Dreamways

An entire page of the magazine, in hues of periwinkle blue, gray and white, shows sunlight dancing in a cloudy, almost stormy sky. In the middle of the page gray, slanted text tantalizes: “Where happily ever after begins…” From the last of these dot-dot-dots, a swirling trail of white stars zigzags down the page.

Don’t know what the ad is selling? Well, worry not! There are thirteen more glossy, heavy paper stock, full-color pages to follow in this ad!

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The top three-quarters of the full-page newspaper ad shows a young girl, perhaps ten or eleven years old. She wears a white dress, with a bow in back, white tights, and white shoes. She is looking over her shoulder, preternaturally gazing at us, her brown curls cascading down her back, an aqua-colored bow in her hair. Behind her are several white tree trunks, like aspen or birch, fading into a watery-blue mist. At the front of the photo’s plane is a seemingly very large, white child’s sled, its pull-rope in the girl’s hands.  read more »

“Say goodbye to damaging glues, waxes, weaves and clips and say hello to a whole new world of hair extensions!” These tantalizing words appear at the top of a full-page, color magazine ad. This promise and exhortation is laid out in white, sans-serif letters. The reader’s excitement and curiosity are aroused.
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"WE ARE ELLIS ISLAND“. This bold proclamation is put forth in an ad appearting in The New York Times Style Magazine (16 Sep 07). It is a 2-page, color ad. On the page to the left are two rows of 5 small photos each, all males (with the exception of one female) of various ages, sitting stylishly in what seem to be abandoned rooms – at Ellis Island?  read more »

Dreams seem to be a significant aspect of "The College Issue," which is the title of the latest New York Times Magazine (30 Sep 07). The dream of college is the issue exclusively dealt with in this issue, including the strategically designed ads.  read more »

We are on a smoothe, beige-sand beach with small waves washing onto the shore. In the middle of the scene stands an attractive blond woman. To her right, on the ground, we see the tips of numerous white surfboards fanned out out the sand. The blond is of a solid athletic build, with a boyish haircut. She is standing legs apart, her left hand on her hip, her lowered right hand holding a black and white megaphone. She has a whistle around her neck. She is wearing a balck wet suit, with a patch of blue fabric under her left arm.

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In his essay "When Sadness Is a Good Thing“ (Time Magazine, 27 Aug 07), John Cloud ruminates about sadness and depression. "In the 1960s, the pharmaceutical company Sandoz marketed its new tranquilizer Serentil with ads in medical journals suggesting the drug be prescribed to 'the newcomer in town who can’t make friends … The woman who can’t get along with her new daughter-in-law ... The executive who can’t accept retirement.‘ But the FDA stopped the ads.  read more »

In The New York Times (17 Apr 07) appears a black and white photo of a billboard in Beijing. The top third is a linear pile of various high-end fashion goods: shoes handbags, jewelry. From the middle of this jumble two feminine legs come down in hippie-esque pants and high-heeled shoes. The background of the bottom two-thirds of the picture is blank white, in contrast to the consumer-good business above. Just below the hippie legs is a large line of text in English, underneath it, smaller, is its Chinese equivalent.  read more »

The color photo covers the top three-quarters of the magazine page. It is a semi-dark attic space with a steeply pitched rough-wood ceiling. At the other end of the ceiling’s "A" there are old-fashioned, mullioned windows at the level of the floor. Above the windows, in the apex of the "A" shines an uncovered light bulb, beaming like a good idea. In the foreground, on a Persian carpet, are two old fashioned wood rocking chairs on either side of a small wood table upon which sits a chess boards with a few pieces on it.  read more »

An entire page of the newspaper (The New York Times, 07 May 07) is outlined with a pencil-lead thin gray line. Within this box, most of the space is left white. About a quarter of the way down is a truncated red arc, like a rainbow, like a bridge. Under the left footing of the bridge appear the words: "Dreams are good." Under the right footing appear the words: "Realities are better."

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