Advertisement and commercial messaging can be considered the primary route of communication for companies and corporations in the 20th century. Before technology was as advanced as it is today, printed media such as posters was the easiest way to spread word of a new product or idea. Some companies would use visual text to promote a new product that they are bringing to market, and others use it to spread word of an event or their new business. For others, the use of visual text is for an idea rather than an object. As a way to promote antismoking and anticigarette America, groups such as the American Lung Association, anti-smoking.org, and even antismoking commercial campaigns such as TRUTH all use visual text to implement their ideas into the public’s minds. In the image depicted throughout this essay, the purpose is clear that cigarettes will kill you over time. The author wanted to convey his message about smoking by visually comparing a bullet to a cigarette in order to illustrate the difference in death rates between the two objects. The antismoking cigarette campaign poster uses its elements of dark color scheme, single lighting angles, and dramatic block text to emphasize its message to quit smoking cigarettes before they kill you. 

When commercial developers are deciding how to design the advertisement that best suits their product or desire, they will refer to the primary reason the advertisement is being made in the first place; outcome. The purpose and outcome of the antismoking campaign is to ultimately reduce the number of smokers in America to zero. This goal is nearly impossible to achieve but can be done through patience and over time. In order for the numbers of those who smoke to drop, the commercials and advertisement used in the campaign must be persuasive and to the point. For this to happen, techniques such as dark color scheme are used to dramatize the visual and stir the viewer’s emotions. The black background is provided to make the viewer have intense feelings toward the subject. The motif of the entire work overall is that cigarette smoking will eventually lead the user to death; which is why the use of dark color and especially black allow the image to emphasize the scary aftermath of cigarettes; death. 

Lighting is also a key element used to embellish the visual’s overall meaning and purpose. With the use of a single light source deriving from the top of the image, the visual takes on a very dramatic role to convey its message. The light emphasizes the two objects that are subject to the message, along with the boldly white printed words below each object. This technique allows the viewer to feel terrified so that they feel afraid to pick up their next cigarette. The lighting really stresses the purpose of the advertisement in general, making sure the viewer understands that the cigarettes they smoke everyday are going to kill them eventually if they don’t get help. The bullet itself is also a strong element used to assist in the conveying of the antismoking campaign. Both the cigarette and the bullet are similar in size and shape, but the one striking difference between both of them is that one can kill you fast and the other can kill you slow. The option of either the bullet or the cigarette causes the viewer the feel like they must pick a side or get help. Allowing the viewer to make a choice between the bullet and cigarette causes them to have a different perception on cigarettes for a brief moment due to the factors of color scheme and lighting effects on the very persuasive advertisement. 

The final element in this antismoking advertisement is the use of bulky block letters in short, fragmented sentences to highlight and underline the main point of the poster; to quit smoking. The white block letters allow for the viewer to develop a sense of seriousness. The phrases “Quick.” and “Slow.” are spread apart and separated from each which creates a pause when reading the slogan. This gives the viewer time to understand the significance of each object and how it is used. The block letters are bold and pop out when viewing the visual. This catches the viewers’ attention and brings its focus toward the words that describe the picture and set the tone overall as the message being conveyed is a very serious one. The white block letters contribute to the overall theme of the visual because they catch the viewers’ attention and somewhat intimidate the viewer as they are persuaded by the advertisement.

The overall message of the advertisement visual is to promote the fight against smoking and to help those in need that are trying to quit smoking cigarettes. The techniques and elements used in the visual define the poster and set its message straight. The poster is very straight forward by using bulky block white letters that catch the viewers eye. The lighting of the visual dramatizes the setting and creates a sense of seriousness and terror as the viewer comes to the reality that the poster presents. The dark background provokes a dark setting of gloomy thoughts and death, which is implemented to scare the viewer away from cigarettes. Each element used in the persuasive visual emphasizes that cigarettes are only leading an individual closer to death, and that they have a choice as to how long they will live if they choose to stop smoking.  
