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David McHenry

Miss Hinnant

English 1101

November 18, 2013

A Sound Inquiry

What is the first thing the eye perceives when it looks at a picture? Does it notice the text

written around it? What about the focus of the piece, are the eyes immediately drawn to that?

Maybe it’s the spectrum of colors and possible emotions that the piece evokes. Any way it’s

perceived, whether it’s an advertisement or other visual art piece, there is a certain kind of

message hidden within its depths. As a natural analyst, whether recognized or not, the mind

immediately tries to unlock the basic set of emotions, feelings, or messages that the piece is

trying to portray. This is done involuntarily, something that the mind has been trained to do for

so long, now, hardly does one ever realize they are doing it.

When first looking at the advertisement chosen, it is best to note that it is one for the

Asics running company, a well-known shoe brand. It appears that Asics’ purpose for the

advertisement is to promote their shoes and the sport of running. The primary aspect of the piece

is a slogan that hangs across the midsection of the picture, which simply reads, “Sound mind,

sound body.” Next, a concealed feature, which is not prominent initially, is the set of words

streaming off the man’s body, helping to incorporate the slogan, with the underlying message

that the picture is trying to convey; a “sound mind” leads to a “sound body.” It is contrasted with

a dark sidewalk that is a mixture of various browns and beiges, followed by the model like image

of a man running in a blue shirt, black shorts, and of course, a pair of Asics. Finally, in the

bottom right hand corner is the name brand Asics, along with their logo and in small print, the

words, “running releases more than just sweat.”

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To begin, choose the most basic part, the logo. As mentioned before, it is located in the

bottom right hand corner of the picture, something that appears random, but is actually placed

there for a very specific reason. Eyes, as they were taught when humans first began to read, were

trained to move from left to right, starting at the top and finishing at the bottom of each page.

This is the exact reasoning for the placement of the logo. So that, when reading the

advertisement, the audience will perceive the whole picture and finally read the logo, the part of

the advertisement the company is hoping is remembered. Written in white ink and the Asics

manuscript, it is easily recognizable and stands out against the dark background, making it very

distinguishable from the rest of the piece. It is also bold, not only to make a statement, but also to

help promote the company; allowing those who may not recognize the logo, realize the name of

the advertisements owner. These two components, ink color and bold lettering, are present

because, unlike the rest of the piece, they don’t follow the same guidelines or formatted pattern.

They stand out to not conform to everything else, but as a way to advertise the company and

make it different. Another detail of the logo is the little symbol that appears out in front of the

actual company name. This detail is dual comprised, meaning that it is two things in one.

Although the symbol looks like an “A,” which would stand for the first letter of the company

name, it also appears to be a pathway or a route turned into the letter “A.” Asics point of this is

so that it sends the subliminal idea that running is at the root of everything they do. That for the

runners benefit, and the company’s survival, the manufacturers and producers have the

consumers and athletes satisfaction and safety at the forefront of their minds. Last, since it is

written in white, and put against a dark background, it may give a subsequent message that the

company is pure and clean. Since Asics is trying to promote the idea that with a, “sound mind,”

comes a “sound body,” a clean atmosphere and portrayal of the company would be a huge,

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beneficial factor to the company’s advertisement crowd; which leads to the next part, the banner

spread across the advertisement.

Like the logo, it is written in white lettering giving the impression that the advertisement

is pure and focused. This is reiterated and understood from the meaning of the statement, that a

“sound” or pure mind, can lead to a “sound” or pure body. In an exercise or running context, a

focused and healthy mind will lead to a healthy and focused body. As a result of the banner

being something very short and straight to the point, it is easily remembered and reiterated when

the audience sees other Asics brand products. Not only is it remembered for being short, but also

for the repetition of the word “sound” and then the two comparative words, “mind” and “body.”

The repetition of the word “sound” is helpful because it puts the two split components in sync. It

is the conjoining word that relates both “mind” and “body,” which is the purpose of the ad; to

show that running with the shoes puts the runners mind and their body in sync. They also make

sure to put emphasis on the word “mind,” because everyone knows running tones and betters the

body, but this advertisement suggests that Asics shoes can also help with mental health as well.

When relieving the mind of something, in turn it also relieves the body of those same things.

Also, the large print of the statement draws the reader’s eyes to the center of the page, making it

the primitive message the picture is trying to convey.

Nestled right behind the message, in a very artsy and metaphoric incorporation of the

banner, is a stream of words transcending from the body of the male runner. The words, “stress”,

“impatience”, and “confusion,” are carefully chosen because the three terms are most often

connected or related to an “unsound” mind. A result of an unsound mind is the allowance of one

to lose focus and therefore lose the mental health that comes with the physical health in running.

Using this in correlation with the wispy writing, this gives the audience the impression that the

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words are being shed or lost with each movement forward, helping to stress the fact that a,

“sound mind” leads to a “sound body;” the fact that a runner can shed their problems and worries

when running, but only if they are running in the Asics shoes. In this context, the shoes will

allow the person to escape their problems and move to become a better, more developed

individual, both inside and out. These words also relate to the audience because running can be a

continuous renewal process, meaning that each time a person runs, they can be reiterating and re-

experiencing the “sound mind, sound body” atmosphere. After all, the words may be holding

him back, so running and losing those words lets him move forward. The creative thing about

how these words are advertised is that the words are coming off of every part of his body except

for his head. This is extremely important to the advertisement because it helps to combine the

artistic portrayal of the banner, with the literal meaning behind it. A persons head contains their

brain, which in turn produces their thoughts. Since the words aren’t streaming from his head, the

man has already formed a “sound mind.” Reiterating the fact that running will relieve and create

a sound body, just as every physical or relaxing idea gets the mind off the earthly and common

problems felt in everyday life.

Following this, the audience’s attention is to be drawn to the object of the picture, the

runner. In this part of the advertisement, the majority of focus is on the man’s physique. Both the

fact that the man is fit and attractive, gives off the message that when someone runs, or as a

result of running, the consumer will look fit and attractive like the advertisement model used

here. The ideal being that the analyst will have the perfect body, with sculpted pectoral and bicep

muscles, the “cover model” of any magazine published. Also, the man makes running look very

effortless, giving the impression that with the shoes, and belief in the banner statement, running

will be easy or effortless. The purpose of the blue shirt with the black shorts goes beyond the fact

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that these are the common colors on most athletic models. The black shorts are the most common

color shorts sold, but the blue shirt gives the impression that running is relaxing or calm; since

blue is most often associated with atmospheres or areas that are cool and relaxing.

The second to last objective part of the picture is the small printed statement made in

between the logo and the banner, which gives a better and more comprehendible explanation to

the picture. It reads, “Running releases more than just sweat.” This gives a great summary of the

picture because it ties everything together. The man running with the words coming out of his

back, is obviously the release that is being addressed, while the, “sound mind sound body,”

statement is easily associated with the picture. This couples the fact that the words leaving the

man’s body, are a result of the renewal process that he goes through when he purifies his mind.

So, the small quote then gives meaning to the picture as a whole. It allows the viewer to see the

description and importance of the piece. It is also located in the bottom right quadrant of the

advertisement because the eyes are trained to read everything above it before they get to the

statement. Written in smaller font, the purpose is to make sure that it doesn’t subtract from the

emphasis of the larger printed statement, and is also written in white, to contrast with the dark

background, as well as making the statement fit in with the purity theme. This is all done as an

incorporation and extra piece of backup information that is appreciated by the reader. Not only

does this help the reader to get a better idea about the piece, but it also allows Asics to have

another piece of advertising that will help set them apart from other major companies. Word

choice is another major component of the statement, because “running” is the act in which allows

the “release” to be “more than sweat.” Running with the Asics brand shoes will allow for the

release and purification of the words, “stress”, “impatience”, and “confusion.” Again, leading to

a sound mind.

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Last, but not least, is the address of the purpose of the dark brown and beige background.

When viewing the picture, it appears that the background is indeed a sidewalk. This helps to

communicate the notion that running can be through the city or urban area, not just trails or set

paths. This is especially important because cities and other such urban areas are a lot of times

considered by runners to be congested, confusing, and full of stress; none of these being factors

needed in a run. This then coincides with the three words that are falling out of the man; the fact

that the removal of these considerations allows for a more complete and relaxing run. Also,

because of the dark background, everything that is in the forefront is bright or contrasted, helping

the consumer to focus on those certain objects, instead of backdrop. The multiple colors not only

distinguish the certain parts of the picture, but they also give them character. This is especially

important to the piece because it simulates its validity, rather than having it be comprised of

various fake attributes of running.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to advertisements and pictures. The

pictures used when trying to get consumers to buy a certain products, are really an in-depth text

that is full of various messages and feelings, but when broke down, prove to be quite important

within the complexities of the mind.

David,Overall, I think this is a really strong draft. It’s well-organized, well-written (other than some extraneous personal pronouns that I encourage you to eliminate in revision ), and (most importantly!) well –argued. I’m really impressed with how many meaningful connections you were able to extract from your text, and I like that you didn’t just speak to “surface-level” connections—you constructed arguments that I never even would’ve thought of! There are still a few places that I think could use a bit more expansion and development, and you should be able to easily locate those spots based on the comments and questions I’ve made in the margins. Keep pushing yourself hard. Nice work!