Underground ads

The thing about subways is that you get up close and personal with billboards. That means everyone else does, too. And let me tell you, a spare square of white space doesn't last long in this city.

Most times it's not very creative graffiti tags all over the billboard. Once in a while you see something exceptionally odd, such as the proclamation that Nazis are going to wipe Iran off the face of the earth in 2008 and call this number to find out more: Number goes here. I've also seen notes to seemingly lost loved ones scrawled on billboards. (There is one to My Angel from Your Beating Heart at 23rd Street.)

The smartest billboard designers are the ones who use loads of black, such as the X-Men 3 ads. It takes the taggers more time to find white markers and paint, so the billboard stays cleaner longer.

The billboard designers who missed out are the ones who designed the New York Sports Network ads. Not only are they mostly white, they make direct references to the platform culture. Sure, it's witty to see an arrow pointing to the platform saying "Get your army of white headphone-wearing people here," and another pointing to a TV saying "Get your New York sports here." But when the billboard says "Get your wrong-side-of-the-platform tourist here" and is located no where near the platform, it loses a lot of punch and mostly seems stupid.


And of course there are the visual jokes, such as various mouths and facial accessories added to the "Silent Hill" poster. But my absolute favorite is the "Pepper Dennis" billboards. I've tried to recreate it for you here. It's not easy being beautiful!



Until Wednesday, remember to brush your teeth!