Shantelle Williams February 28, 2012 LA 101H Just Say Art Its around junior year of high school

when a student is usually hit in the face by the future. In a couple of years theyll be out of high school, and the world isnt hesitant to remind them. Suddenly, theres a steady inflow of mail from numerous colleges, intimidating tests to take, almost weekly talks with parents, and various college tours to go on. In this country, one is expected to go to a good college; get a good degree; land a well paying job after graduation; and have a steady income until they reach the age of retirement. However, for some students, the expectations held for their futures arent exactly what they have in mind. For many teenagers in this country, what they see in their future is art. For many parents, however, hearing that their child wants to pursue an art career is almost as bad as hearing that their child is experimenting with drugs. This is something that Detroits College for Creative Studies is very aware of. At first glance, it appears to be your usual anti-drug campaign advertisement. A somewhat dim picture of five high school aged teenagers in what one can assume to be a classroom, each with a solemn expression on their faces. The big, bold, yellow text sprawling across the picture reads, 1 in 5 teenagers will experiment with art. It is this text that catches the reader off guard. When one comes across an ad with a statistic pertaining to teenagers its usually about something negative, such as drug use or pregnancy, but not art. Its exactly those anti-drug campaign ads that the reader expects to be looking at that the College for Creative Studies has decided to parody in a way that works in their favor.

While the anti-drug ads are meant to get the message out about a negative problem in our society, this ad works to gain the attention of those or the parents of those who may be interested in an education in art. The main text is the size and color that it is to ensure that it stands out and will catch the readers eye. The use of the color yellow is meant to convey the message as a warning. Yellow is often used to give warning in situations we come across on a daily basis: traffic signs, caution tape, etc. The way the text spreads across the image makes it difficult to overlook, making it clear that it needs to be read. Through the use of a statistic, this advertisement is making use of logos. This advertisement is meant to persuade its audience by way of facts, though in a humorous way. The statistic, 1 in 5 teenagers, makes it easier to convince parents to consider whether or not their child is indeed seriously interested in art; because five isnt a big group, their child could very well be that one. Despite featuring only teenagers in the picture, as well as mentioning teenagers in the text, this advertisement is aimed at parents. Similar to the anti-drug advertisements that this ad is mimicking, the purpose is to encourage parents to take notice of what their children may be involving themselves in. In the case of this ad, its art. The small text on the bottom right, talk to your kids about art school: College for Creative Studies, exemplifies why the intended audience is parents. The text states your kids, narrowing the audience down to those who have children. Another characteristic to show that this ad is aimed at parents are the looks from the teenagers featured in the picture. All five are staring out with somber faces, as though looking to the viewer for help. This, along with the dark mood of the picture, plays on the pathos of the viewer by engaging their emotions.

By parodying the anti-drug campaign advertisements, the College for Creative Studies created a strong ad to catch and hold a readers attention. The anti-drug ads are serious, and meant to encourage parents to talk to their kids before they decide to start experimenting with drugs. To those who are familiar with the anti-drug advertisements, as a large number of people are, an ad in the similar serious and somber style about art instead of drugs would be found humorous. Many advertisers use humor to communicate with their audience because they know comedy works. If a person finds an advertisement funny and they laugh at it, the chances are that theyll remember it more than a serious advertisement. Comparing the topics of the original advertisements and the parody, one can see some similarities between them; similarities that helped to make this advertisement more interesting. Both drugs and art are things that not everyone partakes in, some dont find drugs sensible and some dont find art sensible. Both are also done with a sense of secrecy sometimes. Parents dont always know if their child is doing drugs, just parents may not know that their child has a serious interest in art. With both drugs and art comes a bit of experimenting, which the College of Creative Studies advertisement draws on. The difference in the advertisements, though, is that whereas the anti-drug campaign is meant to encourage parents to take notice if their child becomes involved with drugs, the College of Creative Studies is encouraging parents to take notice if their kid shows interest in art and then to support their child if they choose to go to an art school. By taking an advertisement meant to discourage a negative path and spinning it around to encourage a positive one, not only did the College of Creative Studies succeed in getting their name out there, but they also brought up an interesting viewpoint on the topic of art education.