Dissecting Layout

Analyzing Advertising in Print

Jul 13, 2007 Geoffrey Hineman

By dissecting layout techniques, analyzing advertising in print can unveil the psychology of ads and lead to better ad creation. Here are eight elements to examine.

Long a staple in advertising, print advertising enjoys a reputation as being one of the most creative forms of advertising. As audiences are responding less to television advertising, and many of the print advertising techniques are enjoying a new life online, by dissecting layout techniques, analyzing advertising in print can unveil the psychology of ads and lead to the creation of better ads.

Dissecting Layout

Analyzing advertising in print starts with a set of questions that examines photographic and other design elements. The following questions should be given priority:

  1. What is the basic design of the layout? How are the different components or elements arranged. Are they symmetrical? If not, does there seem to by conscious design-based reason why the items don't balance?
  2. What is the spatiality in the print ad? When analyzing advertising in print, you will usually find two primary approaches to spatiality. The first will be to use lots of white space for a cleaner look. The other approach is to fill the space with graphic and copy elements.
  3. What symbols occur in the ad? Symbols have always played a significant role in print. From Egyptian hieroglyphics and cave painting all the way through modern society—just ask Prince—symbols carry meaning. The process of analyzing advertising in print should always include a search for symbols. Additionally, try to discern what role those symbols may play. A smart designer uses symbols as more than simple design cues.
  4. If there are people in the print ad, what do they look like? Is there something noticeable about their facial expressions? Their poses? Their ages, hair color, ethnicity, relationships to each other in terms of proximity? What might these different items, in combination, suggest?
  5. What is happening in the background? Is there action on the background? If so, what is its relationship to the foreground. Is the background blurry or focused. Is there some sort of scenery or landscape in the background? Does it have a relationship to the person(s) in the foreground. When you are analyzing advertising in print, rather than video, background elements often play a more subliminal role.
  6. What about the language used in the print ad? Does it essentially provide information or generate some kind of emotional response? Or both? What techniques are used by the copywriter: humor, alliteration, “definitions” of life, comparisons, sexual innuendo, etc.?
  7. What fonts are used, and what impressions do these fonts convey? Always pay attention to fonts when analyzing ads in print. They may not be the most noticeable element; however, after dissecting layout, fonts can work with the ad to reinforce or sabotage a print ad. Comic Sans and Times New Roman are very different fonts. They both carry their own feel. Never underestimate the power of a good font to complement art direction.
  8. What about aesthetic decisions? If the print ad uses a photograph, what kind of shot is it? What significance do long shots, medium shot, and close ups have? What about lighting, use of color, and the angle of the shot. Every element is there for a reason.

The next article in this series, Determining Meaning: Analyzing Advertising in Print, focuses on how all of the elements discussed here work together to convey meaning.

The copyright of the article Dissecting Layout in Graphic Design is owned by Geoffrey Hineman. Permission to republish Dissecting Layout in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.