The collaborative brief I wanted to respond to is called ‘A Tip from a Former Smoker.’ Since the 1990s the anti-smoking campaigns have focused mainly on using real life photography. Primarily using gruesome images to repulse people from smoking, opting out of using impactful typography, colour and illustrations. A recent campaign from 2019 that was created by Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) included real life stories into a 30 second ad that shows former smokers suffering from diseases caused by smoking. Using shock factor to portray the anti-smoking message. The name of the campaign creates a interest in the audience since current smokers will recognise themselves in the title, making the audience known.
(Three screenshots of the YouTube campaign ‘A tip from a former smoker’. 1)
When looking at the historical I looked at the work of Biman Mullick. During the 1970s-1980s period graphic design went against the romanticised version of smoking that was happening so far. A graphic designer that used bold typography, vibrant colours and direct illustrations was Biman Mullick. His work is the opposite from what is currently used in anti-smoking since he does not use imagery or gruesome elements in his work. His use of typography is impactful with a large scale and striking colour, making the typography the focal point of the design.
(Two examples of Biman Mullick’s work. 2)
Since smoking is such a wide world problem that has a vast variety of ages that do it I wanted to focus on one audience group which is the young adult (20 to 30) since in recent years a lot of that age group has changed to vaping instead of smoking cigarettes and I want to explore a style a style that will be more impactful with younger audiences with the intent to focus on stopping vaping rather than cigarettes.
1 – CDC (2021) CDC: Tips From Former Smokers – Terrie H.’s I Wish Tip. Available at: CDC: Tips From Former Smokers – Terrie H.’s I Wish Tip [Accessed 03 May 2026]
2 – Biman Mullick2011 (2011) Cleanair WHO Award Winning Anti Smoking Poster Designed By Biman Mullick. Available at: Biman Mullick2011 | Flickr [Accessed 03 May 2026]