Cause & Effect: Urbanite Magazine

In working through my cause/effect concept and ad campaign, I chose Urbanite magazine as my publication. Being new to Baltimore, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to get to know one of its local publications. One thing I loved about Boston (or love) were its local reads: my favorite being The Weekly Dig. Urbanite reminds me of a hybrid between three Boston alternative weeklies: The Dig, as well as The Improper Bostonian, and The Boston Phoenix. It's a nice mix of social commentary, "ism" awareness, entertainment, and community.

 

So, I ripped my show and tell assignment from this mag—perfect! I found three ads, posted here.

 

The Associated:

I don't think this ads screams anything unique, particularly, but I thought the designer pushed enough of an envelope to grab my attention, as well as slipped in a couple of sly effects to seal the deal. I love that the designer went cliche with the type treatment: huge, bold black letters, jumping off the page. I say it's cliche because, I'd imagine, most savvy, up-to-date, hip media consumers (which Urbanite readers presumably personify) will likely automatically associate dramatic typography with some kind of "contemporarily-expressed" social message. At least I will—and dramatic typography alone will entice me. Then, of course, the first "line" reads: "Think Jews..." We, the audience, don't expect to read racial slander, but there something that sounds rude about the line, rudely intriguing. I would say the entire sentences achieves said effect. Nothing else about the ad attracts me. In fact, the last line nearly provokes me to cry: "The Baltimore Community is Associated." I understand why...but UGH.

 

I'm actually not sure this is a true cause and effect ad—not in the "hey you, this is a call to action" sense.

 

Urbanite Project:

The ad is sleek and modern, cool and hip, like the cool hipsters reading the mag and involving themselves in the project. It's a cute ad. The egg makes you wanna probe more, see what's looming, what's peeking through the shell. The image supports the ad's claim of what the designer wants us to do: "Expected the Unexpected," is the call to action, "Wait and see what's in store...find out or get involved (since it's a project??) implied. It's kind of a stretch, but I guess it works.

 

MAC:

This feels more like a cause/effect ad than the others in that the "call to action" component is clear. They want us to join their gym. "If you join our gym, you'll be stronger than your excuses...because we don't judge you and stand in your way...come as you are and you'll be stronger than your excuses." Enough said.

 

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Visual drama matters—the ad MUST have a dramatic visual element, or what I'll call a center of visual impact. The issue matters and needs to be clearly expressed through the accompanying copy, but, and especially if the audience is diverse or the target publication is not specialized, it's an ad at the end of the day—it needs to have an immediate, and racy, visual impact on the audience. The image choice needs to be clear, focused, central, and able to emotionally provoke the audience. For my campaign, at least, I think it needs to. Rules are not rules when it comes to design. Rules are relative. 

 

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I see you bubbling all over the place -- you're yeasty, and I think it's grand!