This paper is a critical analysis of an ad for the Nissan Altima as it appears in the August 2003 issue of Men's Health magazine using the Visual Reading Text handout as its guide. This apparently simple ad uses a number of effectively chosen elements and meanings to convey the concept that real men can satisfy all aspects of their personalities and psychological needs by owning an Altima. The ad consists almost exclusively of a two-page color photograph, depicting a father sprawled on the bedroom floor showing his infant son the owner's manual to a 2003 V6 Altima. While this ad has appeared in other national publications, its placement in Men's Health is especially interesting, as readers can be assumed to be much like the man pictured: healthy, virile, middle-to-upper class males in the prime of life, interested in the "good life" but also seeking stability and generativity.
The image is artfully professional, carefully composed but designed to look like a candid shot of a father at home, sharing a private moment with his son. The rhetorical purpose of the shot is to suggest a sincere glimpse into the true heart of the kind of individual likely to be reading such a magazine who ought to also be considering the safety, reliability, and sportiness of owning an Altima.
The design is masterful. The man is the central figure, placed just enough to the right of the shot to keep from being buried in the magazine's center binding. His head is well-lit from the side, but
6 
)
= 870
= 3 (250 words per page)
