When you read a written text analytically, you examine its parts from different angles, synthesize the material by combining it with related information, and finally evaluate or judge its significance. When you interpret an image, you do much the same, actively examining what the image connotes or suggests, speculating about what it means.

Because interpretation is more personal than observation, this process can reveal deep-seated individual and cultural values. In fact, interpreting an image is sometimes emotional or difficult because it may require you to examine beliefs that you are unaware of holding. You may even feel that too much is being read into the image because the process takes patience.

Like learning to read critically, learning to interpret images is a valuable skill. When you give an image a close, patient, in-depth examination, you can often deepen your understanding of its creator’s artistic, political, economic, or other motives. You can also become more aware of the cultural values and personal views you bring to an image and gain a better sense of why you respond to it as you do.

General Feeling or Mood

To begin interpreting an image, consider what feeling or mood it creates and how it does so. In Figure 14.2, the mood created by the photo of Batman is one of loneliness and isolation without even the companionship of someone working behind the counter. Yet the campy humor in the photo leads one to wonder whether the figure is an actor, a guest from a costume party, or somehow, improbably, the Caped Crusader himself. Is he waiting to meet someone? Has he stopped to relax after battling evildoers all night? Is he a regular or a one-time visitor?

Whatever the story, the image shrinks a superhero down to human size, simply having a snack. From the perspective of the photograph, the Batman figure looks relatively small and vulnerable, despite his imposing costume. He looks like someone who is resting and recharging his energy level but will soon go back out into the night. He suggests a policeman taking a break from his beat, or a worker or student on a coffee break. The image might be suggesting that in the real world, the superheroes are regular people, like us. Indeed, we all might be on heroic missions, just by going about our daily work, getting an education, raising children, and participating in community life.

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Another image might capture or represent a different version of this feeling or mood. As Figure 14.10 illustrates, people take many kinds of breaks, finding carefree moments of escape in various ways. Perhaps Batman unwinds at a late-night donut shop while the people in Figure 14.10 enjoy a ride at a boardwalk and are lifted up on a short, circular detour from their normal routine. Here, a lighthearted mood predominates. The seated figures are not alone; some are paired off on the ride’s gondola benches, with feet dangling. The soft colors of the sunset, which set off the palm trees in the background, infuse the scene with warmth although the ride’s angular shapes might suggest a slightly menacing mechanical contraption. Although the mood of Figure 14.2 is wintery, and the mood of this photo is summery, both invite reflection on what it means to take a break.

Sociological, Political, Economic, or Cultural Attitudes

On the surface, the Volkswagen ad in Figure 14.6 is simply an attempt to sell a car. But its message might be interpreted to mean “scale down”—lead a less consumer-oriented lifestyle. If Volkswagen had distributed this ad in the 1970s, it would have been unremarkable—faced with the first energy crisis that adversely affected American gasoline prices, many advertisers used ecological consciousness to sell cars. In 1959, however, energy conservation was not really a concern. Contrasted with other automobile ads of its time, the Volkswagen ad seems somewhat eccentric, making the novel suggestion that larger cars are excessively extravagant.

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Whereas the Volkswagen ad suggests that “small” refers to both size and affordability, the Chevrolet ad in Figure 14.7 depicts a large vehicle, “stealing the thunder from the high-priced cars.” Without a large price tag, the Chevrolet still offers a large lifestyle, cruising in a convertible or vacationing at the shore. Figure 14.11 deliberately contrasts presence and absence, with a missing spoon suggesting a missing meal for those suffering from hunger. What’s missing also may be more subtle, especially for viewers who wear the blinders of their own times, circumstances, or expectations. For example, viewers of today might readily notice the absence of people of color in the 1955 Chevrolet ad. An interesting study might investigate what types of magazines originally carried this ad, whether their readers recognized what was missing, and whether (and how) Chevrolets were also advertised in publications aimed at Asian, African, or Spanish-speaking Americans.

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Language

Just as you examine figures, colors, and shapes in an image, so you need to examine its words, phrases, and sentences to interpret what it suggests. Does its language provide information, generate an emotional response, or do both? Do its words repeat a sound or concept, signal a comparison (such as a “new, improved” product), carry sexual overtones, issue a challenge, or offer a philosophy of life? The words in the center of the Chevolet ad in Figure 14.7 associate the car with a sporty, fun-filled lifestyle. On the other hand, VW’s “Think small” ad in Figure 14.6 turns compactness into a goal, a desirable quality in a car and, by extension, in life.

Frequently advertisements employ wordplay—lighthearted or serious—to get their messages across. Consider the public service advertisement in Figure 14.12. The billboard shows a romantic—indeed, a seductive—scene. The sophisticated couple gaze deeply into each other’s eyes as the man kisses the woman’s hand. However, the verbal exchange undermines that intimate scene and viewers’ expectations about what happens next. Instead of a similar compliment in response to “Your scent is intoxicating,” the billboard makes plain its antismoking position with the reply: “Yours is carcinogenic.” In just seven words, the billboard counters the suave, romantic image of smoking with the reality of smelly, cancer-causing tobacco smoke.

Signs and Symbols

Signs and symbols, such as product logos, are images or words that communicate key messages. In the Chevrolet ad in Figure 14.7, the product logo concludes the ad, promoting “motoramic” fun and power. Sometimes a product logo alone may be enough, as in the Hershey chocolate company’s holiday ads with little more than a single Hershey’s Kiss.

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Themes

theme of an image is not the same as its plot. When you identify the plot, you identify the story that is told by the image. When you identify theme, you explain what the image is about. An ad for a diamond ring may tell the story of a man surprising his wife with a ring on their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, but the advertisement’s theme could be sex, romance, commitment, or another concept. Similarly, theme of a soft-drink ad might be competition, community, compassion, or individualism.

Through close reading, you can unearth details to support your interpretation of theme and convince others of its merit. For example, the image in Figure 14.13 appears to illustrate a recipe for a tasty margarita. However, the list of ingredients suggests a tale of too many drinks and a drunk-driving accident after running a red light. Instead of promoting an alcoholic beverage or promising relaxing fun, this public service announcement challenges the assumption that risky behavior won’t carry consequences. Its text reminds viewers of its theme: well-being comes not from alcohol-fueled confidence but from responsible choices.