Walking across San Jose at night changes when you’re specifically searching for advertisements on signs and billboards. They’re integrated into our society to the point where we don’t even spot a second eye to someone asking we buy their stuff. I walked all across the city and was looking for something that interested me the most. I was hungry unfortunately, so the main things that got my eyes were the food advertisements on the Paseo. There has been an uprise in minimalism and even AI, which I will like to discuss.
To start, here’s an advertisement showcasing The FAB’s Monday to Friday’s deal.
Now I have never been here unlike a lot of the places in the Paseo, probably because I’m not 21 yet. Although my birthday is on the 14th of September, so maybe this sign interested me for the future. Tangent about drinking aside, the advertisement uses logos, it’s very direct, showcasing prices of various breakfast items to start off the day. As well as a bottomless mimosas, which caught my eye.
It’s interesting how it’s a sale that takes place on the weekdays and not the weekends; I would assume that people going to these kinds of places would want to do it on their days off. To add to the oddity, the deal is from 10am-2pm, where most students would be busy. Now I’m wondering if this ad is targeted towards students who are on their break, looking for a small treat. Afterall they do advertise on a different board that SJSU students get a discount. Or if it’s a person who’s schedule is later than usual so they have time to drink and chill.
Now the composition of the whole thing is a mixed bag for me. I believe they’re trying to go for a minimalist look to showcase their place for mainly adults looking for a drink. However, I don’t know if this is just my overexposure to AI around me, but there’s some uneven-ness to the image. It may be the odd looking shadows, or the whole thing looking like a Canva template (I tried making stuff in that site and it’s similar to this). Despite my criticism, it’s still to the point and showcases their weekday deals.
For the second advertisement, it’s for Sumi Sushi, which I actually went to earlier the day I took the walk. Because they had two different signs, one handmade (or I hope so). And one that was clearly done with AI. Can you guess which one is which?
Okay enough being rude, I’ll start with the one on the left. It’s very basic and simple. A black background with white text, including multiple QR codes, with mismatching colors and fonts. Alongside two genuinely good deals, no seriously the ramen’s price for its quality. The goal of the ad is simple, to showcase the two bowls clearly and with little distractions. And it worked for me, that entire bowl for the same price of a waffle at FAB? I’m set.
Now the other sign for the same restaurant screams AI to me. It doesn’t help that about half of the signs in the Paseo block were AI generated but once you see one you can’t really not see it. The “hand drawn” FREE, the shiny tiger roll font, is grammatically incorrect. It feels very hastily made to me and wouldn’t win me over if I haven’t had the place before. To give them some points, they must’ve used an actual picture of the sushi rather than generating it itself. Online there have been many examples of AI generated food. All looking unnerving or trypophobic at worst.
I guess the main takeaway from here comes from the ad’s respect for its viewer. Even the most simple of designs can reel me in. Well, and also if the deal is any good. But while hungry, an unappealing sign can drive me away and choose another place to eat. The average person already has their favorite spots, so it’s important for these signs to win over new people.
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