prophecy. If one accepts these mythical and degrading images, to some extent one actualizes them. By remaining unaware of the profound seriousness of the ubiquitous influence, the redundant message and the subliminal impact of advertisements, we ignore one of the most powerful "educational" forces in the culture -- one that greatly affects our self-images, our ability to relate to each other, and effectively destroys any awareness and action that might help to change that climatehttp://www.infoplease.com/spot/colors1.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Psychological-Power-of-Graphic-Design---Manipulating-Your-Market-Through-Eye-Appeal&id=5352765

http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/beautyand-beast-advertising