- First, this subject may include images
that are provocative.
So if this isn't your cup of tea, move on to the next one.
But no worries, there's nothing graphic or distasteful here.
Second, some concepts are problematic.
We are asked to design a solution
that will attract the viewer's attention
to a subject that may be difficult to communicate.
The goal is to draw the viewer in to the message
without scaring him or her right off the bat.
Humor is a good tool to disarm the issue
before someone turns away.
The film "Love in the Afternoon" is a romantic comedy
that involves, yes, a love affair in the afternoon.
When Saul Bass designed the poster
and materials for the film,
he didn't display a debauched scene of two people
in a dark hotel room.
He used humor with a nod, realizing that the first step
when planning an affair in the afternoon,
is to pull the blinds.
Thinking through the actions before and after
the more graphic activity
led Bass to a humorous and light solution
that was acceptable to all audiences.
Allowing the viewer to do the work in his or her head
is at the heart of this type of work.
A nod to the subject without being blatant
allows the solution to be acceptable in public
while forcing the viewer to become more intimate
with the design solution.
Posters that promote good social causes or issues
have a tendency to be preachy.
They often demand we change our behavior
or we are bad people.
Michael Beirut worked with an environmental issue
and reframed it with humor.
He refers to the shower scene in "Psycho,"
one of the film's most iconic sequences.
The combination of this image and the message
creates a humorous response.
This positive emotion creates a better chance
we may actually take shorter showers to save water.
Everyone has probably learned at some point
political issues are messy.
Everyone has his or her own point of view
and will often become rather emotional when pressed.
For a poster to promote voting, I sidestepped the issue
of one political point of view over another.
Voter apathy and the slow dissolution of democracy.
I made a list of the excuses for not voting.
Lack of hope, laziness, it's someone else's problem
or believing an individual vote didn't matter.
I wanted to convey the idea that not voting
was, in effect, a vote for the other candidate,
so simply, don't be led like sheep.
Humor has always been a good tool
to promote a product that might not be incredibly exciting.
It's hard to make commodities such as salt, water
and paper as thrilling.
This ad takes advantage of the multiple pages
of a magazine.
On the first page, notice the two dots in the blank ad spot.
Now, when the page is turned, the dots become the pupils
of the eyes of a cow.
This is, indeed, a special effect
and allows the viewer to move the page
and create his or her own animation.
Thanks for putting up with my farm animal examples.
Clearly, there are many humorless people in the world.
I've had many conversations
making jokes and being sarcastic,
only to realize that the other person
had no idea I was joking.
Fortunately, there are more people in the world
that would prefer to be invited to consider an issue
with some wit rather than with shouting and anger.