Abstract

This was our second essay for the semester and I wanted to continue with the topic of Gentrification. For this essay, we were tasked with thinking outside of the box and exploring our imagination and creative side a little more. The point of this visual essay was to showcase an argument using both images and texts that would better help the reader to understand what I am trying to present. This piece above is meant to be a train station advertisement to target the demographic that is most likely to be affected by gentrification. Along with the image above, I also showcased an audience strategy to help select a genre best suited to convey the message to my audience. I was satisfied with my first draft so I made no changes in the end.

Audience Strategy

For my Visual Essay, I have decided to create a train station advertisement. The intended audience for this advertisement is the average commuter. The average commuter can be the rich and the poor. Trains are the easiest way to get around in the city which is why people of all social classes tend to take them. The common primary characteristics of these people are that they are all New Yorkers who have an understanding of the current homelessness problem we have in the city which is partially brought about by the current gentrification trend. Another big characteristic of not all the people but some is that they are actively affected by gentrification.

For this advertisement, I am trying to get the audience to understand the issues that are at hand. For every rich family that gets to move into a house in Brooklyn or Manhattan, another less fortunate family had to be kicked out and left homeless since they couldn’t afford the new rent. This is something this commuter needs to agree with and feel some sort of pity for. No one wants to be kicked out of their homes but without anyone trying to stop gentrification this is all that will happen. This advertisement should encourage people to want change and work towards it. One thing we want is for these people to start talking about the problem of gentrification and develop a collective conversation and outlook on the issue.

This advertisement is already very accessible to the majority of people who take trains. The advertisement consists of an image and a small blurb underneath so that if someone is in a hurry, even with a glance they will be able to read the advertisement and understand what I am trying to say through this advertisement. And I would say this advertisement is also very eye-catching so it’s perfect for the new generation who are known to not have the best attention span.

Overall, this is an advertisement that, if placed in a train station or anywhere with a large number of people, would be perfect for getting the word out that gentrification is not a good thing.

Reflection

Whenever I see advertisements on the trains, it’s always and colorful and short one that catches my eye and makes me want to read it. The majority of it is some trendy, maybe abstract image to catch your attention, and next to this picture is a short message you want the reader to understand like “Support local businesses”. Short and simple and something most people can get behind. This is something that I tried to go for and I believe that is what I got. I picked on the left side of the advertisement and child playing in the streets in the ghetto. This is what you were once able to see but due to gentrification, the image of the right is what is occurring. In from of an LV store we see a group of homeless people being walked on as the rich go about their days. To make the advertisement more extreme I decided to photoshop a lady in designer gracefully sitting on top of a homeless man just trying to care. This shows that the rich don’t really care and it is up to the average person who takes the trains to fix this problem. 

One thing that I added in the blurb is “Of course the city never sleeps when they live in fear of losing their home tomorrow”. That is one thing that New York City is most known for. Being the “city that never sleeps” is usually seen and a good thing since it makes you think that everyone is always lively but when you word it this way it makes the reader of this advertisement sad and at least have some pity for those who are being affected by gentrification. Pathos is very heavily used in this advertisement. When we are sad about something we tend to want to stop being sad so this will make the reader take action. No one pays the big bucks to get an advertisement put anywhere if they didn’t want something to come out of it. 

Making a Visual Essay was very different from writing a traditional essay. I am not the most creative person so it did take me some time to come up with a good enough idea for what I should do. I thought an advertisement would be the easiest since it wouldn’t be a massive thing to make but it can still be very powerful and do enough. I made the word part of the essay first since it would be the framework for the image I later decided to add to it. A before and after would be able to reach the most people since this is a train station advertisement so that’s why I did the two-sided image. The clashing of colors also helps to grab the attention and any commuter passing by or sitting down. The black and white can appeal more to the older generation while the fashionable women walking ontop of homeless people in full colors will catch the eye of the majority, more younger people.

To get more into the specifics of this advertisement I feel like I need to send the message not only to the common middle to the lower class person on these trains. I also needed to go after the rich who decided to take these trains since they are the ones gentrification benefits the most. I want them to understand why this is bad so I had to first catch their attention. I wanted people who appeared to look rich to be in this advertisement. I chose fashion bloggers and models from new york fashion week which is an event where the rich and wealthy travel to this state to partake in the flaunting of their clothing. This is something that these rich people will look at and know which will get them to look more into the advertisements where I catch them with the use the Pathos to make them feel bad about the situation people are put in for the benefit of them. 

I do not believe this advertisement is meant to make the rich feel bad that they are rich and the poor feel bad that they don’t have enough money to afford the increases in rent. This isn’t meant to be a pity party but an advertisement where we invoke the want for change and maybe one day that change will come and people will stop being kicked out of their homes so that someone else with a little more money can move in. Maybe we can all just live together and help each other instead of putting each other down.