Posters made in Photoshop with a graphics tablet
Ashes to Ashes
It wasn’t socially acceptable for women to smoke in the past. Then came a feminist movement called Torches of Freedom which changed that. Later, it was revealed that it was just an advertising move to sell more cigarettes.
This poster is supposed to look like an advertisement for a cigarette company, but the meaning is a little different. It shows a silhouette made out of ashes of a man and a woman smoking together. It represents how even though it is now socially acceptable for both of them to smoke, it is still harmful to their bodies and they might also turn to ashes because of it one day. The logo that is upside down suggests the shape of a heart around them.
Prayer for Martha
This poster relates to media regulation, mainly censorship. It draws inspiration from the Communist era in Czechoslovakia, specifically in regard to the limitations forced upon artists at that time who weren’t allowed to express all of their opinions in their art.
One of them is Marta Kubišová, who is most notorious for her song Modlitba pro Martu (Prayer for Martha). The song advocates for peace and freedom, which consequently led to the ban of this song by the government. To illustrate this, I created a poster for that song that is vandalised. The rip at the mouth symbolises how her voice was silenced.
Diversity
Poster number three symbolizes how each of us is a unique person and belongs to a different social group. Media institutions have to then carefully pick which group or audience to cater to and therefore potentially be more successful. An example of this could be a cartoon. The primary audience for this cartoon would most probably be children, therefore the contents of it shouldn’t be very vulgar and it should be easier to understand.
I used various photos of my roommates and combinations of colours to symbolise that. My inspiration came from Andy Warhol and his famous Marylin Monroe piece.
