Examples of Visual Metaphors

Examples of great visual metaphors

Lipton Orange and Ginger Tea

The image above is a great example of a visual metaphor used in advertising to compliment their products image and the public's opinion of their product by using a single image to describe and promote themselves, they are saying that their tea tastes like a lovely fresh orange right in their cup.

Dexter intro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej8-Rqo-VT4

This introduction to this show is masterful in the way it provides the viewer with information relative to its plot within just the opening of the show, the visuals depict a regular routine day for many people yet at the same time showing off the brutal nature of it and using it to show the nature of the main character. The actions are violent and metaphorical for all the means of murder that are common place and routine for the main character.

Serj Tankien (I recommend muting the video or lowering the volume at least)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CxKA1uETxE

The video I've listed this time is a very metaphor heavy video relating the the political occurrings in the past few years in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. The video is comparing the soldiers to children, possibly saying we grow our children up to kill and be killed for glory.

Daniel Bejar's Religious Metaphor

Here is an illustration by Daniel Bejar, the subject matter he is trying to get across is that religion is the cause of many wars, possibly even comparing how someone looked up to in our time is a soldier whom is glorified for killing other soldiers and the weight upon his back is the weight of his weapon.

Visual Metaphors

By definition a visual metaphor is "The representation of a person, place, thing, or idea by way of a visual image that suggests a particular association or point of similarity".

The most common place we might see a visual metaphor would be in advertising and marketing, they are used to subconsciously leave a positive imprint on the audience that leads to the purchase of their product. The visual metaphor that the marketing team usually needs to be one that compliments the product yet raises the audience's view of the brand above that of its competition. 

A successful visual metaphor can promote its idea to the audience in a manner that will stick with them in a deep possibly also thought provoking way.