Disney's Imagineering and Apple's iPod

Imagineering is a term coined by Walt Disney in the 1950’s to describe a fusion of engineering and imagination. In his article on Walt Disney’s 'Fantasia', Mark Clauge refers to 'Fantasia' as an imagineering of music. In it he states that the images and stories in Fantasia ‘introduce layers of signification to sound that add meaning to and comment on music.’ Caluge talks about the inherently interconnected nature of sound and image to produce meaning and the existence of transference between them. By this I am referring to what Clague phrases as ‘ the opportunity of seeing music and hearing pictures.’ This concept can be applied to Apple’s advertising campaign for the iPod. This campaign is still current and features 3D (screen) as well as 2D (print) mediums. . The graphic representation of sound features a black silhouetted figure dancing to music emanating from a white iPod, enclosed within a colourful background (usually made up of a single, solid, vibrant colour). The print based ads show a frozen moment of the screen animated ones, yet an energy is conveyed through them. It is as if we can hear the image. This is in part related to the existing experience of the animated ad, with its soundscape, but also due to the emotion of colours. In the campaign, each type of musical sound (jazz, pop, rock, etc) is tagged with a specific colour as well as an easily recognisable dancing figure. This in essence enables us see the music and therefore hear the image. The campaign is very successful in playing on this relationship between sound and image as it is in drawing on the mediated knowledge and experiences of its audience.


eg of a print based ad: