In 2013, over eight people were killed and another 1,161 were injured on a daily basis as a result of distracted driving. Distracted driving, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, includes texting, talking on a cell phone, eating, and even using a GPS. As it stands, it is a well-known problem that leads to many unnecessary deaths or injuries that easily could have been prevented. This public service announcement (PSA) from El Colombiano newspaper illustrates the dangerous reality of texting and driving by addressing both drivers and young adults through the use of text, imagery, and emphasis. At first glance, the PSA is simple and does not seem to mean much of anything. Most of the space is empty except for a bar in
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There is nothing in the space surrounding the car and truck lock slide, thus forcing the viewer to focus on it. This allows for the message to come through clearly without any muddling from outside distractions. A given viewer will most likely look directly at the central focal point, move to the lower right corner, and return to the center. While this may be a quick process, it increases the time spent on this PSA by a significant amount. In terms of advertisements and PSAs, time is crucial and using emphasis allows the message to get across as clear and fast as possible. Most people do not like to stare at an advertisement for an extended period of time and this PSA meets the unwritten time limit. Emphasis plays a pivotal role in the interpretation of the image and helps to clarify the …show more content…
Not all teenagers drive but a large portion of them do own a smartphone of some kind. Conversely, not all drivers own a smartphone but all of them get behind a wheel at some point. [More content here] Despite how straightforward El Colombiano’s PSA is, it brings out thoughts in just about everyone. Many people know at least one person that participates in distracted driving or they drive distracted themselves. At the time same time, most people at least have an idea of what the iPhone lock screen looks like. As a result, it works well to provoke thoughts in all people. However, the main target audience is drivers as indicated by the text and imagery. The emphasized elements, namely the lock screen style, serves the purpose of drawing the eye directly to the
There is nothing in the space surrounding the car and truck lock slide, thus forcing the viewer to focus on it. This allows for the message to come through clearly without any muddling from outside distractions. A given viewer will most likely look directly at the central focal point, move to the lower right corner, and return to the center. While this may be a quick process, it increases the time spent on this PSA by a significant amount. In terms of advertisements and PSAs, time is crucial and using emphasis allows the message to get across as clear and fast as possible. Most people do not like to stare at an advertisement for an extended period of time and this PSA meets the unwritten time limit. Emphasis plays a pivotal role in the interpretation of the image and helps to clarify the …show more content…
Not all teenagers drive but a large portion of them do own a smartphone of some kind. Conversely, not all drivers own a smartphone but all of them get behind a wheel at some point. [More content here] Despite how straightforward El Colombiano’s PSA is, it brings out thoughts in just about everyone. Many people know at least one person that participates in distracted driving or they drive distracted themselves. At the time same time, most people at least have an idea of what the iPhone lock screen looks like. As a result, it works well to provoke thoughts in all people. However, the main target audience is drivers as indicated by the text and imagery. The emphasized elements, namely the lock screen style, serves the purpose of drawing the eye directly to the