Semiotics

The Department of Health anti-smoking campaign produced by Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy was one of the UK’s most controversial advert campaigns in 2007. The ‘NHS Get Unhooked’ adverts show a graphic image of a man with a fishhook through his cheek to illustrate his addiction. The adverts carry the slogan ‘The average smoker needs over five thousand cigarettes a year’ and give a helpline number. The adverts were released to coincide with New Year’s resolutions, which would have encouraged more smokers to attempt to quit.

The high-impact adverts just include an image and text. The first image of the smoker is central in the frame and the slogan is positioned at the bottom. The second is of a cigarette in a syringe. Two logos appear on the adverts, the NHS logo and the SMOKE FREE logo, this confirms that the NHS and SMOKEFREE services support the ad and therefore provides support for those wanting to give up smoking. The images together with the text are the signifier as it denotes 'giving up smoking'. The logos are small so they don’t attract attention away from the main image. The slogan is highlighted with a blue colour, which contrasts from the white background. Blue and white are the focal colour’s in the advertisements. Blue is a practical colour to use in this campaign as blue is often associated with health, depth and stability and considered beneficial to the mind and body this can subtly influence the viewer to give up smoking as the blue indicates health and smoking is putting their health at risk. Blue can also signify importance and intelligence, which suggests to the viewer that the advert is right and conveys the idea of ‘the expert’, a professional opinion. In a similar way the colour white is used well in this advert to begin with it is used as a background colour, which doesn’t attract attention away from the foreground imagery and text. In addition the colour white suggests cleanliness and purification, which could imply that to give up the addiction of smoking will clean and purify your body and mind.

The first ad show smokers with pained expressions, the pain signifies, and therefore connotes the long-term effects of addiction, and a taut wire pulling on hooks embedded above their lips. The advert uses the idea of being hooked on a tobacco addiction. A barbed fishhook is used to catch the smoker. The hook is attached at the mouth this associates with the location of the cigarette when smoking. The ads imply that cigarettes are the bait and the smoker addicted to the cigarettes has been caught. This concept compares with that of quitting; it will take time and motivation to give up smoking it will not just happen over night. The appearance of the smoker in the advert reflects on the reality of the effects of smoking. Smoking damages the eyes, skin, gums and teeth and this is present in the graphic image. The eyes are slightly bloodshot, the skin is pale and the gums look painful. The model in the advert looks like a stereotypical smoker because of his facial appearance.

The second image shows a cigarette as a syringe signifying how addictive it is and, like heroin, it is a drug. The two images in comparison are very strong, effective and memorable. Although this anti-smoking campaign was banned by the Authority Standards Association (ASA) because of too many complaints, “the complaints suggested the ads were offensive and frightening to children”

Preliminary bibliography

Meecham, P. and Sheldon, J. (2000) Modern art: A critical introduction. London, Routledge.

Whitford, F. (1984) Bauhaus. London, Thames and Hudson.

Dawtry, L. (1996) Investigating modern art. London, Open university press.

Walsh, B. (2001) GCSE modern world history. 2^nd edition. London, Hodder.

Bocola, S. ed. (1999) The art of modernism. Munich: Prestel.

Frascina, F. and Harris, J. (1992) Art in modern culture. London, Phaidon 20^th century design oxford uni press.

Summary

In the first decade of the 20th century an attempt to create a new art was made using 19th century sources. Through modernity, art movements changed. One of the main supports of this new art had been the concept of 'expression' Avante-garde artists drew a kind of natural force but under urban circumstances. The development of art before the first world was was gradual whereas post WW1 it was stronger and more dominant. Modernism refers to the growing impact of the machine, the railroad was invented, this was affecting the social side too, people were split into two, the rich and poor. Even so the population was increasing. Expressionism and futurism are both evidently forms of response to the circumstances of urban modernity. This was viewed both positively and negatively. The situation with cubism is different, it is a hermetic art. The still life and the single portrait figure. Modern art of the 19th century was to become the condition of modern art of the 20th century.

Harrison, C. and Wood, P (1997) 'Art in Theory: 1900-1990', Oxford, Blackwell p 125-129

Lecture notes

Lecture notes

Modernity and modernism: An introduction

Philosophy of design 1760-1960

Living in a post modern world.

Modernise- to make something better.

New labour- Making labour new. Tate modern- New to the 21st century.

William Holman Hunt, (1851) The hirling shepherd (Considered modern int he day, not modernist).

Paris 1900 most modern country. Buildings revel in modernity, Eiffel tower created for exhibition to show off paris to the world.

Trottoir roullant- electric moving walkway, urbanisation. Factory work replaced rural work. Telegraph telephone inventions. Roads built 1912 worldtime standardised.

Process of rationality and reason. Enlightenment= period in late 18th century when scientific/ philosophical thinking made leaps and bounds.

Secularisation- world without religion

Eiffel tower emposing itself over paris.

Coulebotte 'Paris on a rainy day' 1877 modern streets. lamposts, inventions such as umbrellas.

old architecture of narrow streets and run down houses ripped out haussman (city architect) redesigns Paris. Large boulevards easier to police, controlled.

Dangerous elements of w.c are moved outside city centre. It becomes an expensive m.c upper class zone.

Class division between rich and poor flanneur- fashion becomes a status signifier. Lives revolve around work shifts- clocking on and off. Degas (1876) l'absinthe. Lady being left behind in time getting drunk because the world is so rubbish kaiserpanorama 1883- pay to look through and see slideshows of the world, landscapes even erotica. The lumiere brothers, first film going up and down the eiffel tower. Subjective experience the experience of the individual in the modern world 'modernism'

New York

flatrion building 1903 alfred stieglitz Paul citreon metropolis 1923 modernity multiple perspectives media becomes increased giacomo balla 1913 speed of a motor car.

Modernism in design

-Anti historicism attempt to be new , not repeating history

-truth to materials

-form follows function. blok buildings same amount of space

-technology

-internationalism everyone understands the sky scraper.

Anti historicism- no need to look backward to older styles. 'Ornament is crime' Adolf 100s

Bauhaus building- concrete walls- modern, no need to paint. Bauhaus logo designed in font futura- designed in the bauhaus.

New materials cocrete, new technologies of steel, plastics, aluminium, reinforced glass.

Internationalism

-A language of design that could be recognised and understood.

Herbert bayer san serif typeface argued to be in lower case.

Stanley morrison invented times new roman 1932 not modernist not international.

Conclusion.

The term modern is not a neutral term- it suggests novelty and improvement.

Modernity (1750- 1960) social and cultural experience

Modernism- The range of ideas and styles that sprang from modernity.