Models and visuals (pop-up windows)

Example of a multimodal text (World Wildife Fund advertisement)

Example of a multimodal text (World Wildlife Fund advertisement)

A-supp-8

Multimodal texts such as this advertisement combine modes. Here, words and an image work together to communicate a message.

image

Annotated multimodal text (Equal Exchange advertisement)

Annotated multimodal text (Equal Exchange advertisement)

Annotated advertisement. The advertisement is for Equal Exchange, a cooperative network of farmers and consumers of fair-traded agricultural products. The ad has a vertical orientation, with the logo "Equal Exchange: fairly traded" at the top followed by the main headline "empowering farmers" (the word "empowering" is in a cursive, flowing font, and the word "farmers" is in all capital letters below it). Under the heading is a photograph of a smiling farmworker whose outstretched hands hold a mound of raw coffee cherries. Under the photograph is the message "When you choose Equal Exchange fairly traded coffee, tea or chocolate, you join a network that empowers farmers in Latin America, Africa, and Asia to [bullet]stay on their land, [bullet]care for the environment, [bullet]farm organically, [bullet]support their family, [bullet]plan for the future. This is followed by the URL www.equalexchange.coop. The credit lines read: Photo: Jesus Choqueheranca de Quevero, Coffee farmer and C E P I C A F E Cooperative member, Peru. The source of the advertisement is Equal Exchange. The student's annotations read: (1) What is being exchanged? (2) "Empowering"--why in an elegant font? Who is empowering the farmers? (3) "Farmers" in all capital letters--shows strength? (4) Straightforward design and not much text. (5) Outstretched hands. Is she giving a gift? Inviting a partnership? (6) Raw coffee is red: earthy, natural, warm. (7) Positive verbs: consumers choose, join, empower; farmers stay, care, farm, support, plan.

Go to related pages:

Annotating text or visuals

Active reading: Annotating a written or a visual text

Annotated multimodal text (McDonald's advertisement)

Annotated visual

Annotated advertisement. The advertisement is for McDonald's. It shows a photograph of a large green lettuce leaf with an inset consisting of a young woman's face and a notecard and a message from McDonald's. The notecard says: "Ask M [the McDonald's "golden arches" M]: A series of real answers to real questions asked by our customers." Both instances of the word "real" are circled. A handwritten question takes up most of the card: "What makes your lettuce so crisp?" The message from McDonald's in response is on a red card that reads: "Our lettuce is fresh, so the crunch you hear is pure, fresh lettuce from the same place you buy yours. Simply put, the only unusual thing about our lettuce is the speed at which it travels from the farm to the restaurant. For more real answers to real questions, give us a call at 1-877-623-3663 or write to us at mcdonalds.com." The last sentence is underlined in yellow. The student's annotations read: (1) What signals is McDonald's giving customers about its menu? (2) Is McDonald's trying to remake its image with lettuce? (3) A real customer? [pointing at the photo of the young woman] (4) Repetition of "real." (5) Local vs. corporation. McDonald's as family restaurant. (6) Trying to show its commitment to customer service. (7) Open, nothing to hide.

Go to related pages:

Annotating text or visuals

Active reading: Annotating a written or a visual text

Annotated Web page

Annotated Web page

Annotated Web site. This is a page from the Yale Sustainable Food Project Web site. The page has a menu at the left with links to "The Food," "The Farm," "Education," "Get Involved," "Calendar," and "About Us." The left side also contains the hours of operation and an appeal for funding. The top of the page has links to Yale University, a calendar, and directions and a search window. The center of the page featrues a large photograph of hands cutting fresh tomatoes and a caption that reads: "Every day, food offers us the opportunity to engage with the world around us. By gathering peole around shared food, shared work, and shared inquiry, the Yale Sustainable Food Project fosters a culture that draws meaning and pleasure from the connections among people, land, and food. The Sustainable Food Project directs a sustainable dining program at Yale, manages an organic farm on campus, and runs diverse programs that support exploration and academic inquiry related to food and agriculture." The student's annotations are as follows: (1) Simple design--only a few colors, including green for main menu. Simple and clean top and bottom navigation bars. (2) The language suggests generosity and meaningful work: involved, volunteer, give, gift, investment, appreciated, opportunity, engage, gathering, connections. (3) New picture appears every time a page opens. Bright, colorful picture shows college-age men and women, focused on the food, and their helping hands. (4) Yale mentioned six times--good branding. (5) Strong sense of purpose expressed in comments on home page, reflecting mission and activities. Repeates phrase "Sustainable Food Project" three times. (6) Seeks both involvement and giving--two different purposes and probably two different audiences. (7) Language is inclusive--us, we, you, your. Imperatives involve the viewer: Contact us, Volunteer at the Yale Farm, and To make a gift, click here. (8) The information is current, with a posting of this week's volunteer workdays.

Go to related page: Document design

Go to related page: Active reading: Annotating a written or a visual text

Go to related page: Managing your files

Excerpt from a double-entry notebook for a multimodal text (an advertisement)

Excerpt from a double-entry notebook for a multimodal text (an advertisement)

A-supp-10

Here is an excerpt from student writer Ren Yoshida’s double-entry notebook for an analysis of an Equal Exchange advertisement. In his notebook, Yoshida records his observations and questions and develops his insights about the advertisement’s message.

image

Outline of a multimodal text (Equal Exchange advertisement)

Outline of a multimodal text (Equal Exchange advertisement)

A-supp-11

Purpose: To persuade consumers that they can improve the lives of organic farmers and their families by purchasing Equal Exchange coffee.

Key features:

  • The farmer’s heart-shaped hands are outstretched, offering the viewer partnership and the product of her hard work.
  • The raw coffee is surprisingly fruitlike and fresh—natural and healthy looking.
  • A variety of fonts are used for emphasis, such as the elegant font for “empowering.”
  • Consumer support leads to a higher quality of life for the farmers and for all people, since these farmers care for the environment and plan for the future.
  • The simplicity of the design reflects the simplicity of the exchange. The consumer only has to buy a cup of coffee to make a difference.

Conclusion: Equal Exchange is selling more than a product—coffee. It is selling the message that together farmers and consumers hold the future of land, environment, farms, and families in their hands.

Annotated multimodal text (Equal Exchange advertisement)

Outline of a multimodal text (McDonald's advertisement)

Outline of a multimodal text (McDonald’s advertisement)

Purpose: To persuade readers that McDonald’s is concerned about its customers’ health.

Key elements:

Annotated multimodal text (McDonald's advertisement)

Summary of a multimodal text (Equal Exchange advertisement)

Summary of a multimodal text (Equal Exchange advertisement)

A-supp-14

The Equal Exchange advertisement is selling the message that together farmers and consumers hold the future of the planet in their hands. At the center of the ad is a farmer whose outstretched hands, full of red coffee beans, offer the fruit of her labor and a partnership with consumers. The ad suggests that in a global world both producers and consumers are bound together. A cup of coffee is more than just a morning ritual; a cup of coffee is part of an equal exchange that empowers farmers to stay on their land and empowers consumers to do the right thing. The ad attempts to work on an emotional level to persuade consumers to identify with a farmer whose heart-shaped hands hold their collective future. On a logical level, though, the ad raises questions about empowerment, a good concept to choose, but not one easily or equally exchanged.

—Ren Yoshida, student

Annotated multimodal text (Equal Exchange advertisement)

Summary of a multimodal text (McDonald's advertisement)

Summary of a multmodal text (McDonald’s advertisement)

An advertisement for McDonald’s in the July–August 2004 issue of Men’s Health magazine represents an attempt by the restaurant chain to remake its image. The implicit reason for the ad is that McDonald’s world-famous fast food has come under increasingly harsh attack for unhealthful processing and preparation. The fresh, spring-green lettuce that dominates this ad is a signal to customers that McDonald’s has changed its menu and now offers food as fresh and healthful as any found in a supermarket. By publicizing this new direction, McDonald’s clearly hopes to attract health-conscious customers. Moreover, by framing this advertisement as a response to an individual customer’s question, McDonald’s attempts to show that the vast size of the chain does not prevent it from tending personally to its customers’ concerns.

—Albert Lee, student

Annotated multimodal text (McDonald's advertisement)