Dakhantouwa

The Environmental Science teacher (Dr. Keyrouz Khalaf) asked Kj and me to create some kind of items promoting awareness of smoking disadvantages. It was more like an optional project to activate uninterested students and to make it clear to the class that “Environmental Science” is at the heart of everything we do and linked to all disciplines. She definitely doesn’t know that we, the so called “designers” pretentiously allocate to our selves a far greater mission; to make ‘the world a better place’.
For me, it was a direct invitation to express my dislike for people who smoke in closed areas.
A lot of people, especially lebanese, would give that awkward contempt and surprised look when you dare to show any sort of discomfort towards the smoke they exhale. They consider you limiting their harmless freedom and questioning their unobjectionable act. I respect others’ freedom and do not advocate a non-smoking world (kj is a smoker himself!). I just oppose to the indifferent people who carelessly turn on their cigarettes in closed areas, meeting rooms, work spaces, faculties, classes…
The poster is a typographic treatment of a slang word that communicate two different meanings just by adding two diacritic dots over the first letter. The two words are ‘Dakhantuwa’ literally meaning ‘you smoked it’ and ‘Takhantuwa’ meaning ‘you crossed the limit’.
The teacher was not very satisfied with our message, she had expected something more ‘educational’. Probably something like ’smoking causes lung cancer’, or ’smoke less live more!’.

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