RSS Feed4 R Kids Sake, San Diego
March 6th, 2007
This billboard might be raising awarenress, but it could probably raise a lot more with a few tweaks to the design.
1. Although the content of the billboard related to kids, it is not targeted towards kids, nor is it a kid-related product. The target is adults with kids, and the message is a dark one–if you leave your kids in a hot car they’re going to die or get somewhat fried–not a cutesy one as the font and colors suggest.
2. Nobody is going to be able to see who is supporting the billboard if the logos are that small, but then again you don’t want to make them bigger, so why not just leave them off?
3. “Not even for a minute” is a critical part of the message because the majority of people who leave their kids to die in a hot car are indeed probably intending to only leave the kid alone for “just a minute” while running into the store to pick up something. But it’s purplish-pink on a pink background, while “leave a child in a car” is white and stands out, so the eye is drawn to the white text first, and probably doesn’t have time to see the first line.
Still, it’s not so bad, it’s just that with something this important I’d like to see it be as good as possible. I think the main problem is the “supported by”, “sponsored by”, and “in memory of” items that distract from the primary message. If your intent is to make sure less kids die then get rid of that stuff.
3 Comments so far
These points were very well said, however, I believe they chose the color (however, still agree with the whitel lettering of the Leave your child in the car wrong to emphasize alone) is because it makes ya think of the children a little sympathetic, reminiscent of a child, a vulnerable child especially with the lettering in a child’s writing.
However, what through me off the most was the little girl seeming to happily flash her diaper by lifting her dress.
I agree with Diana about the fonts and the color but it definitely threw me off. I imagine someone would spend only a few seconds looking at it so the less time required receive the message the better.
I worked as a graphic designer for Lamar Outdoor advertising, and BELIEVE ME, we are just as disgusted as you are. Unfortunately, most of the vomit-worthy billboards we created were “Per Client Instructions,” or “Per AE’s [account executive or salesperson] instructions. It doesn’t matter how you phrase it to a stubborn client [or AE for that matter]: “the logo is too big”, “you’ve got too many words”, “the colors are hideous”, “take some shit off your board”, “the layout you want isn’t possible”, “you don’t need a puppy on your board”, “no one is going to read this,” “stop revising it, you’re not improving it”; they think in terms of dollars: “I am spending $10,000 on this 14′ x 48′ ad space and I’m gonna fill/color/ booger up EVERY DAMN SQUARE INCH.”
You are absolutely, 100% right in that these boards are bad, but it ain’t always the designer’s call.