— Saul Bass

Something I've always been fascinated by is how advertisements manage to capture our attention so easily and so quickly, even if it's as simple as a billboard with nothing on it but a few words and a picture. A blank canvas, basically, other than those few little details. What's so visually appealing about a blank white space and just a couple words and what makes them stick out? What makes us automatically remember that certain advertisement, even if we had given it just a simple glance?

Take this iPad mini billboard, for example. I think what makes it so attention-grabbing is the blank space which is a clear contrast to the picture of the actual iPad mini, and the black words. This makes our eyes focus on two simple things: the product, and the name of the product. Most people, after seeing this advertisement, would probably make it a point to Google the iPad mini, to find out more about it. I like how the billboard isn't too wordy and the fact that the designer of the billboard made use of things he knew would visually appeal to anyone passing by. A simple short glance, even for a second, would be sufficient enough to tempt potential buyers.