CRAP!

This week in our lecture we learned all about CRAP. CRAP being the principles that advertisement agencies commonly use to make an ad more effective and successful. Contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity are the four basic principles of CRAP. I was looking through some ads and the ones that tended to catch my attention the most were humour ads. So below I’ve posted my four favourites and I’ll explain if I think the CRAP principles played a part in the success of the ads. I stumbled upon a website that was all about humour advertisements if you want to take a look:  http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/11/40-seriously-funny-print-ads/

This is an ad for IAMS low fat dog food. When I first looked at this ad there were two things that immediately caught my attention: the dog in the door and the bag of food. The use of contrasting colours forced me to subconsciously do this. Everything around those items is dark and less vibrant where as the bag of food and the dog itself are shown in more vibrant shades. This also forces the viewer to make the connection between the dog and the IAMS food bag. Beside the bag it says “contains 30% less fat so you can get your dog back” in white font. The IAMS bag also has white font – immediately connecting the two. The placement of the bag of food and the writing are in the bottom left corner so it’s clear that it was not meant to be in the picture itself. The placement and colour of everything in this ad is what makes it so effective.

I think this is a pretty effective ad also. It proves a point the second you look at it and this is done by colour. The only problem is at first glance it might be misconstrued as a ketchup ad which is a risk the Ariel White Company made. There is a subtle contrast of colour in this ad that makes the distinction between the Heinz bottle (green outline) and the Ariel White logo (red). Both of these were put on a white background which makes them stand out even more. The Ariel White logo is also written in a very different typeface so that there is a clean distinction between the products. The only thing that I noticed repeating throughout the page was the use of white. If they had put another colour in the background, it wouldn’t have been nearly as effective. Having the white background, and the white ketchup bottle – that we all know is usually red- proves the point that this Ariel detergent really must get things clean. It makes the viewer think it works so well that it even takes the colour out of ketchup. In addition, the Ariel logo is in the top right corner, not aligned with the ketchup bottle, so that there is a clear division between the two and their proximity. Over all I think the CRAP principles were used very effectively in this advertisement.

This ad was one of my favourites. It’s very effective ad because it immediately captures the attention of whoever sees it. This ad embodies all four of the CRAP principles. There is a very strong contrast of colour throughout the ad. There is white font, on a solid black background, with George Bush in a blue and red suit at the bottom – all bright colours. Colour and font are repeated throughout the page. The font in the top left corner is the same as the “open your mind” font which makes the ad seem as though there is a common thread from start to finish. The colours of Bush’s suit and the smart car are the same as well – making the viewer see the connection between George bush making a decision that wasn’t smart, and a car that is smart. The main statement in this ad was placed in the top left corner so that it is the first thing to be read. The next thing the viewer notices is Bush’s face. They then make the connection between the line at the top and him. Then the viewer’s eyes are be taken to the bottom right of the ad and finish there. When each part of the ad is in a different location (top left, middle, bottom right) it is much easier to follow in the right order. Everything in this ad that was related was put in close proximity to each other it so the ad was easy to follow. It gets the point across while keeping the attention of whoever is looking at it.

This was another one of my favourite ads. There’s a whole bunch of different font sizes and type faces in this ad. It’s very effective because if the ad was to say“reality sucks” and in the same font it said “utopolis ground of cinemas” it would seem as though those two things were connected. The fact that the typefaces are so different helps to make a clear distinction between the two. Also, anytime there is white font on a dark colour it creates a good, strong contrast which makes it an attention grabber and easily legible. There are various shades of blue that repeat throughout the page and seem to subtly tie everything together.  At the bottom of the ad, there is a blue bar going accross and within that bar is all the writing. Using this style in an advertisement allows the viewer to take in the picture, think about it, and then read about the company at the bottom. The humour in this ad also helps to keep get attention of the viewer and keep their interest.

Using the CRAP principles have proven to be an effective way to get a message accross. Using contrast draws attention and repeating sayings or colours creates a sense of connection throughout the ad. Alignment – when used correctly – subconcioulsy forces the viewer to take in the ad a certain way. It’s in our human nature to read from top to bottom, left to right so if the advertiser uses this to their advantage it could be beneficial. Proximity is also a useful tool for advertising because it creates organization throughout the ad. If related things are put together, it’s much easier to follow the ad. I believe that if all of these design aid’s were used effectively when in an ad, then it would take the ad to another level. When using subtle techniques such as this, the advertiser is making the observer think something. Whether that something is about how great the art in the ad is, or how much they now want/need a certain product. The advertising world is filled with tricks that force us to think a certain way, and the CRAP principles are what assist this trickery. Next time you look at an ad think about what the advertiser is trying to make you believe, and see if it changes your mind.