Aesthetic Analysis of the Public Service Announcement Poster “The Indonesian People Are Not Ashtraysâ€

Abstract

Public service announcement posters, which address public health issues related to cigarette smoke exposure, are examples of visual communication media with strong visual characteristics that serve to raise social awareness and critical thinking in audiences, in addition to conveying information. The purpose of this study is to analyze the application of visual aesthetics and interpret the symbolic meanings and emotional experiences constructed through the poster's visual and verbal elements. This study uses a qualitative descriptive and interpretative approach, grounded in Jakob Sumardjo's aesthetic theory, which considers visual works as symbolic representations of human social and cultural experiences. To analyze the data, visual elements such as composition, color, typography, visual images, and verbal text were studied. The results show that the "Indonesian People Are Not Ashtrays" poster not only conveys a persuasive health message but also provides an aesthetic experience through confrontational visual symbols. This poster instills empathy, a sense of threat, and critical awareness in the audience. According to this study, public service announcements can be considered visual cultural artifacts containing aesthetic values, ethics, and social meaning. By applying an aesthetic approach based on human experience, this study expands the research topic of visual communication design.