SPE 210: Blog 5

            On any controversial issue, there are multiple ways people will view the topic. Some believe so strongly for one side that they try to persuade people to agree with what they believe. On my specific topic of becoming a vegetarian, I was for this dietary lifestyle. However, there are other people who believe that their eating habits should continue to include meat. Along with these two opposite view points, there are some people who do not feel as strongly about it and are in between. These people don’t eat meat but will eat seafood or eliminate certain types of meat such as red meat. In the next few paragraphs I will be discussing the pro and con side of being a vegetarian and how each argument presents their information.

            For my argument that one should have a vegetarian lifestyle, I used three main points. They were animal rights and cruelty, the environment and health concerns. This was a good topic for younger people such as teens and people in their twenties. I think this is a good audience to target because they are still figuring out who they are and what works best for them. They do not have set ways such as people who are older and have been eating meat their entire life. They are young and can keep an open mind to new ideas that this lifestyle can be realistic and beneficial. People for a vegetarian lifestyle can stress the impact by sharing with the audience to not only think of themselves, but the impact they can have on animals, our environment and their health through their dietary choices.

            On the opposing side of this argument, people say that humans have been eating meat for 2.3 million years. They believe it is not cruel or unethical because every organism on earth dies, and it is the cycle of life and how nature works. However, just because humans have been doing it this long, does not mean its right. There are many things in history that humans have done and realized it was wrong. It was just a matter of getting the facts straight and standing up for what they believe in. I see the point that they make that everything eventually dies, but who are we to say when that animal should die and that we need it for food. There are plenty of options to having optimal health without meat being involved. I think that this argument would most likely be supported by people who are in their thirties or older. The reason I believe this is because they are set on their dietary choices and might not be as open minded to changing it completely.

            Somewhere in between these two opposing arguments are people who do not feel as strongly for taking action and changing their eating habits. They may or may not be persuaded by either side but would be able to listen to the arguments. Some people may even be a vegetarian for their own reasons or eat meat for certain reasons. Overall, there will continue to be a debate about what choice is right. People will continue to have different views of the topic, and the only way to promote change is by making people aware of their view points and convincing people to believe in them. 

SPE370: extra credit blog 6 (Rewrite of Blog # 4)

Every company desires a logo that is appropriate and appealing. McDonald’s is a worldwide business that needed a trademark to give the company an identity. The logo was created in 1962 by Jim Schindler, and in 1968 they anchored the name “McDonald’s” along with the golden arches.  It is a widely recognized icon that is seen advertised in many places.

                The shapes of the two golden arches were designed to resemble the arches that were on the side of the first restaurant. However, later on the logo turned into two arches to form the letter “M” for McDonald’s. As simple as it is, it reflects the fast food chain and reflects the business around the world. There are two shades used in the logo. Gold and red are used to show the boldness of the icon and restaurant. They are strong colors and when put together, they pop out and the arches draw a lot of attention. The words boldness, strength and power may come to mind when viewing these colors. They reflect the steadiness and power of the strong company they have continually been.  Particularly, the arched “M” reflects the strong outlook and high standards of the company, while red background makes it eye catching.

Along with the color and design of the logo, they use a certain font for the McDonald’s logo. The golden arches are a simple, but bold font that draws the viewers’ attention. McDonald’s name is imprinted through the golden arches in a simple, white bold font. It doesn’t need anything fancy because it is simple yet appealing. It is easier for the viewer to read it when the logo and font is kept simple. Although research shows they are not positive of the font name they use in their logo, many think it is similar to DIN-Mittelschrift.                
                McDonald’s trademark assures its customers that they can expect excellence from their fast food restaurant, no matter where they are. It shows that all McDonald’s will provide and strive for customer satisfaction all around the world. Jim Schindler, the designer of the logo kept in mind the shape, color and font of his design in order to appeal to the customers and have an identifiable logo for all McDonald’s.

SPE 210 Blog 4: Composing the argument

            The purpose of my second speech is to persuade the audience to have a vegetarian lifestyle rather than a diet that includes meat. I chose to argue this issue because there is a lot of information regarding the subject that people are not aware of. I hope to present this information to the audience clearly and focus on three key reasons why they should be vegetarians. These reasons include their health, the environment and animal rights.
            To argue my point of view on this topic, I will be using several types of evidence. These examples include factual evidence, statistical and testimony.  This is the best way to frame this topic because these sources are credible and are recent. They go in to depth about the seriousness of the issue and outweigh all of the cons of being a vegetarian with the pros of it.  I think it is important for the audience to be aware that a diet without meat can still provide all 10 essential proteins (amino-acids) a person needs for optimal health ( Phillips, 2005). The health part of my speech is extremely important because people tend to believe that a vegetarian lifestyle does not provide all the nutrients the body needs. This is not true, and needs to be covered early in the speech so that the audience continues to listen and keep an open mind.

            All of my sources touch on the benefits and negatives of being a vegetarian. This is helpful because it shows the argument from both sides. However, to my benefit the good outweighs the other side of the argument and I can make that clear in my speech.  I can support my evidence and make it clear as to why this issue needs to be discussed. This is a good age group to adapt my speech to because we are the time of our life where we are still figuring out what works best for us. We experiment and find out what works for us whether it is our eating patterns, sleeping patterns and so on.  It will give the audience an opportunity to reflect on what they are putting in their body and how consuming meat affects the environment and impacts the animals. Overall, I hope I can persuade the audience to rethink their eating habits and have a vegetarian lifestyle, free of meat.

SPE 370: Blog 5

In 2009, it was estimated that there were more than 43 million adults who smoked cigarettes in the United States. This advertisements purpose is to bring attention to the danger of smoking cigarettes and encourage people to take action and quit. This advertisement uses many design elements and other principles that allow the image to effectively convey the message.

            What first drew my attention to this image was the women lying helplessly on the bed. One can judge from the anchoring that she has lung cancer and it was caused by smoking cigarettes. They add a personal quote in to convey the sorrow the mom has for what pain she is going to put her daughter through. The size of the text varies which is done to point out that this image is representing lung cancer. It is also a plain font, rather than a fun or creative one to show the seriousness of it. This allows the viewer to see that smoking has an effect on not only their life, but others.

            The advertisement also uses the element of color to perceive the mood of the image. The image is in black and white which shows a depressing, and gloomy atmosphere. It also is completely black where the words are on the right hand side so that the focus is on just the text. The only two colors used in this image are at the top where it says warning and the quote from the women who passed is in yellow. They are bright colors which capture the eye of the viewer to read what is said. By viewing the women, colors used  and reading the texts that’s anchored to it, one can have visual closure by portraying this is what the women went through because of smoking.

            Along with design elements, metonymy is used in this advertisement. Metonymy is the basic strategy to convey something abstract and show it. In this case, the image is showing a women dying. This is clear because of the context of it. She is lying in a bed with no hair, which people commonly associate with cancer. She looks almost as if there is no life left inside of her. Although there is no way to show someone dying, metonymy uses a symbol to portray it.

            Overall, this advertisement is able to portray the danger that cigarette smoking can impose on not only an individual but the effects it has on other individuals. It uses color, anchoring, text, and closure which enable viewers to capture the point of it.