1. The text that I have chosen is a small coupon-type business card. The purpose of this document is to encourage people to order "Insomnia Cookies" on compusfood.com by providing a simple incentive, something free, as well as to promote a website called foodfriendzy.com. The intended audience for this text is college students as well as other young adults from the area. The design of the card is modern and fun in an attempt to attract this younger, hungry crowd.
2. The format of the text is a business card-sized piece of glossy card-stock, printed on both sides. The advantage of the size of this text is that a person can easily fit the card into their wallet, purse or pocket. This easy transport makes people more willing to pick up the card and actually use it because it is easy to store in the same place they would store the credit card or cash they are going to pay for the cookies with. The glossy paper also makes the card waterproof, so it cannot be ruined by an accidental spill. One of the limitations of the card is that it is small enough to be easily lost among larger pieces of paper and clutter in a student's dorm room. The small size also makes the card less noticeable than a large flier and makes it less likely to be picked up by a hurried student or young adult. The glossy paper would also be slippery if one had very sweaty hands!
3. The text was placed on a low windowsill in "Insomnia Cookies." It was then placed next to my computer on my desk, where I found it for this assignment. The problem with the placement on the low windowsill is that many people do not look on a windowsill for fliers or cards, they would look at the bulletin board located above the windowsill. This inconspicuous location would lead to many people never noticing the card and not taking advantage of the deal or not remembering the name of the store where they picked up those amazing cookies one night. The main drawback of placing the card on my desk is that I could easily place other papers on top of it and loose it in the shuffle. The benefits of the low windowsill are that the cards are not in the way on a counter or being spilled across the floor. Because the windowsill is so low, it is not very likely for a person to knock over the pile of cards and make a mess. The advantage of placing the card on my desk is that I see it whenever I use my computer and remember the name of the amazing cookie place. I also am reminded to use the card to get the deal.
4. My overall impression of this text is that it is an aesthetically pleasing card. It is pretty to look at and generally gets the point across.
a.) The part of the card that really resonates with me is the way that the logos work together with the text. The logo for Insomnia Cookies uses smooth, soft lettering in a balanced way that makes the text easy to read and encircles the adorable moon made out of a cookie. The cute cartoon plate with a little tongue along with the cartoon fork and spoon really draw attention to the name of the website, campusfood.com. The smooth font used for the website helps to connect the text with the logo as well as with the rest of the card. The use of underlining and color to highlight specific text also allows the important facts to stand out, such as "$3 FREE" and "online order."
b.) One of the main problems I have with the text is how the deal is phrased. The card reads "$3 FREE on your next online order at Campusfood.com." It is very difficult for me to understand what is meant by $3 FREE. Do they mean you will receive a three dollar discount on your order, three dollars worth of free food, or something completely different. This made me very confused and unsure of the real meaning of the text.
5. I was standing in line at Insomnia Cookies and just happened to look down at the windowsill. My eye was first drawn to a bright yellow flier, but I then saw a stack of small cards with the word "free" printed in large red letters. Being the frugal college student I am, I immediately picked up a card to further investigate. I first read the main headline and then continued reading to find out where I could get three free dollars! My excitement was greatly diminished when I discovered that the deal only worked online and was only on a specific website. I was then impressed by the adorable logos on the front and turned the card over. I immediately was drawn to the Facebook logo and the same adorable logo on the back of the card. It made me happy to see that someone took the time to carefully make this card look very appealing and fun to look at as well as informative. The confusion over the deal made me put the card down however, but not before noticing the fine print, which made me angry that the designer was trying to hide information from the reader. I have yet to use the card because I have not yet had the urge to order cookies online.
6. I first read the headline, then went to the print below the headline, focusing on the underlined and colored portions of text. I then looked at the logos on the front of the card. Then I turned over the card and read the headline on the back side of the card. I read the back of the card from top to bottom, focusing on the logos. I then noticed the fine print at the bottom and the print along the right side. Seeing the fine print on the back made me turn the card over again and read the fine print on the front. I then read the entire card from top to bottom, front to back before doing this assignment.
7. The main point on the front of the text is that if you order your cookies online from a specific website, you will receive a deal on your order, but only if you use a specific code and their specific website. The main point of the back of the paper is that if you use Facebook, you can win coupons. You can also play games on a website that is affiliated with the campusfood.com website.
8. The question that the text raised for me was about the meaning of "$3 FREE." I was not sure if it meant that you would receive three dollars off of your online order or if it meant that you would receive three dollars worth of free food. I also did not know if the deal applied only to the Insomnia Cookies or if it applied to any food on the website. None of my questions were answered by the text.
9. When I saw the headline $3 FREE, I expected the text to explain how I could redeem the coupon and what the details of the deal were. The card told me how to redeem the coupon online, however it did not tell me many details about the exact deal which I was to receive by using the coupon. I was still confused about the meaning of $3 FREE. As I read the back of the card, I expected to learn more about the nature of the game being advertised, however there was no such information anywhere on the card.
10. In order to understand the text you need to know what Facebook is. You also need to know what is meant by $3 FREE and I feel that I lack the background knowledge to understand that concept. I feel that the card is phrased in such a way that very few people would actually understand the intended meaning.
11. The writer of the text is very casual and informal as well as somewhat young and hip. The way that the card is designed with smooth fonts bold, yet cute images leads me to believe that the writer understands the college-aged crowd. The fact that Facebook is referenced on the card also adds a feeling of a younger writer. The glossy paper used makes the card seem like a legitimate ad that someone put time and effort into creating and making look as appealing as possible. This added fact leads me to believe that the writer is a young professional who identifies with the college-aged crowd. The emphasis placed on the words "free" and "Facebook" also point to a younger writer, who knows that students love "free stuff" and Facebook. The card is also written entirely in short sentences and phrases to appeal to a fast moving generation and was most likely created by someone in that same generation.
12. The writer seems at arms length from the reader because there is some attempt to connect to the readers interests, such as free food and Facebook, yet the writer backs off when using fine print. It is as if the writer does not want to reader to notice any downfalls of the deal and so downplays the negatives. So the writer is very upfront and friendly at first but backs away at the end, not wanting to reveal anything negative.
13. The sharpest parts of the card are the main headlines "FREE", "Win coupons on Facebook" and "Play Flip Side." The fuzzier parts are the fine print at the bottom on the front and back that state the expiration date and the limits on the deals. The sharp parts of the card are foregrounded while the fine print is in the background. The images and headlines are in the center of the frame while the fine print and details are off to the side where they are downplayed.
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