The object of the study was the perception and interpretation of advertising messages composed of image and text, with particular emphasis on the relationship between those two, their mutual influence and contribution to the message, as well as the metaphors present therein. The research was in the form of an extensive questionnaire. The analysis was based on the advertising material contained in leaflets of the five Polish mobile networks. A high correspondence between perceiving the mutual relation of image and text and their functions has been observed. The examination of the responses to the survey questions suggests that the respondents think the image does not carry a contrary meaning to the text. To their mind it does not develop or modify the way they understand the text nor does it explain the text.
According to the respondents it is thanks to the text some of the elements of the image are possible to comprehend. The image evokes curiosity about the text’s contents and may lead to a deeper analysis. The text expands the meaning of the image by adding new elements, but does not modify the way the image is understood. Moreover, it has been observed there is a consistency in perceiving (or rather not perceiving) the potential figurativeness of the message. The respondents declare that the relationship between the text and the image is neither based on a non-literal understanding of the text nor a non-literal understanding of the image.
Key words: text, image, relations, advertisement, leaflet.