I suspect it wasn’t easy coming up with artwork for matchbooks, which represent a very small palette. And you only have a small chance of making an impact.
I don’t know if they served alcohol at Wayne’s, but I’m guessing they did. I noticed none of the messages speak to the problem of drinking and driving, which was likely the number one cause of traffic accidents back when these were given out.
It’s hard to know if public safety messages like these on the back of matchbooks have any real impact, but I guess they couldn’t hurt. We learn from a variety of sources and somehow some of these messages must have gotten through.
I’m not sorry that matchbooks have gone out of favor – an indication of not only the switch to disposable lighters, but a decrease in smoking, which is a good thing. But I am sorry that the art form has disappeared – it was fun to see what artists and copy writers would come up with for such a small space.
This article was last modified on February 28, 2021
This article was first published on July 20, 2012
Commenting is easier and faster when you're logged in!
Recommended for you
3D Graphics Made Easy with Adobe Dimension CC
The release of InDesign CC 2018 wasn’t the only great news coming out of the Ado...
Out of Gamut: Soft Proofing in Photoshop 6.0
By now, it’s pretty clear that Adobe Photoshop 6.0 is an impressive upgrad...
Create Word Clouds in InDesign With Wordalizer
Make amazing word clouds in InDesign quickly and easily with this powerful plug-...