Cigarettes cause a significant amount of deaths of the American population. Many people lose loved ones to lung cancer as a result of tobacco use, making smoking cigarettes a controversial issue filled with passion and oftentimes resentment toward the product. While smoking cigarettes is a widely observed cause of death across the United States, there are other dangers that are more common yet often go unnoticed by the average American. In fact, there is one activity, that almost all humans participate in daily, that causes even more deaths than cigarettes per year: unhealthy eating. Eric Thompson, a graphic designer from Columbus, Ohio, points out junk food as a severe risk in his Healthy Eating Campaign. Thompson’s campaign consists of advertisements that point out little-known facts in order to warn the audience about potential illness as a result of food. One specific advertisement in the campaign is a sign that states “Fact: Unhealthy eating kills more people each year than cigarettes” (Thompson). In this advertisement, we can see how the design, the use of logos, the color, and the use of pathos communicate the idea that unhealthy eating is a significant issue that needs to be taken more seriously, which most people do not see. This is important because it calls attention to the fact that food choices are a major factor in the health and success of future generations, and the United States as a whole. 

The design of the advertisement plays a role in expressing the significant effects of food choices as an impact on either the decline or improvement of the health of Americans. In other words, healthy eating is a danger to Americans and the effects of food choices can be great. The font on the advertisement is bold and large, making the point that junk food is dangerous very clear and easy to comprehend. The word “kill” is written in a different type of font that seems to be dripping off of the page and resembles blood. The font choice is emphasizing the severity of the possible outcome that could result from eating unhealthy. Additionally, French fries are placed in a cigarette box in a symbolic manner. The similarities in shape between French fries and cigarettes assist in displaying the common dangers that both items share in a visual manner. The comparison between the negative health effects of certain foods and those of nicotine is put into a graphic design that makes the risks evident to viewers. Additionally, the advertisement has a design that is made up of boxes. The design is similar to the rule of thirds; however, the important points do not necessarily appear at the intersections of the lines. The groups of words and the cigarette box are all placed in such a way that they appear rectangular. The advertisement could be divided into two halves. The left side is taken up by two groups of words, while the right side is taken up by the cigarette box. This concept of design not only makes the picture appealing to the eye, it also alleviates the audience’s ability to grasp the message efficiently. If the words were scattered randomly around the picture, it would be a more confusing concept to grasp. The design of an advertisement is crucial to its effectiveness. In this case, the design is a major factor in communicating consumers should reconsider their food choices and work toward the betterment of American health.

In addition to the design, the use of logos in the advertisement assists in depicting the dangers of unhealthy eating and the responsibility that Americans have to reevaluate their decisions when it comes to food consumption. This advertisement makes a very strong claim with a lot of severity. Statements with a large amount of severity can often be difficult to trust. Some people might not be convinced that unhealthy eating is a more common cause of death than smoking cigarettes. The statement is confirmed by the inclusion of statistics on the picture. The designer chose to include the facts that “400,000 people die each year from unhealthy eating habits” (Thompson) and “almost two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese” (Thompson) in order to provide validity to the argument that the advertisement is trying to make. These cold, hard facts give the audience confirmation and persuade them to acknowledge the importance of the message that the company is sending. Two-thirds are an extremely large portion of the American population, so pointing out that such a significant part of the nation is overweight reinforces the importance of the responsibility that all citizens hold to be conscious of their eating habits. Similarly, four hundred thousand is a massive amount of people. The fact that four hundred thousand people a year lose their lives because of unhealthy eating is alarming and thought provoking. It is difficult to deny facts; therefore, the inclusion of logos persuades the audience to recognize the severity of detrimental food consumption and encourages them to work to make a change to this nation-wide issue.

The significance of food choices in relation to the future of the United States is also emphasized by the use of color in the advertisement. The background of the advert is white, making the font and the picture extremely prominent and easy to see, even from a distance. The majority of the words are black, which, due to the clarity of the color, also assists in the audience’s ability to process the image visually. However, the use of the color red in the advertisement has the greatest effect. The word “kill” is written in red, while the other words are written in black. The color red causes one’s mind to think of danger, evil, death, and blood. The association of this color with the word “kill” is both powerful and effective. Red is also seen in the fries-filled cigarette box, connecting junk food and tobacco, two common dangers among Americans, to the idea of death and evil. The use of color in this advertisement is effective in sending the message that French fries, and food similar to them, can be seen as a killer. This is important to emphasize because if left unchecked, unhealthy eating can lead to more than just obesity. It can lead to the death of Americans both in the present and in future generations.

Finally, the use of pathos in this advertisement assists in displaying the message to viewers that they have a responsibility to make nutritious food choices in order to prevent the negative consequences of unhealthy eating. The concept of death appeals to the emotions of humans. This advertisement uses the threat of risking one’s life by eating junk food, which scares its audience. Thompson appeals to the emotion of fear in order to persuade viewers to change their ways. Even further, by comparing the French fries to cigarettes, Thompson appeals to emotions that some humans may feel toward the dangers of tobacco. Tobacco could possible cause their death, or the death of a significant other. Maybe they have lost a loved one to lung cancer, or perhaps they have beaten the addiction themselves. Regardless, it is likely that many humans feel passionate toward the abolishment of tobacco. Therefore, its comparison to unhealthy foods will register with these people on a deeper level as a result of the passion that they feel for this topic. Overall, the use of pathos is an effective way to prove to Americans that they need to be conscious about what they put in their bodies in order to improve nationwide health and decrease the death rate.

Unhealthy eating is a serious danger to the United States that often goes unnoticed. It causes nearly half a million deaths per year, and is in the same category as tobacco when it comes to health risks. Eric Thompson’s advertisement states that unhealthy eating kills more people each year than cigarettes. This visual advertisement uses design, logos, color, and pathos in order to send a message to its audience. It is calling attention to the fact that Americans have a responsibility to make healthy food choices in order to provide health and success to future generations of the United States. 
