http://www.mrbrown.com/blog/2007/08/stamp-out-aids-.htmlHopefully this is big enough for everyone to see. This was a poster for the HIV awareness campaign and it sparked much hype amongst Singaporeans. Having happened within Singapore itself, i think it's something we should all know about. Posters are a form of non-verbal communication as we've learnt and since it only provides a one-way mode of communication, the message conveyed is pretty much dependent on our perception of it.
For me, at first glance i didn't think much of this poster. I just thought it was a depiction of a couple of guys and girls doing a dance or something. I would love to say that i interpreted it that way because of the innocence that i possess but sadly it was more of an ignorance on my part. The comments that was given for this poster ranged from "pretty obscene" to "I wish the local advertisers could make print outs that have as much humor as this". The emphasis on "team effort" and the positioning of the male/female figures makes everyone think that it's a poster depicting orgies instead and we percieve it that way because we've been influenced by media, environment etc. to think that that's how ppl look when they have mass sex. You guys probably can't see what someone has scribbled onto the poster but with reference to "stompaids" someone crudely wrote "more like spread AIDS".
The figure and ground organisation that i think this poster has does not work well for it because the picture and the text below it contradict one another. However, i honestly feel that the organisers who allowed this poster didn't meant for it to convey the msg that "aids will no longer be an issue when everybody has it" or "make sure if u bang someone he/she is of the opposite sex from u". There were yet others who percieved the poster and the situation in other ways too- "the simple fact that this particular campaign is getting all your attention even if its for the wrong reasons meant that it works!" If this is how the campaigners wanted it to work out, they have serious ethical and moral issues. Haha. Basically i feel this is a classic case of miscommunication.
posted by RanPer @ 3:54 AM
7 Comments:
Lol @ the advertiser's possible homophobic message. xD I took graphic design in year 1 and learnt a lot about visual messaging - it's harder than it looks! But I agree, that poster's just all over the place.
And..uh...group of people dancing?? Are you SURE Midahh...
xo n
babe, you should really work on your inference skills. you were a lit student right?? haha.
hey i saw the poster before! frankly, at first my thoughts were similar to yours. i actually thought the picture was depicting something fun and light-hearted. when i read the slogan and looked at the picture properly, then i could understand what the figures really meant.
anyway nice blog. keep it going man :)
yess ppl.. group of ppl dancing sounds stupid i noe.. but hey!! its how i percieved it alright.. and u can't seriously fault my lit for it!! haha and oooh visual messaging sounds really cool.. useful for ads and stuff right?!
and thanks justin.. i hardly think my blogs that interesting haha.. but it does explore issues pertaining to communication.(academic blog shhh! haha) =)
ahaha midah, dancing, really?
That's probably one of the best ways to start off a campaign. To get people guessing and imagining what the message they're trying to get across is. It actually sparks off discussions and guesses (not ridiculous ones though, obviously they wouldn't be spreading a bad message), and this way, it's pretty effective. Such pictures are actually more useful than those that tell you straight off in the face "NO SMOKING" or "STAY AWAY FROM DRUGS". People want to see something new :)
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