PSA Ad

While designing the PSA for a magazine ad, I used many of the design principles and effects taught in this class. I used basic design elements such as the pen tool to create a vector image and the layer tool to add a stroke and stroke shadow on the JPEG image of the people drinking. I chose this image to show what drink truly looks like, not the glamorous version shown in most ads. I used all of these design elements in order to create an innovative look to the advertisement and promote visual appeal for the audience. I wanted to viewer to see the ad and not turn the page right away before reading it. That is also why I used the bright color, orange, for the background color and a contrasting color of brown for the vector fill.

A PSA is used to create awareness of a certain subject or event and tell people the importance of acting on it. Alcohol use in college is a serious issue and not many students, or parents, know the level at which alcohol is misused. Many students, especially freshmen, believe that college is a time for having fun, drinking a lot of alcohol, and experiencing everything, bad or good. They also do not understand the effects of alcohol or how to control their drinking. The PSA I created gives some tips on how to control the consumption of alcohol and has a few warnings of what the misuse of alcohol can do to a person. This PSA always stimulates action by telling students what they need to be aware of and what to do if some of these tips are not used by others. For example, to call 911 if someone is showing signs of alcohol poisoning. This assignment uses a variety of different techniques from project 4 in the book, as well as other Photoshop elements. It was designed to be used for a PSA in a magazine by providing information on alcohol use in colleges.