Secondary 2 · English · Literacy
Visual texts and advertising
Analyse how advertisements combine images, colour, layout and slogans to target audiences and persuade them to act.
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These lessons were written around Australian Curriculum strands and matched to Singapore levels by age (Primary 1 is the first year of primary school). They are not aligned to MOE syllabuses or the PSLE, so check them against the syllabus your child is working towards.
Learning goals
Learners will
- Identify the visual and written techniques used in print and online advertisements.
- Explain how images, colour, layout and slogans are chosen to appeal to a target audience.
- Write an analytical paragraph about how an advertisement persuades its audience to act.
Success looks like
- I can use visual-analysis terms such as salience, gaze, camera angle and colour connotation.
- I can identify an advertisement's target audience and explain how I know.
- I can explain how at least three techniques work together to persuade.
The big idea
Advertisements are multimodal texts: they combine images, colour, layout and words. Every element is chosen deliberately to grab attention, appeal to a target audience and persuade people to act – to buy, donate, sign up or change behaviour.
Salience: the most eye-catching element (usually the product or a striking image) is made salient through size, bright colour, contrast or central placement. Ask: what do I notice first, and why?
Colour connotations: red suggests energy, excitement, danger or love; green suggests nature, health or eco-friendliness; blue suggests calm, trust and reliability; gold and black suggest luxury. Advertisers pick colours whose connotations suit the product.
People and gaze: when someone in an ad looks directly at the viewer, it creates a personal connection or 'demand', as if they are speaking to you. When they look away, the viewer observes them as if peeking into their life ('offer').
Camera angles and framing: a low angle (looking up) makes a subject seem powerful or impressive – useful for a sports car or athlete. A high angle (looking down) makes a subject seem small or vulnerable – useful in a charity ad. A close-up creates intimacy and emotion.
Layout: in many cultures readers scan from the top left to the bottom right, so advertisers often place the headline at the top, the image in the centre and the logo and call to action at the bottom right. White space (empty space) can make an ad feel clean, modern and premium.
Words: slogans use techniques like alliteration, rhyme, puns and imperatives ('Just add sunshine'). Short, punchy copy is easier to remember. The call to action tells the audience exactly what to do next.
Analysis should connect technique, audience and effect: 'The low-angle shot of the runner makes her appear powerful and unstoppable, encouraging young athletes to believe the shoes will make them perform like her.'
Worked examples
Analysing a charity advertisement
An original ad shows a high-angle close-up of a thin puppy in a cage looking straight at the viewer. White text on a dark background reads 'She's waiting for you.' A bright orange 'Adopt today' button sits at the bottom right. Analyse it.
- Salience: the puppy's face is close-up and central, so it is seen first.
- Angle and gaze: the high angle makes the puppy look small and vulnerable; the direct gaze makes viewers feel personally responsible.
- Words and colour: 'waiting for you' uses direct address; the dark background creates a sombre mood, while the bright orange button stands out as the call to action.
Answer: The high-angle close-up and direct gaze make the puppy seem vulnerable and personally appeal to viewers, while 'She's waiting for you' and the bright 'Adopt today' button urge animal lovers to act immediately.
Identifying target audience
An original ad for a family car shows two parents and two children laughing in a sunny park beside the car, with the slogan 'Room for every adventure.' Who is the target audience and how do you know?
- Look at the people represented: parents with young children.
- Look at the setting and mood: a sunny park and laughter suggest happy family time.
- Look at the slogan: 'room' suggests space for a family; 'adventure' suggests fun outings.
Answer: Parents with young children. The image represents a happy family and the slogan stresses space and family adventures.
Decoding a slogan
Explain the techniques in this original slogan for an energy drink: 'Feel the fizz. Find your force.'
- Alliteration: 'feel the fizz' and 'find your force' repeat 'f' sounds, making the slogan catchy.
- Imperatives: 'feel' and 'find' are commands that address the reader directly.
- Connotation: 'force' suggests power and energy, linking the drink to strength.
Answer: Alliteration makes the slogan memorable, imperatives speak directly to the audience, and 'force' connotes power, suggesting the drink will energise them.
Practice check
Have a go, then check your answers. Each answer comes with an explanation.
Answer guide for parents
An ad shows a sports car photographed from a low angle. What is the most likely effect?
The car looks powerful and impressive. — Looking up at a subject makes it appear dominant and impressive.
An eco-friendly cleaning product's ad uses lots of green. What is the colour most likely meant to suggest?
Nature and environmental care — Green connotes nature, health and eco-friendliness.
What is the term for a short, memorable phrase linked to a brand? (one word)
slogan — Slogans are designed to be memorable and associated with the brand.
What is the effect of a model looking directly at the viewer?
It creates a personal connection, as if the model is speaking to you. — A direct gaze 'demands' the viewer's attention and engagement.
Complete the term for an instruction such as 'Buy now!' or 'Visit our store today': call to ______ (one word)
action — A call to action tells the audience what to do next.
What does 'salience' mean in visual analysis?
The element that stands out most and draws the eye first — Salient elements are made prominent through size, colour, contrast or placement.
A charity ad shows a child from a high angle. Why might the photographer choose this angle?
To make the child seem vulnerable and encourage sympathy — Looking down on a subject makes it appear small and in need of help.
A luxury watch ad is mostly empty space, with one small watch and the brand name. What is the main effect of the white space?
It makes the ad feel clean, elegant and premium, focusing attention on the watch. — Minimal design connotes sophistication and directs the eye to the product.
Watch out for
- Describing what is in the ad without explaining why it was chosen. Analysis must link each technique to its effect on the audience.
- Thinking colour meanings are fixed. Connotations depend on context and culture; red can mean love in one ad and danger in another.
- Assuming ads only sell products. Many persuade people to donate, vote, stay safe or change habits.
Tips for parents
- Collect a few ads from magazines or junk mail and ask, 'What did your eye go to first? Why?'
- During TV ad breaks, pause and ask your learner who the ad is targeting and how they can tell.
- Talk about advertising tricks openly – it builds healthy, critical consumers.
Go further
- Design a print ad for an invented product for a specific audience, then write a paragraph justifying your choices of angle, colour, layout and slogan.
- Compare two ads for similar products aimed at different audiences (for example, children's and adults' toothpaste).
- Redesign an existing ad to target a completely different audience and explain what you changed and why.
About 50 minutes
You'll need
- Two or three print advertisements from magazines or junk mail
- Exercise book
- Coloured pens for annotating
Key words
- Salience
- The element of an image that stands out most and draws the eye first, through size, colour, placement or contrast.
- Gaze
- Where a person in an image is looking. A direct gaze at the viewer creates a connection or 'demand'.
- Camera angle
- The position from which an image is taken. Low angles make subjects look powerful; high angles make them look small or vulnerable.
- Connotation
- The ideas and feelings associated with a word, colour or image beyond its literal meaning.
- Slogan
- A short, memorable phrase linked to a brand or campaign.
- Call to action
- An instruction telling the audience what to do next, such as 'Buy now' or 'Visit our website'.
Still tricky?
For parents
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