For this assignment, the class split into four groups, each to work on their own fictional advertisement. The goal of this assignment was to have students explore what went into advertisements in the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and/or 1960s. We read several pieces on the history of advertising as part of our weekly class reading on the history of communication and information, and students did further research before they actually created their projects. [Some of the ads juxtapose topics that are chronologically out of the time period of the ad style, but I think that actually helped, in that it forced students to do more than just copy previous advertisements.]
Students threw themselves into researching the way that advertising was done in terms of themes, colors, wording, images, stories, tone, even font. And at the end I think that they learned quite a bit about the difficulty and possibility of communicating in ways that go beyond text itself.
Check them out and let us know what you think.
- Tupperware Print Ad -- http://infoage.umwblogs.org/2011/10/24/post-war-woman-and-the-spread-of-information/
- Weight-gain Print Ad -- http://infoage.umwblogs.org/2011/10/24/gain-flesh-gain-the-girl/
- Further explanation of the group's research and approach, some technical discussion, and photo issues.
- Wurlitzer Jukebox meets the Hipster Print Ad -- http://infoage.umwblogs.org/2011/10/23/advertisement-project-the-wurlitzer-jukebox/
- Discussion of advertising research
- Gutenberg Press Radio Ad -- http://infoage.umwblogs.org/2011/10/23/radio-advertisement/
- Sources used
- Further explanation of the group's research and approach.
