Advert Analysis: Brownstone Design

Brownstone Design: Ashcroft Anthony

Brownstone Design Agency is a Cambridge Advertising and Marketing company with a broad and varied client base, including Stilo, Cambridge Constabulary, Dudley Developments and Vapourtec. I am looking at Brownstone Design Agency's campaign 'Open Out' for Cambridge Constabulary.

I'm focusing on this poster for Ashcroft Antony. Ashcroft Anthony is a Cambridge-based firm of accountants. The company was founded in 2006 by Adrian Wilson and Dominic Anthony, after they had been working successfully together for many years. Now, the team consists of five accountants with varying specialisms. Ashcroft Anthony wanted to 'create a professional services firm that moves beyond the traditional to provide a highly personalised service to entrepreneurial individuals and companies'

This poster is simple, with no text other than the name of the brand. The photograph is grainy and in black and white, suggesting age. This image suggests that the firm wants to get across to the audience that they are experienced and have been around for a long time, which will make the prospective clients feel more confident about going to a well-established company. The boy on his knees is a visual representation of the company, with the person standing on his back representing Ashcroft Anthony's clients. Ashcroft Anthony are trying to visually portray how they are helpful and reliable, and how they are a company to trust. These are important factors a prospective client will consider when choosing which accountants' firm to go with, because they don't want an inexperienced, unprofessional firm to be dealing with their important money-related issues.

The brand's logo is simple and easy to remember, and works well with the professional approach Ashcroft Anthony takes. The colour purple combines the stability of blue and the energy of red, matching Ashcroft Anthony's aim of moving beyond the traditional accounting services. Additionally, it symbolizes dignity and wealth, two key words that are important for an accountancy company's reputation. The font is formal and shows a more traditional side of the company. It is important that Ashcroft Anthony portrays the type of firm they are through their logo, the first thing a client picks up on, and they have done so my mixing a simple modern logo with a traditional font and a name that is easy to remember.

Advert Analysis: On Agency

On Agency is an advertising agency, creating bold and eye-catching adverts for the not-for-profit sector, for example charities. I am looking at On Agency's emergency mailing designs, specifically the British Red Cross Emergency Appeal letter.

There is a lot of content (text) as this piece is designed to inform and direct the target audience urgently. The text is formal but easy to read, so that the wide range of audience that it's aimed for can understand it, and additionally the paragraphs being broken up by the bold red text makes it even clearer. The text is bold and easy to read. It isn't in a fancy font; it's simple and gets the message out that is trying to be portrayed. The whole letter flows well as the colours and fonts are continuous, starting from the British Red Cross logo. There isn't much in terms of art in this piece as it is more factual-based and its sole purpose is to educate the audience about the British Red Cross Emergency Appeals, however there is the brand's logo, the cross, at the top of the start of the letter.

The colours are very simple but are used effectively to emphasise the key focus of the brand. Black is the main colour of the text, making up the bulk of the information, however the paragraphs have been broken down with short sentences in a bold red, making them easier to read and to capture the reader's attention. The letter would otherwise look long and too boring to read, so incorporating some colour keeps it light and engaging enough to read, as read is associated with danger and importance.

On Agency has tried to get the message out to more people by printing the appeal on the front of a C5 letter to attract the attention of the readers, adding in a Johnson Box at the top of the front page, to highlight the key point of the message (in this case, the Urgent Winter Appeal for Syria). After reading the appeal, you'll open the letter to a donation form and a FREEPOST envelope. It is a clever idea because it means that the audience is more likely to read the letter instead of throwing it away before even opening it. The branding for the British Red Cross is simple but effective, because the emblem is a visible sign of the 1949 Geneva Conventions. Furthermore, it is the emblem of the armed forces' medical services and its use is controlled by governments.

This appeal is targeted at homeowners and anyone earning a wage as it's aim is to get donations from the public and it's sent to people's houses through the post. Furthermore, it's aim is to increase awareness of the British Red Cross, which most people under the age of 16 won't really understand what it's all about.