Graphic design often plays upon the id, or the primal feelings of desire -- the mouthwatering golden M. Of the golden arches that suggest the pure pleasure of eating McDonald's French Fries for wish fulfillment, for example. The ego is the force that enacts the steps that get the id's desire, like driving through a McDonald's, an action that is also encouraged subconsciously by the welcoming openness of the arches. However, in some cases, graphic design does evoke a more super-ego type of control, such as the warning red of a stop sign that is ingrained in an individual's...

But to be truly effective as an advertisement, the id is usually 'teased' to elicit pleasure or fear on the part of the observer. For example, the bubbly, pleasurable soft curves of the name Barbie, caters to the delight of a young girl for femininity and play, while the mothers who buy Barbie for their children may do so out of the super-ego sense that they are depriving their child of a normal, feminine girlhood if they do not buy the doll.