An Orange Juice Ad Analysis

Reverse engineering a Tropicana advertisement

In Robin Williams’s The Non-Designer’s Design Book, readers learn about four aspects of what makes a good visual design. The four basic principles include Proximity, Alignment, Repetition, and Contrast.

This week I’m analyzing a visual advertisement created for Tropicana Orange Juice. I found this design on Pinterest with the following link: Tropicana Orange Juice Design

Proximity – Proximity is defined as items relating to each other that are grouped closely together. This is to help organize information and reduce clutter.

The focus of this ad is the company’s fresh juice. At the center, the juice, the main subject, is poured into a clear glass. The juice isn’t poured from a container, it is poured from an orange attached to an orange tree. Orange juice that comes straight from the tree is the freshest kind and this is what their customers will think their juice will taste like.

Separate but near the oranges, is the the company’s brand name. (Top Left Corner) Also separate from the main visual is a small picture of the container that customers can look for to buy their juice. (Bottom Left Corner) The main visual is eye-catching. The slight separation from the main visual leads interested customers to find who is selling and how to find them, tying the whole ad together.

Alignment – William’s book says every element is placed to have a visual connection with other visual elements on the page. This will create a clean and more sophisticated look to the visual designs.

This ad’s main visual of the orange pouring the orange juice is slightly off-center to the right and pulls the customer’s eyes to the orange and its juice. Off to the far right is the tree connected to the oranges bringing the main image closer to the viewer because the leaves get bigger towards the edge of the ad.

At the base of the glass in the ad, there is a lighter orange streak. It plays as a foundation for the glass and adds dimension due to it going in a diagonal direction. The streak looks like it is the reason the glass is able to stand up, if it weren’t there it would seem like the cup is floating in mid-air. This diagonal base is also complemented by mirroring the branch in the ad. (This is shown with the white.) The brand’s name, carton, and the ad’s motto all create a border due to their spacing and alignment, making this more appealing to the eye and centers our attention on the main visual in the center.

Repetition – Repetition is defined in William’s book as repeated elements in a design. This can be done through out one piece. Repetition can be found in use of colors, shapes, textures, spatial relationships, and other visual and graphic concepts.

This ad has a focus on the colors orange and green, and uses various shades of each color. There is a deep orange on the outside of the picture. The deep orange becomes a lighter orange as it nears the center of the ad, bringing the viewer’s eyes to the main visual (Variations of the oranges used can be found on the left side of the ad). This is a fun choice due to the ad being made for orange juice, and the main image being orange oranges.

The greens used in the ad are also deep and bright, though they vary in shades and tints. Variations of the greens used can be found on the right side under the leaves in the ad. Most of the colors and visuals in the image have smooth textures. The background, juice, words, and leaves in the image are smooth. This helps the unique texture of the oranges stand out.

Contrast – In William’s book, contrast is said to prevent elements on the page from seeming too similar. This can be used through shapes, sizes, fonts, spacing, and more.

Color: On the color wheel, red and orange are right next to each other. Green is the opposite and complementary color of red. This creates contrast in the ad with the use of the oranges in the color scheme and the greens used in the leaves (and on the carton in the bottom left corner). There are also small uses of white on the edges of the ad in the brand name, carton, and the ad’s motto. The white doesn’t blend into the deep orange, instead it stands out and is easy to read.

Texture: As mentioned before, most of the colors and visuals in the image have smooth textures. The background, juice, words, and leaves in the image are smooth. This guides the viewer’s eyes to the unique texture of the oranges.

Space: In the ad, there is also plenty of open space (this can be seen in the areas with spots). The open area isn’t boring or plain, it is used to colorfully guide the eyes to the visual centerpiece. The deep orange becoming light orange takes the eyes to the middle of the page.

Font: Tropicana’s logo has a unique font and is very similar to the font used in the ad’s motto. The letters have smooth curves and sharp edges. The words on the ad also are tied together with color, they are both white. In the corner between them is a white carton making them look like a package deal.

With the help of Proximity, Alignment, Repetition, and Contrast, the visuals in the Tropicana advertisement become exciting and grasp the interest of potential and current customers.