Leagas Delaney Advertising Agency created the ad depicturing this leaf in January 2012. Several similar leaves are explicitly made for the ecologic campaign “Plant for the Planet.” This particular ad shows a torn leaf with many factories inside of it. It is devoted to air pollution due to emissions from factories around the globe and makes suggestions on how to control the pollution. The ad may seem vague and straightforward initially, but it gets more sophisticated the longer one looks at it. Several crucial points make this ad unique: the centered leaf with factories drawn inside it, the problem of one leaf and many factories, and the solution to the air pollution.
The leaf is located directly in the center of the ad. Since the picture’s background is white, the bright green color immediately draws attention to it. The leaf is torn, which raises the first question and makes viewers look at the silhouette inside. Many factories and power plants are enclosed within the leaf, and they are shown emitting gases. As the writer notes, “In fact, the beautiful but mysterious impression that the images give, at first sight, creates an immediate interest and curiosity to the viewer to stare more at the image…” (Albright). The visual part of the ad is the essence here, and it is concentrated on the leaf itself.
Several factories are pictured in the leaf, and the sizes of both elements are disproportional. Additionally, there is only one leaf and many factories inside of it. Such visual arrangement emphasizes the discrepancy between the number of leaves and factories globally. Although the factories seem closed inside the leaf, the balance is still shifted towards air pollution as there are not enough leaves to counter the factories’ emissions. The author notes, “It is an interesting portrait all together for it has a lot of concealed details that all together suggests a highlight of the awareness of the importance of trees to air pollution control” (Albright). Additionally, the outer rim of the leaf is drawn in yellow colors, which may hint at the detrimental effects of global pollution on the plants.
Eventually, the viewer explains the problem, and the ad proposes a solution. Leaves help reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and the clean white background is the visual confirmation of it. The text with the answer is small and shifted to the left, emphasizing the relative weight the ad creator intended to give to the visible part of the ad. After explaining the problem and its solution, the viewer’s eye is again driven to the ad’s center.
The viewer looks at the leaf from a different perspective, thinking that planting trees may help solve air pollution. It is suggested that “By giving the viewers a solution to a known problem, it becomes their duty and responsibility to solve that problem…” (Albright). The text with the donation info is not demanding itself; the image of the leaf-factories confrontation makes a viewer subconsciously sympathetic and willing to contribute to the solution.
The world is on the verge of an ecological crisis, and the media are trying to draw people’s attention to it. The ad with a leaf and factories was created during the “Plant for the Planet” campaign. This ad is a visual narration within a viewer’s mind. A centrally positioned one leaf tries to contain multiple factories’ emissions, which alludes to the ecological problem and offers a solution. The initial visual simplicity of this ad hides many hints and unfolds for the viewer the longer a person looks at it. It is an exceptional example of creating sophisticated visual content with a noble goal.
Works Cited
Albright, Gwendoline. “Advertisement Analysis on Every Leaf Traps CO2 Advertisement” Albrightsblog. 2016. Web.
Waterkamp, Hermann. “Every Leaf Traps CO2” Ads of the World. Web.