Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Research, statistics, and info for the Grand Valley

Although the Visitor’s Center was unable to tell me statistics of tourism in the Grand Valley, we were given a new tourism program they have just started. It was examplined to us that due to the economic conditions, tourism has taken a hit in the Grand Valley. So to compensate this problem, the Tourist Committee came up with a solution. Their new target it leaning towards residents in the Grand Valley. Their new focus is to get people and families to travel to the Grand Valley during the holidays, by means of visiting relatives who reside in the Grand Valley. This is a program that already existed for the Fourth of July; however, the committee voted to expand to other holidays and Grand Valley events.
There are some stats from the Grand Junction Visitor & Convention Bureau that are beneficial in seeing the percentages of visitors to the Grand Valley and what types of people are coming as tourists. The stats are also helpful in seeing the rise and or fall of tourists between 2008 and 2009. Some excellent websites from more information are: www.visitgrandjunction.com and www.coloradowest.com. Another point the Visitor’s Center made was that they intend on really pushing lodging in the Grand Valley. This will go along with the idea of drawing in the relatives of Grand Valley residents, and work at showing the lodging opportunities in the Grand Valley. According to the statistics of the Grand Junction Visitor & Convention Bureau, the percentages of visitors are decreased from January of 2008 to 2009. Every category except two was hit with a percentage decrease. The areas that actually went up were the international visitors and the number of brochures and pamphlets mailed. This information can be useful be seeing that international visitors is more likely while nation visitors are suffering from the current economic standings. Also one can see that the efforts of the Grand Junction Visitor & Convention Bureau is to still reach as many people as possible; hence the percentage rise of mailed information.

How Women are Perceived in Advertising


1. What is the purpose of the ad you’re bringing in?
The ad is for Axe Shower Gel/ Body Wash.
2. Who is the intended audience?
This is for the male audience, more likely younger men, from teens to men in their late twenties.
3. What does the advertisement look like?
The advertisement has a woman’s body in a show, and she is covered in mud. Written on her stomach is “wash me”, like people write on a muddy car or truck.
4. How does the visual and textual content of the ad work together to create a persuasive argument?
The text in very minimal, the main thought behind the image is to get dirty while to get clean. This is not stated, however, their slogan “get dirty” references to the product type which is shower gel.
5. Which of Neumeier’s “7 Levels of Communication” are prominently used in this ad?
Sensuality all the way, this is a very sexually based advertisement, meant to grab a man’s attention and notice the product.
6. What are the cultural values promoted in this advertisement?
The cultural values seem to be the old stereotype “sex sells”. Using the female body to attract the attention of men, while making a connection the cultural habits of writing “wash me” on dirty cars. Using the woman as a dirty object that needs washing.
7. What works or doesn’t work about this advertisement?
What works is that the focal point works well at grabbing the attention of the male audience. What doesn’t work is that the product and the text are too small to really be useful.







1. What is the purpose of the ad you’re bringing in?
The ad is for Tom Ford’s Fragrance for Men.
2. Who is the intended audience?
This is for the male audience, more likely younger men, early twenties to late thirties.
3. What does the advertisement look like?
The advertisement is a close up of a woman’s genitals, which are only covered by the bottle of cologne.
4. How does the visual and textual content of the ad work together to create a persuasive argument?
Really, is just the close up of the image that grabs the attention and seeing that the product is right in the center of the image causes one to look immediately at the product.
5. Which of Neumeier’s “7 Levels of Communication” are prominently used in this ad?
Sensuality all the way, this is a very sexually based advertisement, meant to grab a man’s attention and notice the product.
6. What are the cultural values promoted in this advertisement?
The cultural values seem to be the old stereotype “sex sells”. Using the female body to attract the attention of men.
7. What works or doesn’t work about this advertisement?
Well the one thing that works is that the product is very clear, and one immediately sees the underlying information.

How Men are Perceived in Advertising


1. What is the purpose of the ad you’re bringing in?
The ad is for Zoo York Skates.
2. Who is the intended audience?
This is for the male audience, more likely younger men, from teens to men in their late twenties.
3. What does the advertisement look like?
Here, the images are made us as if these were images taken from a Karma Sutra. Showing sexual positions of men masturbating using a skateboard in place of the male’s genitals.
4. How does the visual and textual content of the ad work together to create a persuasive argument?
There is no text; really the impression is that of a humorous use of a skateboard visually. I think the humor behind the concept is what attracts young males to the image, and thus to the product.
5. Which of Neumeier’s “7 Levels of Communication” are prominently used in this ad?
Sensuality all the way, this is a very sexually based advertisement, meant to grab a man’s attention and notice the product in a humorous way. This humor is what pulls the viewer to the product.
6. What are the cultural values promoted in this advertisement?
The cultural values seem to be that the connection of sex and products seem to fall together in an interesting manor. This and that humor when it comes to sex seems to always grab the attention of young men.
7. What works or doesn’t work about this advertisement?
For this advertisement, there needs to be text, to pull the images together and to really let the viewer know what is being advertised.







1. What is the purpose of the ad you’re bringing in?
The ad is for Adidas Shoes.
2. Who is the intended audience?
This is for the male audience, more likely younger men, from teens to men in their late twenties.
3. What does the advertisement look like?
The advertisement has a nude man holding a pair of bright colored shoes inform of his crotch..
4. How does the visual and textual content of the ad work together to create a persuasive argument?
There is no text, really the impression is that if you own a pair of shoes like this, you will be muscular like this man. The figure is a dark tan color that causes the colorful shoes to pop out at the viewer.
5. Which of Neumeier’s “7 Levels of Communication” are prominently used in this ad?
Sensuality all the way, this is a very sexually based advertisement, meant to grab a man’s attention and notice the product. Again in showing young men that if one wants to look like this man, you need a pair of these shoes.
6. What are the cultural values promoted in this advertisement?
The cultural values seem to be that the ideal male is a muscular, tanned person. That this is the type male woman want and to achieve this, buy the shoes.
7. What works or doesn’t work about this advertisement?
It is really evident that the bright colors of the shoes pull the viewer to the center of the composition, or lack there of. What doesn’t work is the need for a nude man, not something that every guy really thinks about when buying shoes.






Monday, February 23, 2009

1000 Words of the Awesome Grand Valley

Coming from a small town, I grew up coming to Grand Junction for anything fun. Thanks just what Meeker people, plan a day to spend in Junction, shopping, seeing movies, etc. Now having lived in Junction for three years the Grand Valley has become more for me. Not only is it my home but also I’ve been able to experience what the Valley has to offer, everything from Main Street to the Monument. Other than the heat, I feel that this is a great place to live. Mesa State College is another reason I love it here. I’ve met a lot of people and experienced a lot of different activities.
Here in the Grand Valley, people can experience two different arenas of entertainment. Like all of Colorado, the Grand Valley offers a wide variety of outdoor and indoor activities. There is the normal hiking, climbing, camping and fishing to be done; however, there is also the vineyards, four wheeling, dirt biking. Other types of entertainment come from all realms of life, like the Farmer’s Market, Rock Jam and Country Jam. One of the fun things to see is the people who get all dressed for Rock Jam, like yeah I’m a rocker, and then to see them dress for Country Jam, as if to say yeah I’m a country buff on the side. When it comes to indoor activities, many people can experience all the shops, galleries, restaurants, shows and other attractions on Main Street. Others can travel down to Palisade and pick peaches, or try the wine at the wine tasting’s in the vineyards. Grand Junction is always growing, with new road systems and new buildings everywhere. But with all the growth, the Monument is just a walk or drive away, that along with the many parks and riverside trails and bikeways.
One of the greatest features of Grand Junction is the art. It’s everywhere and that’s just plain amazing! I mean really, art all up and down Main Street and pretty much around every building in downtown Grand Junction. There is always something to do or explore in The Grand Valley; and I you are bored, you are a boring person. I mean come on; you can always go ride go-carts at Bananas for an hour. Then it comes to sports, with Stocker Stadium, anyone can go to a game, and Mesa State College also has been able to facilitate more growth in sports here in Grand Junction. From basketball, football, baseball, soccer and tennis. Grand Junction also has it’s own in door tennis courts, and if you haven’t been, you need to go. Go hit some balls, blow off some steam.
There are also the performing arts here in the Grand Valley, not only at Mesa State College but also on Main Street. If you are thirsty, Grand Junction is a great college town when it comes to finding a nice adult drink. Believe me, I’ve checked, where good on the bars, breweries and restaurants. Also, the nice thing about Grand Junction is that there are older parts of the city where at times you can stumble into an old shop that is freaking awesome. And we have a Borders Bookstore, because college students would not make without a borders, believe me.
The historical aspect of the Grand Valley is also interesting. Along with everything else awesome about Grand Junction, it turns out that Grand Junction was the only large city in the western slope of Colorado in the Nineteenth and Twentieth centauries. It’s a counterpoint to Denver, which is located on the eastern slope. When one goes hiking, say on the Monument for example, one will most likely see bighorn sheep, mule deer, scorpions, and eagles. But if you see a rattlesnake, run, be free, run like your momma taught ya. No really, don’t mess with the snakes, not cool. Leave them alone.
Even though its not part of the Grand Valley, which by the way saying the Grand Valley reminds me of the old show “The Big Valley” in case anyone was wondering, its really nice to have Olathe so close. When the corn harvest gets here you can tell that is local and hasn’t traveled hundreds of miles in a semi, pumping more fossil fuels into the air. That’s also really nice about the local fruit here; the Grand “Big” Valley has a huge variety of orchards.
Another great aspect of Grand Junction is its size; it is really not that big of a town, but it really is a great college town. Mesa State College has been a great place to get an education. While the college itself is growing, the classes are still small and perfect for people who, like myself, came from a small town and small schools. It was a nice adjustment for me, as well as many others that I have spoken with. The campus is always in a construction tornado and parking can cause one’s soul to weep, but other than that it’s a great place to learn. The town also seems to be a good fit with the college; they both seem to thrive off each other. When it comes to seasons, one attraction is the mild winters, but most of all the calm fall season the Grand Valley has each year. For a lot, the lack of snow is a plus. The colors are amazing and due to the calmer weather, the colors tend to stay a but longer than in other parts of Colorado. Though I don’t’ see myself living in the Grand Valley my entire life, it is a definite possibility that I will move back here when I grow older, when my achy bones need a dryer, warmer climate in which to turn to dust. Yes I think this will be a nice place to grow ancient. Yelling at kids to get off my lawn and wonder what happened to the world. But for now, its time to live, learn and reach for every possibility I can; and that is here in Grand Junction, located in the High Desert Grand Valley, Colorado, United States of America.

Final Print

Apple Spread 1

Apple Spread 2

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Research on Honeybees and the CCD

• What are public perceptions of this theme?
The public’s perception of the problem is that the population of the Honey Bees is drastically dropping. However the problem seems to be unclear to most. While some of the public don’t even know what really is going on.
• What is the problem?
The problem is that the Honey Bee is not living very long. The populations have dropped nearly half since the 1970’s, and this is causing problems not only for the livelihood of bee keepers, but is concerning the agricultural world as a whole. Without the bees how will our crops get pollinated?
• Who is affected?
The first to be majorly affected by this is the beekeepers. Many have lost thousands of their bees and are worried about not only their own future, but also the future of their hives.
• What are the causes?
The main cause attributed to the death of the bees is called Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD. CCD is a condition that has become present to beekeepers and researchers, where very small numbers of adult bees are counted in a have. While it is not uncommon for hive to drop population in the winter, the amount of decrease is overwhelming. What is also strange is that a queen, non mature bees and honey are still in the hive, but there is no sign of the missing adults, meaning there are no dead bodies found in the hive.
• Various statistics related to topic
Recently, the population of the honeybee has dropped nearly half, going from 4 million to about 2.5 million today. To the food industry, the Honey Bee is worth about $15 billion, and is attributed to about one third of the nations diet. Many crops are suffering from their dependence on bees, such as almond and other nuts, fruits, berries and vegetable crops. For example, the Pennsylvania apple crop, which is one of the largest in the nation and worth $45 million, only depends on insect pollination, and 90% of that comes from Honeybees.
• What are the cultural and social circumstances?
Well mostly the need for food. Without the Honeybees crop production will drop, people will be out of jobs and one third of the nations diet will be lost. This is also a problem that has become a concern worldwide. And even though manual pollination does exist, can we keep up with the 66lbs of pollen per hive per year?
• Why is this an issue?
The two main reasons are this: a creature is losing population mass quickly and no one really know how or why, and the lose of the honeybee means the lose of a huge section of food and jobs.
• Who are the major organizations working for this cause/topic, and how do they promote themselves?
Some of the organizations are the Penn State University, the Nature Conservancy, and the United States Department of Agriculture.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/27/business/27bees.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/148826/honeybees_are_dying_all_over_the_united.html?cat=7
http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/indiana/misc/art21971.html
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/honeybee.html
http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=15572
http://www.backyardbeekeepers.com/facts.html
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/newsroom/impact/2008/lgu/144_bees_in_crisis.html

Thursday, January 22, 2009

300 words about a Bee.

Yellow, fly, flower, pollen, buzz, sting, environment, pollution, nature, tree, hive, honey, bears, wind, fields, weather, fire, logging, home, people, fear, bee keeping, safety, calming gases, bee keepers, Bee movie, Bumble Bee, Honey Bee, Hornet, Wasp, Yellow Jacket, funding, research, explanation, climate change, migration, killer bees, nectar, insects, sunshine, traits, life, life span, queen bee, drones, workers, species, bee wax, landscape, disappear, distance, seasons, locations, tracking, saving, breeding, cloning, habitat, capturing, protecting, endangered list, populations numbers, predators, black, territory, human impact, relocation, ow, stripes, legs, honeysuckle, honeycomb, hexagon, nest, antennae, thorax, dead, dying, daisy, stinger, sweet, sticky, royal jelly, sad, mad, waxy, pissed, light, fast, sneaky, up, down, breeze, sound, animal, US, Africa, mountains, planes, grass, wheat, weeds, negative, bounce, clover, work, collect, needed, important, nourishment, big, small, cute, mean, busy, happy, sleepy, moody, evil, good, fuzzy, wing, flight, height, high, low, slow, aerodynamics, exoskeleton, head, abdomens, gossamer, fussy, hairy, splat, swarm, running, blue wasp, stinger, dwelling, hibernate, pheromones, dance, dances, dodge, military bee, likeable, dislikable, allergies, allergens, larva, pupa, adult, flock, aggressive, territorial, orange, hives, bees knees, drugs, insecticides, money, born, hurt, reaction, awake, thick, golden, pets, workers, soar, glide, hover, transport, strong, flap, beat, rush, flew by, assault, humming, murmur, tone, warning, signals, sight, sound, sent, fragrance, flowery, honey nut cheerios, cereal, medicine, study, scurry, zoom, zip, insect, vibrate, buzz off, wild flower, mount, purple clover, white clover, four leaf clover, plant, spring, winter, short life, happy life, food, window, nasenx, wheat, pink, sun, segments, sex, walls, fly swatter, car grill, windshield, noisy, stink, rock, stream, creek, bushes, shrubs, plant-life, bugs, crawl, creepy, scary, cool, neat, clean, messy, dirt, sand, gravel, clouds, rain, snow, sleet, hail, woods, forest, travel, move, spread, summer, fall, playing, serious, disaster, horrible, frightening, tools, wood, nice, nasty, good, bad, hills, missing, hard, crawly.

Ads found out in the World


1. What is the purpose of the ad you’re bringing in?
The purpose is for brand Adidas.
2. Who is the intended audience?
The main audience is sports players or anyone who likes the brand of shoes and clothing.
3. What does the advertisement look like?
Extremely high contrast, a solid black background with white text and the brand logo.
4. How does the visual and textual content of the ad work together to create a persuasive argument?
Due to the high contrast the text and visual content balance against each other.
5. Which of Neumeier’s “7 Levels of Communication” are prominently used in this ad?
The three main levels are Perception, Intellect, and Identification. With a high contrast, a play with words due to the fact that the statement doesn’t make sense until you read below the logo, and if knows the brand Puma, no one would understand the competition statement.
6. What are the cultural values promoted in this advertisement?
All cultures have a love of competition and Adidas is playing off of the idea of that love. Meaning that not only do we as a culture love competition is sports, but in everything that we do.
7. What works or doesn’t work about this advertisement?
What works is that the focal point is confusing until you look at whom the ad is for. Not only will one get humor but one will also see irony and that tends to cause one to remember the ad.

1. What is the purpose of the ad you’re bringing in?
The purpose is for Southwest Airlines.
2. Who is the intended audience?
Anyone needed to book air travel and not wanting any problems achieving that goal.
3. What does the advertisement look like?
It has extremely high contrast with text and the dotted lines that refer to newspaper coupons.
4. How does the visual and textual content of the ad work together to create a persuasive argument?
The do work together because at one glace, anyone who has seen a coupon can recognize its shape.
5. Which of Neumeier’s “7 Levels of Communication” are prominently used in this ad?
The three main levels are Perception, Intellect, and Emotion. The humor behind the message is what catches the viewer. The composition is very simple, leaving room for the text to explain the emotional experience.
6. What are the cultural values promoted in this advertisement?
We as a culture tend to use harsh words when upset, using that to give the idea of frustration causes viewers to relate to the situation.
7. What works or doesn’t work about this advertisement?
The fact that they use the idea of a bad word without lowering the level of quality to the work, and everyone likes a naughty word.

1. What is the purpose of the ad you’re bringing in?
The purpose is for Eukanuba Dog Food.
2. Who is the intended audience?
The main audience is dog owners.
3. What does the advertisement look like?
The focal point is the cat swimming in the lake with a stick just like a dog would.
4. How does the visual and textual content of the ad work together to create a persuasive argument?
The text is very simple and yet still pops due to it being white on a dark green background. However this simplicity works through the whole ad, a simple main point to focus on and understand pushed by simple text at the bottom.
5. Which of Neumeier’s “7 Levels of Communication” are prominently used in this ad?
The three main levels are Perception, Intellect, Emotion, and Identification. With a strong composition with simple text, an easy to see humor, and if one does not have a dog the ad wouldn’t be relevant.
6. What are the cultural values promoted in this advertisement?
Having pets is a huge part of who we are as a society. Some even feel such a connection to their pets that the become their children.
7. What works or doesn’t work about this advertisement?
What works for the ad is the humor behind it. Meaning that seeing a cat perform a task or behavior common to a dog causes the viewer to have to explore the ad itself to understand the reasoning behind the ad.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Five Public Service Announcements Ideas

1. Wireless AMBER Alerts
Using text messaging as a source to spread the information of a child just as soon as the authorities release the AMBER Alert.

2. The Prison System
The rising turn around rate of prisoners in and out of the system.

3. Education System
Is the "No Child Left Behind" ideal helping today's eduction or is it doing more harm?

4. Foster Care
What can be done to improve the system all around?

5. Save the Bees
The growing concern on the odd disappearances of the common honey bee.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Assignment 1

A. Choose three of the “Seven Levels of Communication” and find example advertisements that utilize those strategies of persuasion. Mount each advertisement on an 8 ½ x 11 sheet of card stock. On the back of the card stock, type the answers to the following questions:

1. What is the purpose of the ad you’re bringing in?
2. Who is the intended audience?
3. What does the advertisement look like?
4. How does the visual and textual content of the ad work together to create a persuasive argument?
5. Which of Neumeier’s “7 Levels of Communication” are prominently used in this ad?
6. What are the cultural values promoted in this advertisement?
7. What works or doesn’t work about this advertisement?

B. Consider 3 interesting topics for a Public Service Announcement. Bring in your ideas for discussion.

Weekly Assignments

Each student will be assigned two dates to present examples of advertising from the real world. Bring in at least two examples of typography from the environment. Examples can come from any source: magazines, billboards, posters, television, etc. Bring the actual object to show your classmates, if available. Attach a photo of the object to an 8.5x11 sheet of cardstock.

Typeset the answers to the following questions on the card:

1. What is the purpose of the ad you’re bringing in?

2. Who is the intended audience?

3. What does the advertisement look like?

4. How does the visual and textual content of the ad work together to create a persuasive argument?

5. Which of Neumeier’s Seven Levels of Communication are prominently used in this ad?

6. What are the cultural values promoted in this advertisement?

7. What works or doesn’t work about this advertisement?

Back to School

First day of class and everything picks up like it was just a three day weekend. Except the weekend had Christmas in it.