polar opposites

Andrew Cole

Thought Paper

Our fieldtrip went into two extremely different worlds while traveling down market and venturing into the tenderloin. The two districts include one dealing with a lot of poverty and drug abuse, while the other targets wealthy consumers. Each district has a unique feel and overall appeal to them.

            While walking through the tenderloin I felt a sense community, however not the community one would desire. I felt as if people were almost lost and ended up in the tenderloin. Many of the advertisements that I saw in that area pertained to how to make cash quick, such as loans (see picture below). This audience clearly was for those who were on the street most of the day and were usually looking for money. The buildings themselves were interesting because one could tell their history just from their appearance. While going through market street and union square the advertisements changed very quickly. For the most part the signs were conveying some sort of product that a middle-upper class American would be interested in. for the most part it was advertisements for the local stores such as GAP and Abercrombie and Fitch. There were many people in this area who worked on market street so the advertisements never went to high This is also one of the main areas in the city so it is only expected to be a little over the top with signage.

            Overall the two districts that we explored clearly had two different audiences, one for the middle upper class American and the other for the lower class Americans. Each district although vast differences, had its own unique beauty to it.