This interesting print Ad “Saab vs. wysiwyg” is one from “Saab vs. …” series Advertising campaign launched in 1999 by SAAB USA.
“wysiwyg” is known term from Computing and design, and is an acronym for “What You See Is What You Get“. “wysiwyg” is the ability of the user to be able to visualize what they are producing. In 1950 Gibson proposed that visual perception was direct perception. That is, what we see and the meaning we extract from it is directly obtained from the appearance of the object we are looking at. We see the object as it is.
A rather unimaginative way of looking at the World. Take the Saab 9-5 wagon. On the surface, a cargo carrier. But look under the hood. A turbocharged engine that generates enourmous amounts of torque. The car’s versatility is evident: Cargotracks for securing loads, an optional sliding floor to make loading easier. But what about the torsionally rigid body construction that gives the car handling characteristics similar to a sports sedan? Can you see that?
