Visual Rhetoric

Vanessa Hernandez
Ms. Nguyen
English 1302
March 2, 2015
Visual Analysis
This advertisement shows a gun on the left and a cell phone on the right covered in blood. There is not a lot going in this advertisement, but the few things that it has are powerful and don’t require a lot of explaining. Above the objects are two words, which say, “Russian Roulette” and on the bottom is a small paragraph of how texting and driving can kill and the consequences of doing so. This advertisement shows the negative effects of what can happen when someone decides to text and drive. The font that was chosen gives a serious tone and tells the viewer that this message is important.
This advertisement does a great job portraying the damaging effects of texting and driving by showing a gun, a bloody phone, and having a bold and block type font to show the seriousness of this issue.
In this advertisement, there is a gun on the left side of the picture to show texting and driving is as dangerous as a gun. A gun is usually associated with killing and the picture of a bloody cell phone implies that texting and driving can lead to killing another person. Each time one looks at their phone for a minute or second can be a life changer for the worse. The gun is the same size as the phone implying that both are weapons despite the different standard uses for the objects. Usually, people do not associate a phone with killing but in this ad, they are equating how texting while driving is just the same as killing a person with a gun. Even though they are totally different objects, the advertisement emphasizes how both objects can take lives and how they are both very dangerous. The type of gun used in this ad is a revolver (handgun). Handguns should be used with only one hand and most people text with one hand as well. The fact that the handgun is the same size as the phone indicates that they are comparable in both size and the degree of danger when used the wrong way. The use of blood splatter and a handgun in this advertisement focus the viewer’s attention on death and the dangers of texting while driving.
The bloody phone on the right side of the gun gives a negative effect to the advertisement. Cell phone use has become an obsession that a person cannot go a few minutes without texting someone back. The abundant amount of blood splatter gives a powerful message to how serious the issue is and how it can lead to death or serious injury. It is not just a little bit of blood, but a huge splatter. The amount of blood gives an impression to the viewer that someone who was texting hit a person and caused serious harm. The blood gives a harsh, terrifying visual display of the possibility of a tragedy to occur when a driver takes their eyes off the road to use their cell phone. The blood splatter has a universal appeal and it can make the individual viewer reflect on this issue, since it doesn’t belong to anyone in particular. The elements in the advertisement of the phone and the ample amount of blood display to the viewer the dark side of using a phone while driving.
The font used at the top of this picture gives a grim, serious tone to the whole advertisement. The words “Russian Roulette” are very powerful because it is a very dangerous game. The way the game is played is one person loads a gun with a bullet and they point the gun at another person’s head. One doesn’t know if that bullet is going to shoot them or not. This ad uses this game because it is the same concept. Every time a person looks at their phone while driving at a high speed, they are taking a risk of potentially killing someone or hurting him or her self. Russian Roulette is bolded and placed at the top of the advertisement to emphasize how people are taking a risk every time they look at their phone. At the bottom of the picture there is a question highlighted in red to make people think about this issue. There is a small paragraph that explains how many deaths and injuries occur every year and how looking at your phone for a second can lead to serious consequences. At the very bottom, the last sentence is also highlighted in red making it stand out to the viewer. The words and tone of the last sentence make it a powerful one and cause the reader to pause and ponder if they want to take that risk.
Overall, this ad wants people to realize the seriousness of the issue of texting and driving and the repercussions that come when doing so. The ad is graphic and has a serious and terrifying appeal to it. At the bottom of the ad, the sponsors Coyne Communication and AutoWeek give the advertisement an ethos appeal because it shows that these companies care for the lives of others. This advertisement makes every single person who views it think of the possibility of harming another human being when texting and driving at high speeds. Using the visuals of a gun, a bloody phone, and the boldface font with the words “Russian Roulette”, the advertisement is successful in portraying the dangerous of texting and driving to it’s viewers.