Some things are integral to the New York experience, and getting lost in Dr. Zizmor's subway ads (which have been up since at least the early '90s) is one of them. But one graphic design student doesn't see it that way. Hyo Hong finds them graphically offensive and has set out to clean them up.
On the surface, her redesign makes a lot of sense for the dermatologist. As you'll see in the video below, she's changed the side of the ad that reads "clear skin" to have just that—a clear background, which reinforces the ad's message.
But if Hong had done her research, she'd know she's only helping Dr. Zizmor's lie. (His Yelp reviews tell quite a different story from his ads.) And let's be frank, she's being a bit rude. New Yorkers deal with a lot of shit, and these ads are part of what makes the city great. They are a weird little gem that has stood the test of time. The bizarre rainbow, the horrendous before and after photos—well, they help distract you from the "It's showtime" crew or someone's overbearing cologne.
Thanks, Hyo Hong, but do we really need an underground Giuliani looking out for our aesthetic well being?
Via Gothamist.
