No Seconds vs. The Last Meals Project

I think that "The Last Meals Project" was more effective than the "No Seconds" website. I think that "Last Meals" focused more on the person eating the last meal, and "No Seconds" focused more on what exactly the meal was. Associating the meal with the person was more effective because it connected the two and made the person eating the last meal more visible. "Last Meals" also included information about what makes up a lethal injection as well as how much an executioner is paid to execute. This information makes it more real that someone is dying after eating the meal shown.

The color of the text on the two websites also has an effect. In "No Seconds," the text is black on a white background. The text on "Last Meals" is red on a white background. The red has more of an effect because it is reminiscent of blood.  The black on white gives a factual vibe that doesn't really give any emotion, while the red adds emotion and intensity to the page.

The photography in "No Seconds" is much more impactful than the images in "Last Meals." The focus of the "No Seconds" is more about the food than the person, and the way the food is presented shows this. The food (or lack of food) is made to be colorful and over the top. The colorful table cloths and serving dishes as well as the plethora of food contrast with the situation at hand. The photos juxtapose the dark idea of the death penalty and people committing serious crimes with a bounty of food and colorful place settings.

In "Last Meals," the focus is placed much more on the person. The person to be executed's picture is the majority of the the page. The photo's are grainy, low quality and black and white, which leads the viewer to look a little harder at the photo. There are smaller and less emphasized images of the last meal, but the main focus stays on the person. The "criminal" is humanized as their crimes are not described like they are in "No Seconds." Without knowing what the person in the photo has done to deserve the death penalty and subsequently a last meal, the viewer can feel for them a little more and sympathize.

The two pages are similar in many ways, but their focuses are different. "No Seconds" focuses on juxtaposing the two opposing ideas of a death sentence and the American tradition of choosing a last meal. "The Last Meals Project" focuses instead of those who have been given the death sentence and what they chose to eat. Both are effective, but I think that "The Last Meal Project" was more effective.