mina's life: if you're a smoker you better be blind

if you're a smoker you better be blind

Recently, the look of cigarette packs has changed around here. Almost one third of the front and the back is covered with big signs (white/fat black border - we all know it might kill us, c'mon!) screaming: "Smoking may be deadly" or "Smoking ages your skin". It looks awful. I feel sorry for all the designers who spent their time on a good design only to have it messed up by the government.
And, do people really think a smoker will give up the habit/addiction because of that?! That is just ridiculous.

Mina, October 6, 2003 08:12 PM

comments

It seems to be a fact that every year billions of Euros have to be spent on trying to cure smokers. Round about 100.000 people per year die because of the effects of tobacco products in Germany. I´m a smoker, but i also should know the consequences.

Hehehe ... nenn mich Spielverderber!

gunatm, October 7, 2003 02:16 PM

There's nothing wrong with telling people what smoking may do to your health. I am just saying, that messing up a package design won't help much to make smokers quit their habit...

Mina, October 7, 2003 03:20 PM

But maybe it will make the package look ugly enough that a curious young person won't pick it up and start in the first place.

Besides, I think I don't like the idea of "attractive packaging" for cigarettes. They should come in plain brown packs, nothing beautiful about them. I think I vote for the awful looks and accurate sayings.

d(ER), October 15, 2003 08:17 AM

Oh, but everything should be beautiful!

yukino, October 17, 2003 12:10 AM

I'd have to wonder if it is government enforced, or more a means of dodging expensive lawsuits by the company themselves...

Person - "I'm suing you because I'm dying of lung cancer and it's your fault."

Tobacco Co. - "We indicated quite clearly that killing you was one of our primary goals."

Judge - "Right. Case dismissed."

Kyle, October 17, 2003 07:23 AM

Which of course brings up more questions: if people didn't start smoking in the first place, they might not have those health problems. So the ads defacing the beautiful packaging just might turn them off enough to help them save their health.

Or maybe not. :-) Who knows.

d(ER), October 17, 2003 05:47 PM

Thank you, yukino :)

It's government enforced, Kyle. Suing companies isn't that popular around here :)

Mina, October 18, 2003 02:56 PM