I'm definitely feeling like a grown-up here in the city. I'm living in an adult apartment, currently working an adult job in the design field, and to better my adult self without the motivation that school provides, I'm not doing a whole lot. It's winter right now, and it is icy. So I'm saving my brittle bones from breaking by not going jogging and slipping, I haven't been waking up early enough to hit up the yoga classes before work, and winter is over soon so what's the point in joining a gym right now? I think these reasons make it safe to say that my body is going to shit, but that doesn't mean my mind goes down with it.
During my commutes to work via underground subway train, I am constantly surrounded by printed ads. These are pasted all around the station platforms and posted in every subway car. I find myself spending the majority of my time waiting for the train walking up and down the platforms examining the ads as if I were in a museum. And you know what? These are works of art, and I'm going to start analyzing these ads and writing about them. This exercise helps me to keep writing and thinking, and it helps me to strengthen my design dialogue skills when I'm not paying a school to make me do these things. I'm also doing you, the audience, a service. You get to see New York City through a different lense, you get to keep your reading skills on point, and you get to keep being entertained by things on the internet.
First subject: 50 Shades of Grey ad collection. I've never read the books, and I've not seen the movie so I know nothing about this franchise besides what I've overheard my friends discuss. From what I've heard, this is a tender love story based on sexual bondage, and the movie is basically a softcore porn. I'm almost traumatized that I found out my parents went to see it. Alright, let's have some fun:
Artist's name: Unknown
Title: Fifty Shades of Grey 01
Artist's Medium: Ink print on overlaminate, approximately H46" x L60"
Subject: There is a male figure in the center of the composition staring out of a window onto the view of a city. Based on the perspective of the view, this man is inside of a skyscraper building. The composition is achromatic with the exception of red text.
Objects: Objects in the piece include floorspace in the foreground that reflects window mullions in the middleground, and a city skyline is shown in the background. There is also center-aligned, capitalized text in the composition. The largest text is a phrase in black letters that reads "MR. GREY WILL SEE YOU NOW." This is italicized text with serifs, and it sits towards the top of the composition. Medium-sized text in the same font as the previously stated phrase reads in capitalized black letters, "FIFTY SHADES OF GREY." This text is not italicized, and it is placed towards the bottom of the composition. Below this text reads "VALENTINE'S DAY." this is the smallest font in red, san-serif text.
Lezzgetintoit: I get the impression that this is a commercial office space—possibly a private office. Based on that notion and his suit attire, this man may be a powerful business man, but the first thing I really notice is the emptiness of the room. He may be a powerful business man, but he is alone, and based on pop culture news and what my horny friends told me about this plot, this man is alone and lonely ifyaknowwhatImean.
Title: Fifty Shades of Grey 02
Artist's Medium: Ink print on overlaminate, approximately H46" x L60"
Subject: The scene is focused on a female and a male. They are smooshed against the left side of the composition against an implied wall. The female's arms are positioned above her head, her eyes are closed, and her mouth is slightly ajar. The male's left hand is in her hair, BUT WHERE DAT RIGHT HAND AT? His eyes are closed as well, and he is wearing a long-sleeved shirt. Their faces are touching—all but their lips. The image is achromatic with the exception of red letters.
Objects: There are no objects in the composition. The subject matter vignettes into black darkness. The text is center-aligned, vertically organized leading the eyes from the top to the bottom, and all letters are capitalized; this is placed on the right side of the composition. The first phrase in small, white text in san-serif letters read, "THE WORLDWIDE PHENOMENON COMES TO LIFE." Below that, the largest text depicts words that read, "FIFTY SHADES OF GREY." These letters have serifs, and each word in this title alternates from white to grey text. Below the title, medium-sized, red text in a san-serif font identical to the first phrase reads, "VALENTINE'S DAY,"
Lezzgetintoit: The word" life" is in the poster so the subject matter definitely needs to look alive. My impression is that these two are in a fit of passion. I definitely feel like I walked in on two people vigorously making out and they ain't about to stop just because I caught them; this is just bad PDA manners. The powerful businessman from version 01 of the series feels comfortable with this lady by the look of the proximity of their faces, but also because he feels he can dress down in a long-sleeved T-shirt when he's with her. Based on what my horny friends told me about this story, I figure the lady's hands are tied above her head so she can't really say no to his smooches, but by the look on her face, she's sayin' YUSSS.
Artist's name: Unknown
Title: Fifty Shades of Grey 03
Medium: Ink print on overlaminate, approximately H46" x L60"
Subject: The composition is equally balanced; half of it is white and half of it is black. This is focused on a woman and a man. The woman is lying down in the foreground of the white half; her heads is turned and gazing towards the viewer. The man is standing in the foreground of the black half; he is directly facing the viewer with his nose and mouth shown, but his eyes are cut from the composition. The composition is achromatic with the exception of red text.
Objects: There is an object in the piece in full view. This is a tie that is wrapped around the man's hand. There is also diagonally organized text with a word in the top-left corner and a title in the bottom-right corner of the composition. The words are center-aligned, and all letters are capitalized. The largest text appears on the white side in the top-left corner. This text is in black with serifs reading: "CURIOUS?" Medium-size text in the bottom right corner is in white with serifs reading, " "FIFTY SHADES OF GREY." Below the title, small, red san-serif text reads "Valentine's Day."
Lezzgetintoit: The differences between the woman and the man in this composition are black and white. ← Get it? Because the woman is in the white side and the man is in the black side? Yeah? Yeah? Well anyways, I see cushions and I gather this woman is laying on a bed or some kind of comfortable horizontal surface. Shes' wearing comfy clothes; she's lounging, relaxed, and she looks satisfied. If I didn't take a second look, it almost looks like she's holding a cigar. *wink wink* Either that, or she has some kind of inviting look in her eyes. The man has his suit on, but it looks a bit rustled; the top button is not buttoned and he doesn't have his tie on. This guy also has a hint of a smirk on his face? What's this smug bitch thinking? I'm left wondering if something just happened between the two of them or if something is about to happen. Did they just eat their Chinese takeout and she's fat and happy? Are they about to go out to have a Chinese food dinner, but she's still getting ready? CURIOUS? Like hell I am. I need to know about the status of this Chinese food meal.
All in all, I think this series of advertisements was well executed. The posters are aesthetically related in that the fonts are consistent, and they are all achromatic with the red "Valentine's Day" text. I really was going to see this movie on Valentine's Day with a Valentine's Day all-girl power group, but instead, I decided to visit Washington D.C. It was for the best because you won't like me when I'm hot and bothered, but I digress. This ad collection is also thematically consistent; if you experience the collection from 1-3 as I did, they seem to follow an ambiguous storyline and order of events. This draws the viewer in with intrigue as well as tension—what a tease.
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