Stop Teen Drinking

Comms 303 Final Project

Justin Swanson

In my three billboards I really tried to illustrate the principles that were taught to us in class. 

I would say the first thing that I really struggled with finding was the correct font. Typography is huge and can change the message of any written statement. Since I am combating teen drinking I didn’t want a silly or fun font. I needed something that was serious and strong. That was authoritative and would be respective. So I finally decided to go with Impact because of its bold strong lettering. Also in my ad’s I have messages on the photos that are supposed to appear hand written. This is to appeal to the teens mind that its their peers making fun of them not just the adults looking down on them for drinking.

Second principle I incorporated in my ads was the rule of thirds. I use to always put things directly in the middle and wondered why didn’t they look as good as other projects or photos and I think this is why. The photos on my billboards are still in the middle but they are off center. For example in my ad with the guy sitting on the floor by the toilet. He is in the middle but the toilet which is the center of the photograph is towards the left side of the billboard.

Third principle I focused on was color. Since these ad’s are not supposed to be pleasant I tried to choose background colors that would draw people’s eyes and make them almost feel a little uncomfortable. The color of green, red, and yellow that I choose are not natural colors and almost make you feel like you are in a bad dream. When a teenager sees these ads I don’t want them to feel comfortable. I want them to feel a bit of uneasiness that will stick with them so next time they are offered a drink they think of this ad. If I did a happier yellow, or a calming blue as the background I feel like the ad would have lost its effect.

My overall goal for these advertisements is to show teens that drinking is not cool. The media gives them this false idea that it is all fun and games but the reality is extremely different. I wanted to show the teens this idea without saying the words don’t drink.