Icons in Society

1. The image/icon in this ad is Beyonce.

2. The universal concept or meaning in this ad is essentially sexiness. Beyonce is dressed in a low cut, short, red silk dress which immediately appears provocative to the eye. She is posed with one hip jetted out and one hand glossing her cheek, with a very seductive face. It also cleverly names the fragerence “Heat” and uses the tag line “Catch the Fever” which really endorses the hot or sexy message the ad is trying to send. They also use red as the central color in this ad (in the title, dress, background, and bottle of fragrance) because red is the color for passion, desire, and love which sensualizes it even more. Beyonce is known all over for being one of if not the most powerful, talented, and sexy woman on the planet, so this ad definitely uses her preconceived reputation as well as hyping it up in the ad to sell the message.

3. The overall message of this ad is that if you use this perfume you will be as sexy and strong as Beyonce. By using the marketing method of celebrity endorsement, it takes what Beyonce is already known for, enforces it even more in the ad, and captions above the perfume “The first fragrance by Beyonce” to get her name in there even more. Also the title and tag lines directly connect the message of sensuality to the fragrance.

4. I’m not going to lie, this image does persuade me. It is obviously geared not only at women, but at something that all women want to be whether they admit it or not: attractive and sexy. Beyonce is a universal figure that not only sends that message but is amazing in so many other ways too, so just having her on this advertisement alone will persuade people without even knowing what the product is.

Design Query Questions

Is there a difference between “Art” and “Design” or are they one and the same?

I believe that design is a subcategory within art, and is used to create it. Art is the whole, and is about about creating feeling, sending a message, or communicating a lesson to an audience. To do that there are certain techniques an artist uses to make that happen, design being one of them. Different designs will create different pieces of art, which will therefore communicate different things to an audience.

If they’re not the same, what’s the difference?

Again, design is part of the process of creating the overall piece of art. The design is part of what will eventually determine what the piece of art communicates.

In your description of the difference, do you ever find yourself using terms such as “self-expression,” “function,” “monetary compensation,” “form,” “commission,” “meaning” or “aesthetics”?

When thinking about how different design affects the outcome of the art I think of self-expression, form, and meaning. The design of the piece of art will show self-expression in the artist and show meaning through symbols and imagery. The form of the design is how the artist gets to that point and is able to send a certain message.

If you use any of these terms when defining the difference, are any exclusive to either “Art” or “Design”?

Most are specific to the design because those words describe the process, which is what design is.

If you wanted a nice picture to hang on a wall in your home, do you think you could produce it yourself after a sufficient amount of art education?

Yes, possibly. It would depend on the type of art education I was getting in correlation to the piece of art I wanted to create. I think everyone has a very basic a crafty/artsy side to them, but it would take decent art education to produce something more intricate.

When you hire someone to do something for you that involves making aesthetic decisions, do you worry about getting your money’s worth?

Yes. I would expect the employee to have proper training or education to do their job to the extent of customer satisfaction.

If you own an automobile, which is more important: how it looks or how it drives?

How it drives

Have you ever lived with an object you initially thought was ugly and then changed your mind about it after a period of time?

Yes.

What changed your mind?

I think seeing something everyday you almost because desensitized to it. It doesn’t necessarily become something you think is attractive, but rather something  you just are indifferent to. Either way, its not ugly anymore.