Back in June, I posted some work I’d done for Camilla Peterken of Smoke Free Working.
Part of my brief was to produce some postcards that encapsulated the benefits of group support for people quitting smoking.
Here’s one that made it in to print.
Good Company
I found the background image on the Wisconsin Historical Society website.
It took ages to clean up the picture, which was a raw scan of a vintage postcard complete with all sorts of surface defects like fading, discolouration, dust, scratches and so on.
Working close up to the picture allowed me to see that everyone in the picture had little black dots randomly speckled over them. It took me a while to realise that these were flies. No doubt they were attracted by the interesting aromas of the circus ring, and the perspiration of the clowns in their heavy suits under a poorly ventilated canvas tent.
I was impressed by the way they all managed to ignore the pesky flies and hold their smiles while the cameraman did his stuff.
Another enjoyable aspect of this job was Camilla’s open mindedness to all sorts of graphical ideas. One of the ideas I pitched was seeking to address the reasons why people smoked in the first place.
My initial research had thrown up some interesting links between the desire to suck on a cigarette and the smoker’s unsatisfied drive for breastfeeding as an infant.
So, in the spirit of exploring all avenues, I put together some images of famous, iconic smokers sucking on babies’ dummies (pacifiers).
These were roughed out proposals that used images grabbed off the net just to illustrate the idea. (Click on the thumbnails to reveal the pacifier version)
Antonio Banderas
Ben Affleck
Brad Pitt
Cary Grant
James Dean
At the end of the review we both agreed that while it was an interesting and eyecatching idea, it wasn’t a strong motivator for people who wanted to stop smoking.
I really enjoy the visual research phase of a design project, and it has become many times more interesting now that the web is populated with so much material; much of it arrestingly weird.
So just for fun, I proffer some of the more bizarre images that I found while seeking smokers on the net.
Smokin’ Nuns
This next one is a bit sad. I believe she was a circus worker, having a break from performiing.
“It’ll stunt your growth!”
Here’s someone getting down to some serious smoking in Jordan, 1935.
In training to suck start a leafblower, 1935
And finally, an image so hauntingly bizarre that I guarantee you will sit bolt upright in bed in the middle of the night many weeks from now, still wondering what the hell happened next after this picture was taken.
I leave it to you to write the caption for this picture in the comments box!
