This advertisement was created by Target to announce the opening of a new location in California. As the eighth largest retailer in the nation, Target is winning with their iconic ads. This ad was found in a collection of other target ads by Alan Peters.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/31826275/2015-Target-Branding

Alignment

The text in this ad is aligned to the left, creating a clear and aesthetically pleasing line. This line continues down the ad to the small target logo and text at the bottom. These two separate components of the ad also align with the soccer player’s hands. The soccer player’s foot also is in line with the soccer ball. These invisible lines help viewers to make connections between aspects of the ad and establish a clean and cohesive look overall.

Contrast

Target is known for their contrasting red and white target logo. This logo is displayed very clearly in this ad creating a visually appealing background that is attention grabbing and distinct. Their use of contrasting colors in their text helps to make important information stand out. The, “Now open,” at the top is clearly larger than the rest of the text drawing the eyes in and establishing it as the most important. The soccer player and soccer ball also contrast with the rest of the ad. They add dimension to the red and white and take the add to a whole new level. This aspect gives the ad a more eye catching effect.

Proximity

Proximity in design shows relationships between different components. In this ad the proximity of the smaller text to the, “Now open,” shows that the text contains more information that relates to the main text. Proximity is also displayed on the bottom of the ad. The Target logo is in close proximity to, “Expect more. Pay less.” This shows the association between logo and slogan. The placement of the text in relation to the target and image also shows the relationship between the words and how they are separate from the picture. The placement of the soccer ball is also a unique use of proximity showing the relationship between the ball, the player and the bullseye.

Color

Target uses colors especially well. Their colors are iconic and eye catching. Red is bold, attention-grabbing, and powerful. White stands out strongly against the red. Target has branded themselves well enough that red and white are instantly recognized as target colors. This ad is no exception to this. They not only include red and white in the text, logo, background and bullseye, but they also use it in the uniform of the soccer player and in the soccer ball.

Repetition

There are a lot of motifs found in this and all of Target’s marketing campaign. The most obvious one is, of course, the red and white bulls eye. It is found in the logo and in the background of the ad. The colors used in this ad can also be seen as an example of repetition. There are basically only 2 colors used in the whole ad, they are just used in different ways. There is also repetition in the font choice. While the size and boldness vary, the font style is the same throughout the ad.

Conclusion

This ad strategically uses alignment, contrast, proximity, color, and repetition to create an eye catching ad. This ad is well designed and aesthetically pleasing. This ad is bold, memorable, and well designed.