MEMO

TO:

Jarrett Williams

FROM:

Sergio Olivas

DATE:

November 22, 2015

SUBJECT:

Visual Analysis

To spread an awareness of the excessive nature of mandatory minimum sentences, I decided to

use a consistent hashtag as my main header. This header is a white oval with red lettering stating
#ChangeMandatoryMinimums. I thought that the use of a hashtag is simple to use and
resources to connect people with information concerning this social movement. The hashtag
would have redirected the individuals to resources I would have provided with the same hashtag.
For the red header to stand-out, I decided to have a light blue background. I find that this color
stands out uniquely in a bland wall to gather the attention of those who are passing by. For the
most part, the font style is consistent throughout except for the first flyer.
In the first flyer, I used a compare and contrast method to explain briefly what is the issue. By
demonstrating that the reality of mandatory minimums failed to fulfill its intentions shows that
there needs to be prison sentencing reform. The visual layout of the poster has a basic logos of a
happy day versus a melancholic one. The flower and the tombstone was supposed to be symbolic
to opportunities to personal and social growth.
The second poster heavily uses pathos by describing the effects of mandatory minimums to
Weldon Angelos in a narrative format. The sentences in each shape was intended to space-out the
narrative and change the direction in a circular motion a subtle reference to the continuing
cycle of mandatory minimums. Also, the word combined was isolated in an explosive shape to
emphasize the fact that his crime is legally worse than being a terrorist, a rapist, and a planehijacker. Another addition to pathos is the picture of Angelos with his children. It was altered to a
black and white effect to eliminate the colors associated with a happy life.
The third poster is a series of proposals to address mandatory minimums. The logos behind it
relied on the demonstration of the proposals in bullet format: the overall idea serving as the
bullet and the residing information as the argument justifying this alternative. The information
uses real example as well as logical alternatives. The cartoons of the balance, the textbook, and
the medical symbol demonstrate that solving the issue with drugs altogether requires more than
prison sentences. The issue of drugs requires a comprehensive and creative approach that
replaces the current devastation of excessive prison sentences.