Judith Williamson’s article in Source magazine regarding an advertisement for an Apple ipad opened up a whole new way of looking at advertisements for me. I initially saw the picture of a girl lying in bed looking at an ipad. But when I read Judith’s article, I could see that the way the lighting was set, the fact that it was difficult to tell the girl’s ethnicity, thus indicating a multi national product, and the words “Designed by Apple in California” all have a bearing on the way this photograph is perceived. When I read on, according to Williamson, the actual item would have been manufactured in a “sweat shop” in China so it is obvious why Apple has indicated its design was in California, with no mention of the manufacturing process or location.
So looking at this photograph, the narrative may be a young girl lying in bed looking at her ipad, with the light shining down onto her in an ethereal way. But the context is very different, particularly when investating the production of the ipad, and the conditions of those actually producing it.
I will certainly be viewing advertisements in a different way in future, analysing the narrative and context to give the complete “picture”. I will also read more of Judith Wliiamson’s articles.
Context and Narrative 