Using Texture in Print Advertisements

Texture is another method used to capture the attention of the viewer, aid in organizing the visual into regions, identifying objects, creating the pop effect of visuals, and “providing cues for depth perception.” (Malamed, 2009, p. 58) This 2009 print advertisement created by Voskhod ad agency from Yekaterinburg, Russia  for Brighton Language School effectively utilizes texture to bring their message to life.

        This advert shows the word “Espanol” trimmed out in bushes with part of the leaves missing from the first half of the word.  The sand that surrounds the bushes offers texture in the foreground of the visual and depth perception for the viewer.  At the bottom of the picture, or what is perceived as the foreground, the sand appears grainier and coarser and gradually becomes denser and finer as it moves toward the back of the picture.  This gives the picture a more two-dimensional effect as if one could reach into the picture and touch the bushes or pluck a leaf. 

        In addition to the use of texture, the position of the wording allows the reader to follow through the ad.  By placing the copy at the top left-hand corner of the page, followed by the word “Espanol” in the center, to the bottom right-hand corner to the watering pail, the viewer captures the message of the advertisement and the answer (i.e. Brighton Language School) to the proposed problem (i.e. refresh your forgotten Espanol).

        Using texture aids the brain with segregating sections of a visual.  One is able to distinguish between foreground and background, “perceiving shapes and eventually identifying objects” and is “key to understanding the meaning of a graphic.” (Malamed, 2009, p. 58)  Had the texture of the sand not been used in this visual, it would look as if the bushes were floating in mid air, which may confuse the viewer.  Instead, by grounding the bushes in the sand, this allows the viewers’ long-term memory to assist working memory to recognize the visual as a picture of bushes.  By allowing the viewer to quickly comprehend and understand the visual, the viewer can then place their focus more on the message and less on the graphic.

        The whole of the picture is that, by taking lessons from Brighton Learning school, a student can refresh their latent, dormant foreign language skills.  Brighton claims to accomplish this goal just as the water from a watering can will bring life to the branches of bushes planted in the desert.  By using texture in this graphic, the viewer immediately recognizes these images to give deeper and more precise meaning to the modicum of copy included.

 

Malamed, C. (2009). Visual language for designers: Principles for creating graphics people understand. Beverly, MA: Rockport.