Design Analysis of an Unpretentious Volkswagen Print Ad

The advertisement above was designed by DDB Tribal in Berlin, Germany For Volkswagen in 2012. The Chief Creative Officer was: Eric Schoeffler and the Creative Directors / Copywriters were: Maged Nassar, Ali Ali. I found it at https://www.adsoftheworld.com/media/print/volkswagen_hedgehog_and_fish

It is an excellent example of an intentional design that seems effortless.

Contrast

The reason this simple advertisement grabs our attention and effectively tells us a story is the contrast in it. The obvious contrast of the spikey hedgehog near the defenseless goldfish isn’t the only place DDB expertly applies this principle. The hedgehog catches our attention because he is placed against a simple light background. The words also grab our attention for the same reason. The orange color of the goldfish and blue logo are contrasting colors so both draw our eyes but don’t compete with each other.

Repetition

Eric Schoeffler and his team used repetition to enhance the story they are telling with this ad. Having two goldfish bags next to the hedgehog directs our eyes around the ad and adds to the element of surprise when we see the hedgehog. He is a disruption to the pattern and we wonder why he is there. This question leads us to continue looking at the ad until we read the words and understand why the goldfish pattern wasn’t repeated. This effect is further enhanced by the repeated white space (highlighted in blue) around the animals.

Alignment

The alignment of the elements in this ad helps direct the reader’s eye around the page and organize the story. The animals are aligned diagonally with the two goldfish at the left. The diagonal alignment makes it easy to follow the line of animals with our eyes. The diagonal alignment also adds a bit of contrast because the rest of the add is aligned flush left or right with the blank space at the end of the row of animals. The descriptive words are aligned flush right next to the blank space and the logo is flush left to the blank space. The website URL is aligned flush left with the white space as well. This directs the eyes along the row of animals to the descriptive words and ends on the Volkswagen logo.

Proximity:

The way the design team uses proximity further organizes the story. The line of animals is close together so we know that they are related to each other. They begin the story and direct us to think about and ask questions about the story. The next element that is grouped together are the descriptive words. They are close together and distant from the animals so we know they are a different element of the story. They answer the questions the first grouping asked.  The logo is far enough away from the descriptive words that we see it as separate but it’s still close enough that we know it goes with the words. In this case, it finishes the story and is an ending point.

Color

This minimalist ad uses splashes of color quite well. For the most part, it uses an analogous color scheme that is subtle and doesn’t draw much attention. The focal point of this ad is the contrast, not the color if it was really bright we might miss all the subtle design details that are here. The orange goldfish are just bright enough to make us stop and look and then work well with the rest of the elements to tell the story. The orange goldfish that contrasts with the blue logo is a nice touch that helps draw the eye to the logo without having the elements compete for attention.

 

Eric Schoeffler and his team did an exceptional job with this ad campaign. It looks simple and effortless but it is a work of art that captures the readers’ attention and tells a story in a unique and delightful way.