The visual illustration titled “Think of both sides” produced by the advertising agency: Red pepper, Ekaterinburg, Russia, creates a powerful message of the dangers of being distracted while driving. By looking at the design, symbols, and the emotional appeal, of the advertisement poster, the viewer can understand what the campaign is implying without the need of word text. By using these devices, the ad is able to successfully deliver a memorable message to the viewers.

The design of the illustration is a family in a car, the man is driving while using a cell phone, the woman is holding a map while smiling at the man driving, and a baby in the backseat.  Both are not paying any attention to the road or their surroundings. There is a child wearing a backpack and a school uniform, standing in the middle of the illustration making them the focal pointe in the illustration. The top of the child’s face is blocked by the rear view mirror allowing the viewers to see their mouth open like they are yelling and their hand up saying stop. The rear view mirror reflection is of the top of the baby’s face in the backseat. This design gives the viewers a point of view of them being in the car as well.  The two children’s faces line up in the rear view mirror creating an illusion of one face. The colors used in the design are dull and gloomy giving the overall tone a dark and somber feel. The only colors that stand out is the child’s purple backpack, the blue and green on the map, and two words in the written text. This use of contrasting colors is a way for advertisements to bring attention to the key principles in the visual text while contributing to the allover argument of the advertisement that driving distracted is dangerous and that this could be the consequents. 

The written text functions as a short to the point statement that backup what the visual text’s argument. The written text says “think of both sides” in the top right corner. The words “both sides” are bright orange that contrast with that background to bring emphasis the function of the visual text, that driving distracted is dangerous, not only to yourself but to others. With the written text the viewer is told to put themselves in the place of the child that is about to be hit. Now the viewers are able to experience the emotions that come from the different viewpoints. Each side creates a strong emotion reaction that every viewer can connect with because no one likes a dead child. Without the written text the viewers would lack the importance of emotional appeal from each side. If the written text was in a different context it could mean something completely different. Such as a visual text of a child running out into a street without looking, who’s fault would it be then? 

 The illusion of the two faces in the mirror is a symbol of the different viewpoints that the intended audience can look at. Symbols represent something different to every viewer. One way to interpret this symbol is that the viewer is the baby in the backseat about that has no control over her parent’s misdoing of being distracted while driving. Another way to see the reflection is seeing the parents putting their own child at risk by not paying attention. Advertisement companies want people to feel emotionally involved in an advertisement in order to make a lasting impression. A person is more likely to take something away from the visual text if they see themselves as the ones in the car than just seeing random people.

 Some of the symbols are not as obvious as the children’s faces, but symbols. The map and cell phone that are the causes of the distractions could be symbols for anything that causes a person to take their eyes off the road. Looking at the map could just has easily be her putting on makeup or him changing the radio things people do all the time without realizing how they are putting everyone in danger. The advertisement company creates a strong argument that when a person is doing anything other than paying attention to the road they are putting everyone at risk. 

Overall the visual text creates a strong argument that is hard to disagree with. By using the devices of emotional appeal, symbolism, and the overall design of the advertisement campaign to educate people about the dangers of being distracted while driving, not only to themselves but also to the people they care about and other innocent people. The viewers are able to connect with the advertisements message because of the wide range of personal and emotional appeals the argument makes. 

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