Outline of a visual (Equal Exchange advertisement)

Purpose: To persuade readers 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 coffee beans are surprisingly red, fruitlike, and fresh—natural and healthy looking.
• Words above and below the photograph describe the equal exchange between farmers and consumers.
• 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 echoes the simplicity of the exchange. The consumer only has to buy a cup of coffee to make a difference.
• Equal Exchange is selling more than a product—coffee. It is selling the idea that together farmers and consumers hold the future of land, environment, farms, and family in their hands.