To find a deeper connection between animal welfare and provoking advertisements I wanted to explore the issue of provoking illustrations. We all saw some well thought posters with a ambiguous illustration to make the viewer aware of different problems. Often it is not about the exact style more about the message. And as my previous research showed is that emotions and having to think about ads/artworks lead to more engagement from the viewer. The most difficult part which this kind of work is not the excecution it is more about finding the idea and a great concept to visualize. So in this blog I collect various illustrations from different designers to get an overview what is already out there.
Provoking illustrations with a twist refer to artworks that capture attention by presenting familiar scenes or concepts in unexpected or thought-provoking ways. These illustrations often challenge viewers‘ perceptions, stimulate thoughts or spark an emotional response. They may employ clever visual metaphor, or surreal elements to convey a deeper meanings or societal commentary. Artists who specialize in this style aim to engage viewers on multiple levels, encouraging them to question assumptions and explore new perspectives.
Through my research I found Steffen Kraft who made various illustrations with a twist about climate change, plastic pollution or social behavior.
Examples, such as those found in „50 Mindshots“ by Maivisto, demonstrate the power of visual storytelling to provoke thought and stimulate dialogue on a wide range of topics. His daily business in illustrating is creating visuals for brands, agencies and magazines in a watercolor style – so he started creating these very minimalistic stylised artworks to reflect on important topics in our society.
Another way to make such interesting visuals is with using common shapes an objects to build up the illustration. In this example they use a net graphic to visualize the turtle shell – this should symbolize how many turtles and other animals get harmed by all those ghost nets in the ocean and the fishing industry.
As it is also a strong tool also some companies use it in their ads. On the website adsoftheworld.com you can find a lot of different campaings which also use this tool in their ads. Here shown with WWF who made a switch on the announcement of color of the year from Pantone. It should make people aware of the problem of air pollution and that we all have to do something to save the classic blue.
Sources:
- https://designyoutrust.com/2019/09/artist-highlights-the-problems-of-our-society-through-haunting-illustrations/
- https://www.iconeo.de
- https://www.zeit.de/zett/2019-09/diese-illustrationen-zeigen-was-in-unserer-gesellschaft-schieflaeuft
- https://www.behance.net/gallery/83394507/Save-the-Earth-Poster-series
- https://www.adsoftheworld.com/campaigns/save-classic-blue
- https://www.adsoftheworld.com/campaigns/peta-boycott-seaworld
- https://www.maivisto.de/works-1/50-mindshots-book
