Visual vs Symbolic Language

http://www.marketmixup.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/unemployment.jpg

Content: word unemployment, people, newspapers

Structure: word unemployment is bold, people are shadows, newspapers are in the background

Symbols: written language

The background is ironically composed of two newspapers about employment and help wanted, the color of the background is somewhat opaque and dim, as if to not take away from the rest of the picture. There's a see-through white band going across the top of the picture in which the word unemployment is written over it with very bold, black, capitalize letters. This makes the word very visible. On the bottom of this white band, taking most of the picture space, is what seems to be a line of people going across or horizontally on the picture plane. They are all in profile facing the left and they are lined up one after another. What gives this picture more depth is that you cannot see the faces of these people because they are portrayed as shadows, somewhat black and see-through. I believe that the message this picture is trying to convey is that even though there might be some jobs open here and there (based on the newspapers on the background), there's not enough jobs to go around for all the people that are unemployed (based on the word unemployment and the people lined up). Therefore, these people are living behind their own shadows or something like that, that's why they are portrayed as such.